First Leg of the trek in the land of the lost son
The Prodigal’s Blindness (Lk 15:11-14)
Then he continued, "Once there was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the property that will come to me.' So he divided up his property between the two of them. Before very long, the younger son collected all his belongings and went off to a foreign land, where he squandered his wealth in the wildest extravagance. And when he had run through all his money, a terrible famine arose in that country, and he began to feel the pinch. (JB Phillips Translation of the New Testament, Lk 15:11-14)
I am not suggesting by this blindness there was any legitimacy to the younger son’s behavior. His actions were reprehensible. My immediate thought was take this guy out behind the woodshed and beat some sense into him, but that’s not my son; that’s not a father’s love. But isn’t that how most of us “outsiders” really felt when we read this story? The guy deserves it! He’s a selfish, insensitive jerk who doesn’t have an ounce of gratitude in his whole body for what his father and mother have done for him.
No, maybe blindness is not the right word for this passage, but it’s the only one I could come up with that encompasses the "blind" behavior of a lost sinner (2 Cor 4:4), as well as, the scariest aspect of blindness, apathy – an “I don’t care” attitude. Blindness is not passive; it’s a choice thing. And common sense is not always common. And there are no words to adequately describe this man’s piddling away everything of value in his life and how that affects those around him but the manifestation of spiritual blindness.
He was blind by his own selfishness, blind to the emotional pain inflicted on his family, blind to jeopardizing his family’s livelihood to satisfy some fantasy, blind to the reaction of relatives, neighbors, and community, blind to the importance of a family legacy and heritage, blind by his own lusts to see the end result of his actions – if you sow the wind you will reap the whirlwind (Hos 8:7). And worst of all, He didn’t care.
This obtuse behavior is more than immaturity; it is the outworking of a person who does not know the Lord. Spiritual darkness can manifest the darkest of behavior; being in spiritual darkness means you are at the mercy of the devil only to find there is no mercy with him. He promises us the world but pays in counterfeit bills.
The younger son’s selfishness was cold-hearted brutality. He just wanted the money that was coming to him and splitting – “Forget you, forget all; give me what is mine, and I’m outta here!” There is nothing I like about this guy; until I realized something about him. I could see part of me in him! Well, maybe I am being a little too critical of him after all….
Seriously though, before coming to Christ, my blindness was taking me towards self-destruction. Oh, how self-centered was I in my spiritual darkness. I could be an insensitive, insolent, and arrogant jerk just like him. I sure needed the Lord; I got Him and He got me and now we’re family. Thank you, Jesus.
Let me plug in this one anticlimactic observation. We can still be impudent as a believer if we don’t walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:16). Walk in the sin nature and you shall fulfill the lust of the flesh (Realization 5:16). Been there done that, too. How about you? This definitely wasn’t my life verse after receiving Christ!
Is it possible that we can become the very thing that we dislike? Yes, if we are not careful (cf. Prov 4:23, inner to outer). This question has bearing or relevancy in the parable of the lost son as we shall later see because if can reflect our own attitude toward the lost rather than a godly attitude. Jesus is addressing the Pharisees and scribes (Lk 15:2-3) along with “the tax collectors and the sinners” in the audience concerning the three parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son.
As we stated before that there are only two types of sinners in the world: saved sinners (the righteous) and lost sinners (the unrighteous). The former was saved by the grace of God, the latter needing to experience the grace of God; both are sinners. The difference between the two, however, is immense though they share a sinful nature.
As we stated before that there are only two types of sinners in the world: saved sinners (the righteous) and lost sinners (the unrighteous). The former was saved by the grace of God, the latter needing to experience the grace of God; both are sinners. The difference between the two, however, is immense though they share a sinful nature.
A saved sinner has a new nature and the presence of the Holy Spirit; the lost sinner does not. The saved sinner through the enabling of the Spirit of God has the ability to deny the flesh impulses of the old nature; the lost sinner does not. The penalty of sin has been removed from the saved sinner which is eternal separation from God at physical death; the lost do not. A save sinner has peace with God and the peace of God by faith evidenced by the indwelling Holy Spirit; the lost sinner does not.
