The Prodigal Son – God's Love Seeking the Sinner

Luke’s gospel is the gospel of graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More. It speaks of the undeserved graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More of God that has appeared in order to offer salvationSalvation is part of God's plan of saving people. Those who are in danger and cannot help themselves need salvation. We owe our salvation to our Savior, who went to... More to all men (Titus 2:11). God’s graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More and mercy flow out to each and every person who accepts the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior. We can take chapter 19:10 as the key verse of the gospel: “The Son of man"Son of Man" is a designation for our Lord Jesus Christ. In many Scriptures, it means that He really became man through His birth (Gal 4:4). Like every human being,... More has come to seek and to save that which is lost”.

Some typical incidents are only recorded in this gospel. One example is the story of the merciful (good) Samaritan. Another example is chapter 15. This chapter shows on the one hand the natural condition of the sinner but on the other God’s dealing with him in graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More and love. It not only speaks of a seeking and giving God but also of His joy. Our God rejoices in showing graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More. Let us briefly consider some of the key elements of the chapter, and in doing so let us never forget that it tells us about our own past condition and how God has dealt with us.

One ParableA parable is a pictorial representation of messages that are not directly stated and require interpretation. God already used parables in the Old Testament to convey messages to his people... More

First of all, we notice that the chapter contains just one parableA parable is a pictorial representation of messages that are not directly stated and require interpretation. God already used parables in the Old Testament to convey messages to his people... More. There are three parts to it, but it is one great lesson. The thread that runs through it is God seeking and finding lost and dead people and showing them graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More.

Two sides need to be distinguished:

1. God’s graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More

He seeks and receives sinners. The three persons of the TrinityTrinity means that the three persons of the Godhead – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – are distinct from one another but are nevertheless one God. It was already known... More are involved in this activity of seeking, loving, blessingA blessing is something good, in the Old Testament, usually associated with possessions, prosperity, and health, and is usually pronounced over someone. In principle, the lesser is blessed by the... More, and rejoicing. The shepherd speaks of the Lord Jesus who came to find and save His lost sheep. The woman speaks of the activity of the Holy SpiritThe Holy Spirit is God, a divine person in the Trinity of God; in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit works, for example, in creation or on individuals. The Holy... More who uses God’s word in order to bring man into His light. In the father who was looking for his son, we identify God the Father who is waiting for those who come back to Him. The shepherd speaks of divine perseverance in seeking, the woman speaks of divine patience and diligence, while the Father displays divine love and forgivenessIn Scripture, forgiveness is presented to us from two points of view. • The side of God: God’s thoughts towards the sinner whom he forgives. On the basis of Christ’s... More.

2. Man’s condition and his responsibility

The chapter makes clear what we were as sinners and what we had to do to be saved. Our condition was desperate: as the sheep we were hopelessly lost; as the coin we were ignorantly lost; and as the runaway son we were deliberately lost. The sheep was in danger; the coin was in darkness; the son was in great need and distress. This is man’s natural condition. There is no contribution we can make to our salvationSalvation is part of God's plan of saving people. Those who are in danger and cannot help themselves need salvation. We owe our salvation to our Savior, who went to... More. The only thing required is that we turn to God in repentanceWhile remorse (Greek metamellomai) means to regret a previous act or behavior and to have a different way of thinking about it, Repentance (Greek metanoia) goes further than that: It... More. God does everything, but a sinner must turn to him.

The Starting Point

Chapter 15 starts with a dispute with the religious people of the day about the tax collectors and sinners Jesus had received. There have always been these two types of men on earth: those who seek salvationSalvation is part of God's plan of saving people. Those who are in danger and cannot help themselves need salvation. We owe our salvation to our Savior, who went to... More and graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More — they accept their lost and dead condition, and those who think that they do not need God’s salvationSalvation is part of God's plan of saving people. Those who are in danger and cannot help themselves need salvation. We owe our salvation to our Savior, who went to... More — they might appear to be near to God but inwardly they are very far from Him.

The Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin

The first two parts of the parableA parable is a pictorial representation of messages that are not directly stated and require interpretation. God already used parables in the Old Testament to convey messages to his people... More belong together. They are a kind of preparation for and introduction to the third part. I would just like to emphasize four links between them:

1. The natural condition of those who are lost

The lost sheep illustrates the condition of the sinner who has run away from God. The Epistle to the Romans takes this up and makes it clear that man is actively living in sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More. We were desperately lost and it required God to make all the effort to find and bring us back. The lost coin is a picture of man’s condition as spiritually dead. This is the teaching of the Epistle to the Ephesians. A dead person is entirely useless but, more than that, he cannot change his condition at all. This was our natural condition: useless to God and unable to do anything to change our situation.

The third part of the parableA parable is a pictorial representation of messages that are not directly stated and require interpretation. God already used parables in the Old Testament to convey messages to his people... More reprises these two viewpoints. Twice it is said that the son was dead and had come to life again, that he was lost and had been found (vv. 24, 32). This is exactly what has happened in our case.

2. No human contribution is possible

The sheep and the coin could not contribute to being sought and found. They were not involved at all. Nevertheless, in both cases, the importance of repentanceWhile remorse (Greek metamellomai) means to regret a previous act or behavior and to have a different way of thinking about it, Repentance (Greek metanoia) goes further than that: It... More is mentioned. This is worked out in the narrative of the prodigal son. He had to come back, acknowledging his terrible situation. SalvationSalvation is part of God's plan of saving people. Those who are in danger and cannot help themselves need salvation. We owe our salvation to our Savior, who went to... More is indeed an act of God’s sovereign graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More. But at the same time, it is also necessary that the sinner returns and confesses his failure. Only those who want it will “take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17).

3. The value of man

There were 100 sheep and 10 coins and “only” one of each was lost. Nevertheless, maximum effort was made to find that one. This shows the great value of each person in God’s eyes. If only one sinner had to be saved, the Lord Jesus would have come to die on the cross. There is joy in heaven for just “one” repenting sinner. This one comes to the fore in the last part of the parableA parable is a pictorial representation of messages that are not directly stated and require interpretation. God already used parables in the Old Testament to convey messages to his people... More.

4. The joy of having found the lost

In the first two cases, joy in heaven is mentioned. Heaven takes note if a sinner turns from being “lost” to “found”, from “death” to “life”. The third narrative also mentions joy. It is the joy of the father and the son who was found: “They began to be merry” (v. 24).

The Lost Son Went Home

The third part of the parableA parable is a pictorial representation of messages that are not directly stated and require interpretation. God already used parables in the Old Testament to convey messages to his people... More speaks of a father with two sons. We apply this in a general way by thinking of two great groups of people. There are always those who think that they are all right and that God can be pleased with them (the older son) and others who know how alienated they are and return (the younger son).

The younger son went far away and wasted his father’s property. Every sinner is characterized by his own will and independence. When the famine occurred, the younger son started to feel his scarcity and realized the “deceitfulness of sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More” (Heb. 3:13). He was hungry, humbled, and lonely. That is always the end of a course of self-will and sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More. We have turned “everyone to his own way” (Isa. 53:6; Rom. 3:12).

This son realized first that he could not help himself. Therefore, he sought employment with one of the citizens of the country. But he had to learn a second lesson (one every sinner has to learn), namely that no one could help him. The worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More and the devil pretend to give, but in the end, they are always demanding. In this sense, their resources are simply empty pits.

Verse 17 marks the big change in the story. The poverty-stricken younger son internalizes his abject condition. He not only realizes what he is lacking but also knows that he is perishing. So he makes the right decision: he goes back to his father to tell him all the wrong he has done.

There are three vital elements to note in his going back to his father:

1. RepentanceWhile remorse (Greek metamellomai) means to regret a previous act or behavior and to have a different way of thinking about it, Repentance (Greek metanoia) goes further than that: It... More

RepentanceWhile remorse (Greek metamellomai) means to regret a previous act or behavior and to have a different way of thinking about it, Repentance (Greek metanoia) goes further than that: It... More has to do with our mind. We start to think differently. Before this, the younger son thought that his father was a hard man who stopped him from enjoying the pleasures of this worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More. Now, having changed his mind, he thinks in a completely different way from his father. But he also thought differently about himself.

