Friday, October 2, 2009

Lost and Found, Part 23 of 78

TEXT: "Then He said, 'A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, "Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me." So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, "How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.' ” And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son." But the father said to his servants, "Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." And they began to be merry' " (Luke 15:11-24).

IDEA: Those who want to be free of God could wish that He were dead.

PURPOSE: To help the listener recognize that there is a freedom in God that benefits us, but a freedom from God that destroys us.

Have you ever talked to your parents about what was left to you in their estate?

How did the conversation come up?

Was it difficult?

Why?

Listen to the story of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15:11-24, and note how it begins:

Then He said, “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

The opening scene in the story of the Prodigal Son sets the stage for all that follows:

“There was a man who had two sons.”

What does that tell you about the rest of the story?

How does the opening line give us clues about what will follow?

“The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.”

What is the implication of the younger boy’s request to have the property divided between himself and his brother?

He wishes for his father’s death. It was an extraordinary insult to his father. In the entire Old Testament the prodigal’s action is unknown.

Kenneth Bailey says that “it can be documented that often a father before his death would ‘divide his living among them.’ But the startling fact is that, to my knowledge, in all of Middle Eastern literature (aside from this parable) from ancient times to the present, there is no case of any son, older or younger, asking for his inheritance from a father who is still in good health.”

What is the younger brother asking for?

1. He asks for a division of the inheritance. That would give him ownership without the right to dispose of his share. The property would be his but he could not sell it.

This is more than inquiry about his parent’s estate. He wants the division to take place immediately.

2. He wants more: He pressures his father into giving him full disposition immediately. He wants to have full control so he can sell off his share. What would only happen at his father’s death, this young man wants right away.

How would you feel if your children asked this of you?

What would you do?

Both requests have the strong implication, “Father, I can’t wait for you to die.” The request is a profound break of relationship between the son and his father.

While we may not consciously say it, we often feel as though we would be better off if God were dead and we didn’t have to bother about Him.