Though we have received the Spirit of Christ, the old man or our sin nature still abides within us. This is not a “bipolar” condition related to a manic depression disorder. However, the two natures are polar opposites. The old nature and the new nature are not fabrications of our mind but spiritual realities that influence negatively (the former) or positively (the latter) our emotions, our intellect, and our will either in opposition to God (the old nature) or in cooperation with Him (the new nature).
Modern secular psychology scoffs and ridicules the concept of sin as nothing more than a diagnosis of the dark ages. Unexplained behavior is still a riddle to them; the depths of sin can leave us all baffled at times, for example, the prodigal son. This discipline is the so called modern day sin-busters, debunking the concept of sin. Though it is true that whatever fails to come out of faith is sin (Cf. Rom 14:23; Jas 4:17; 1 Jn 5:17), we should be careful, giving the benefit of the doubt, not to characterize all those with a mental or physical illness, a physical disability or infirmity as sinners, or more specifically, as having sinned.
Modern secular psychology scoffs and ridicules the concept of sin as nothing more than a diagnosis of the dark ages. Unexplained behavior is still a riddle to them; the depths of sin can leave us all baffled at times, for example, the prodigal son. This discipline is the so called modern day sin-busters, debunking the concept of sin. Though it is true that whatever fails to come out of faith is sin (Cf. Rom 14:23; Jas 4:17; 1 Jn 5:17), we should be careful, giving the benefit of the doubt, not to characterize all those with a mental or physical illness, a physical disability or infirmity as sinners, or more specifically, as having sinned.
To a Pharisee a sinner was anyone who didn’t think and act according to a Pharisee. If you happened to be a Gentile, well, that qualified you as a sinner, too! I would be hesitant to give the default answer of the Pharisee -- you have sin in your life. Behind every negative thing exuding on our lives is the result of the ripple effect of sin. And our freedom of choice to sin or not to sin plays a very important role in some, not all, of the negative things that enter our lives (cf. Job's situation). Hence, our desperate need for God’s grace every single moment in the here and now.
Why does all of creation suffer from our sin? Non-human creation cannot rebel! But somehow, our disobedience impacted all living things and even inanimate things. Figuratively speaking, all of creation groans as a woman in travail because of sin (Rom 8:22). This is a mystery.
According to the Scriptures, the negative dynamics of sin permeate and saturate the entire universe because of man’s rebellion against God. All die because of sin according to the Scriptures (Rom 5:12), the unrighteous as well as the righteous, even the so called sin-busters.
At the moment of physical death is where the divergence between a saved sinner and an unsaved sinner are realized once and for all for all eternity. The only thing the righteous will share with the unrighteous then is the acknowledgment of Christ’s sovereign authority (Php 2:10-11). The dark will go to the dark; the light will remain with the Light.
At the moment of physical death is where the divergence between a saved sinner and an unsaved sinner are realized once and for all for all eternity. The only thing the righteous will share with the unrighteous then is the acknowledgment of Christ’s sovereign authority (Php 2:10-11). The dark will go to the dark; the light will remain with the Light.
The Pharisees represents a sin nature that is religious but rejects the claims of Christ on their lives. Christ promoted a relationship not a religion. Religion is flesh service oriented; relationship is faith service oriented with the heart of Christ.
A pharisaical religion represents a starched theology, controlled and unbending, out of alignment with the truth of Scripture, cold-hearted, distant, possessing a superior attitude intellectually and spiritually, appalled that people don’t think and act like they do, totally disconnected and disengaged with the needy, and have disenfranchised themselves from offering help to the hurting because of the polarizing attitude that the needy deserve what is happening to them! “They are sinners; we are not!” This is the mind of a Pharisee…. Recognize any similarities or traits? Let’s take that stupid son and wear him out!
Am I suggesting we can become Pharisaical in our thinking and behavior as a true believer? Oh, yeah. Nobody claims to be a Pharisee. We can sniff out legalism like a bird dog a mile away, but in the process, becoming self-righteous in our own right with our own set of rules and regulations on what constitutes Christian conduct….