2. Conversion

Conversion has to do with our feet. It is not enough to think differently. We have to turn around. RepentanceWhile remorse (Greek metamellomai) means to regret a previous act or behavior and to have a different way of thinking about it, Repentance (Greek metanoia) goes further than that: It... More is always a complete change of direction (see e.g., 1 Thess. 1:9). The young man put his purpose of heart into practice. RepentanceWhile remorse (Greek metamellomai) means to regret a previous act or behavior and to have a different way of thinking about it, Repentance (Greek metanoia) goes further than that: It... More and conversion are inseparable (cf Acts 3:19; 26:20).

3. Confession

Confession has to do with our mouths. Without confession there is no forgivenessIn Scripture, forgiveness is presented to us from two points of view. • The side of God: God’s thoughts towards the sinner whom he forgives. On the basis of Christ’s... More of sins (1 John 1:9). We have to admit and confess what we have done and what we are. The young man told his father that he had sinned (the deeds) and that he was unworthy (his condition). This is exactly what Paul explains in Romans. The passage from chapter 1 to chapter 5:11 speaks of our sinful deeds while that from chapter 5:12 to the end of chapter 8 speaks about our condition as sinners.

The text does not give any details about the inner feelings of the son when he was going back home. But we can be sure that he thought about how he would be received there. How would his father react? By law, his father even had the right to put him to death (Deut. 21:18–21). No doubt the feelings of the son were conflicted as he went back home.

The Father Received the Son

When the son left his father’s house nothing was said about his father's inner feelings. Now that he has returned, we are given interesting details:

1. The father saw him

He must have been watching for him daily. It is God who seeks the sinner. The first person in the Bible who came seeking was God Himself (Gen. 3:8–9).

2. He was moved with compassion

This speaks of God’s motive: It is love. God proved His love by giving His Son for sinners (Rom. 5:8).

3. He ran towards him to meet him

This makes us think of God coming to us in Jesus. The “meeting point” of God and the sinner is Calvary’s cross.

4. Despite his rags he took him into his arms

This speaks of God who is rich in mercy and love (Eph. 2:4). There was no distance, no reproach, and no rancor. The son was safe in the arms of his father.

5. He kissed him

A kiss is an outward expression of love but also speaks of reconciliation"Reconcile" can also be translated as "balance." It describes how people are "brought into an agreement." "Reconcile with God" means to bring people or things into harmony with God. It... More. We have been reconciled to God (Col. 1:21), which means that we have been given more than we ever had before.

The three gifts he subsequently received show us how far reconciliation"Reconcile" can also be translated as "balance." It describes how people are "brought into an agreement." "Reconcile with God" means to bring people or things into harmony with God. It... More goes. The young man got much more than he ever had before. He was not made a servant, but he was his father’s son even more than before.

1)	The garment has to do with our new positionThe Christian position cannot be separated from Christian practice, but a distinction must be made. "Position" means how God sees us now. In the eyes of God, we are "in... More. It speaks of the robes of salvationSalvation is part of God's plan of saving people. Those who are in danger and cannot help themselves need salvation. We owe our salvation to our Savior, who went to... More with which we are covered now. In ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More, we are “God’s righteousness” (2 Cor. 5:21; Isa. 61:10).
2)	The ring speaks of our new relationship. It reminds us that we have eternal lifeEternal life is more than life without end. Eternal life is the highest conceivable quality of life. It is life in abundance (John 10:10). Christ himself is the true God... More. Like a ring, it has no beginning and no end. It is life in abundance (John 10:10).
3)	The sandals speak of the divine provision that we might be able to walk worthily in this worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More. We go into God’s presence to worshipIn both Hebrew and Greek, the word "worship" can also be translated as "prostrate / bow down" (Ps 95:6). It is more than praise and thanksgiving because, in worship, honor... More as holy priests and go out in testimony as royal ones (John 10:9; 1 Pet. 2:5–10).

Finally, the fatted calf was killed. This was something father and son enjoyed in common. It speaks of the sacrificeA sacrifice/offering to God (or deities in pagan religions) that differed in occasion, purpose, and form. The most important sacrifices required by the Old Testament law include burnt offerings, grain... More of ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More and of the fellowship we have now with our Father in the enjoyment of His Son. The work He accomplished on the cross is the foundation of everything we have. It is a joy to share this in common with God the Father. Indeed, our fellowship with Father and Son is the reason for the full and complete joy that will never end (1 John 1:3–4).