You ever wonder why we have so many churches? This church doesn’t speak in tongues; this one speaks in tongues; this church has old timey music; this church has contemporary music; this church wears fancy clothes; this church wears relaxed clothes; this church is lively; this church is reserved, and on and on and on it goes. It’s ridiculously religious for the most part whenever preferences become doctrine.
Corporations finally caught on to what the churches have been up to ever since pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Mass in 1620. ‘Give ‘em what they want or you’ll lose ‘em to the other guy.” Most churches resist change and split, but company stocks soar. Consumers and worshipers have more available choices in American history than ever before. Whether that is a good thing is debatable.
How does Pharisaicalism breed like rabbits? It’s due to the fact that the old sin nature can rear its ugly head if it’s empowered by a choosy choice. The old nature is like a compressed coiled spring. Release the tiniest of pressure, and it will “boing.” Such unChrist-like behavior can and does happen when we choose to clothe ourselves in self-righteous. We can become the very thing we hate about the Pharisee, the Darth Vader of the New Testament – self-righteous, impacting our attitude toward those without Christ and those who don’t agree with us.
The Pharisees’ in Jesus’ day were in a dual mode of denying their own need of salvation and identifying the “real” sinners in society. They claimed “no joy” over those coming to Christ and refused to help anyone in need of Christ. We have all been there to some extent. We see this for example, in
- having no heart for the lost as we discussed last week only 2% of all evangelicals personally lead someone to Christ, or maybe we were
- proponents of a split for the wrong reasons. Let me throw out two more (they are seemingly endless). How about
- being so holy (or rich) nobody is worthy to fellowship with (exclusivity), or
- we don’t sin anymore! I’ve only witnessed this in older people but certainly not limited to the older generations.
May God help us in our study to be more Christ-like than ever before as we near the end of the Church age! But that’s not going to happen if we don’t recognize what is happening and choosing to reverse the self-righteous tendencies. Part of recovery is acknowledging we got a problem, no matter how slight, right?
In our study of the lost son we mentioned the central theme of God’s joy over the recovery of the lost. We see this in the lost sheep (Lk 15:7), the lost coin (Lk 15:10), and the lost son (Lk 15:32). So, after such a lengthy introduction (don’t blame me, it’s a spiritual logistics thing with the Lord…), let’s begin our five week trek into the land of the lost son.
Lk 15:11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons
These are the focal characters.
· The younger son (vv12-20a) illustrates the true repentance of the sinner.
o He journeyed to a far country (Lk 15:13)
o He came to himself (Lk 15:17)
o He arose and came to his father (Lk 15:20)
· The father (vv20b-24) illustrates God who is “eager to forgive and longing for the return of the sinner” (The MacArthur Bible Commentary, Nelson Reference & Electronic, 2005, p. 1309). “The father personifies the joy of heaven” (JM, Master Work, Winter 2010-2011, p. 1070).
· The older son (vv 25-32) illustrates the Pharisees and the scribes and their “self-righteousness, prejudice, and indifference toward repenting sinners” (Ibid, p. 1309).
Lk 15:12 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.
Give me. “Give me give me, give me, give me” is the quatrain of every child growing up. It’s all one way; it’s all about me time There is a point, however, where the children become financially independent and are able to give back in some measure to the sacrifices made by the parents in love and gratitude, but more importantly to God.
But in our egocentrically oriented culture, once the children are grown the parents are ignored or forgotten, considered only as a nuisance or an inconvenience, or worst, a burden, snickered behind their backs. There’s no more time given to the parents.
And there are those children who expect for the parents to keep on giving to where retirement isn’t possible for the parents anymore! They drain the lifeblood out of their parents. When the parents can no longer give, they are for all intensive purposes, abandoned. But that couldn’t happen unless the parents allowed a selfish mindset during the child-rearing years. Once the grown children get what they want, the parents never hear from their children again until they need more money.
It reminds me of the young college man holding up a placard during a football game that said, “Love you Mom and Dad! Send cash!” I don’t know where the love is, but I know where the money is going! It’s a vicious cycle of love and guilt. Dealing with our children this way is a natural love, not a supernatural (agape) love when we rescue them every time they stubbed their toes as adults. The children have never learned to put faith in God to meet their needs or been taught…. It’s been called tough love. It's sad that parents have to wear a pork chop around their necks for their kids to have anything to do with them. Then there are the black sheep... like our lost son here, the radical son.
The portion (meros, G3313). Translated share (ESV, NASB, NIV). According to Jewish law (Deut 21:15-17), the firstborn was entitled to a double portion or two-thirds of the estate. The younger son was to possess one-third of his father’s inheritance, but was not entitled to it before death. The principle behind the law of primogeniture was to preserve, protect and perpetuate a family’s legacy. As with most youth, there is little to no regard for family legacy and heritage.
Of goods. (ousia, G3376) This expression is uniquely Lukan. It occurs only here and in v13, possessions. Ousia is translated substance (KJV), property (ESV), estate (NASB), wealth (JB Phillips, NIV). Ousia is not like the normal understanding of the word inheritance (G2817). Inheritance includes both real property (permanent in nature, like land, anything erected on the land, anything growing on the land, or affixed to the land or building including buildings and crops) and personal property which refers to the moveable or liquid assets; those things easily converted into cash such as animals, family heirlooms, and et cetera.
Ousia refers only to the latter, property quickly sold for cash. This audacious, unthankful, and cold-blooded son expected one-third of his inheritance which was to be his portion of his inheritance while his daddy was still alive!
Falls to me. He wants his share of the inheritance. Tack on the adverb now. He doesn’t’ want to wait until his father passes away. He wants it right now. What took his father years to accumulate; his younger son wanted his portion now.
What was this shameless son communicating to his family with such a request? I don’t love you dad, mom, or brother. I don’t want any part of making a living this way. I’m tired of working; I want to have some fun before I’m old. Give me what is rightfully mine so I can leave and follow my dreams. This had to have ripped their hearts out. Words like the ones below may suggest what the family was feeling or thinking about.
Shocked
Surprised
Dumbfounded
Heartbroken
Rattled
Distraught
Stressed
Concerned
Devastated
Failure
Tears
Guilt
Future
Emptiness
Loss
Memories
Nauseated
Angered?
Gossip
Embarrassed
Ashamed
Humiliated
Other words come to mind, but you get the gist.
So he divided to them his livelihood. The verb occurs here and 1 Cor 12:11. It means to distribute among, to divide, to separate, or to literally cut asunder. The father’s response to his insolent son was he gave him what he wanted. He could have refused to give him anything and took a different approach according to Deut 21:18-21. But the father loved his younger son, and this was not an option for him. Bear in mind the Pharisees and scribes are listening to all of this. In their mind the only option is to stone the stupid son, sparing the family of any more humiliation; the son is a shameless sinner!
Livelihood. The Greek word is bios (G979) which biography is derived. If refers to life, its duration, means, and manner of life (Mk 12:44). They lived in an agricultural economy.
Lk 15:13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.
And not many days after. It didn’t take long for his intentions to be revealed; he was bent on prodigal living. He had read the brochure on “Pleasure in Paradise” and couldn’t wait to get there. He was so smitten that he was willing to expose his family to heartache and financial concerns to satisfy his curiosity and lust.
Gathered all together. More than likely the younger son could not receive exactly one-third due to the economic burden to the family. But what portion was given had a negative effect on the livelihood of the family (cf. devoured the livelihood of the father, Lk 15:30). The portion given was significant enough to jeopardize the family’s livelihood. But the rebellious son being cold, callous, indifferent, and suffering from “it’s all about me" syndrome, took what was given and converted it into quick cash.
Naturally, what he sold was heavily discounted (like at yard sales and pawn shops), and the true market value of the item was lost to the seller. He couldn’t have fun and party down with livestock and family heirlooms; he needed cold hard cash where he was going. He couldn't get precisely one-third of his portion, so he got what he could. He lost even more by selling his goods for quick cash and finally lost it all in riotous living.He was on the fast track to ruin.
Naturally, what he sold was heavily discounted (like at yard sales and pawn shops), and the true market value of the item was lost to the seller. He couldn’t have fun and party down with livestock and family heirlooms; he needed cold hard cash where he was going. He couldn't get precisely one-third of his portion, so he got what he could. He lost even more by selling his goods for quick cash and finally lost it all in riotous living.He was on the fast track to ruin.
Journeyed to a far country. Anything outside of Israel would be Gentile country. Far indicates he wanted to put distance between him and all those who might know him. This boy was looking to party down and probably took off to a popular destination known as a party town, what happens here stays here kind of atmosphere.
Wasted. This verb literally means to scatter abroad, disperse, used of chaff being scattered to the wind on the threshing floor, meaning to winnow (Zodi, Word Study). He desired to escape his humdrum existence and experience new and exciting things and explore sexual experiences. It is what is commonly referred to as sowing wild oats. His went on a lust binge.
His possessions. If you recall this is the same Greek word (ousia) translated in verse 12, goods. This word is uniquely Lukan. It refers those things easily converted into cash such as animals, family heirlooms, et cetera. The prodigal blew his money in reckless abandon. See goods, v12.
Prodigal. This is the Greek word asotos (G811). It is translated riotous (KJV), loose (NASB), reckless (ESV), wild (NIV), foolish (HCSB), squandered (Moffatt). This adverb is only found here. He is wasting his money with reckless extravagance, squandering his portion of the inheritance in wild living. It means more than a spendthrift; in addition asotos conveys “strong overtones of licentiousness, promiscuity, and moral debauchery” (JM, Master Work, Winter 2010-2011, p. 107). He lived a lifestyle without any moral constraint, living in the gutter with money to burn and eventually winding up in the gutter penniless. Its relative noun, asotia (G810), occurs only 3 times (Eph 5:18; Titus 1:6, and 1 Pet 4:4). Some translations of asotia are as follows:
· Eph 5:18 (excess [KJV], dissipation [NKJV, NASB, AMP], debauchery [ESV, NIV], ruin [TEV], reckless [HCSB], profligacy [Moffatt], excessive [Phillips].
· Titus 1:6 (riot [KJV], dissipation [NKJV, NASB], unruly [Amp], loose [Phillips], profligate [Moffatt], debauchery [ESV], wild [NIV,TEV], wildness [HSCB].
· 1 Pet 4:4. Riot [KJV], riotous [Phillips], dissipation [NKJV, NASB, AMP, HSCB], wild [NIV], debauchery [ESV], reckless [TEV].
Lk 15:14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.
But when he had spent all. Every penny...nothing was left. Sowing wild oats is not a time of wise money management. Quick money and naiveté make for disaster. The absence of a revenue stream will dry the well quickly as the lost son discovered. More cash must be flowing in that going out to sustain any lifestyle. You think our government understands this; we are a prodigal nation.
There arose a severe famine in that land. Famine is indicative of judgment in Scripture, a natural phenomenon with Divine purpose. Now the living of the lost son didn’t cause the famine, but it caused the wayward son to reach the end of his rope; in the Navy the end of the rope was called the bitter end. How fitting a description for this foolish young man at this juncture in his life. He ran out of money, and there was a famine in party land. Not just an average famine but a severe famine. Ever hear the saying, no matter how dark the hour it’s darker than you think! And that light at the end of the tunnel; it’s a train. But this famine was the best thing that has happened to his life since demanding his portion of the inheritance. God was going to use that famine to “work him over” to come to his senses.
He began to be in want. This is the proverbial “the party’s over.” He ran out of money. This was the turning point of diverting his attention from want to need. Plan A ran its course, now plan B is being implemented, and it didn’t involve returning to his homeland because of pride. It’s going to take reaching the bitter end before breaking the back of pride and returning back to his father.
This reminds me of what David said, The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psa 23:1). All this could have been avoided had the prodigal known the LORD as shepherd. For us to really mean that God is LORD, we must adorn Him as Shepherd in our lives. My sheep hear my voice and they follow Me (Psa 23:1). There is no want to those who follow the Shepherd of our souls (cf. Php 4:19). Next week, God willing, we continue on with the second leg of our journey in the land of the lost son, The Prodigal’s Awakening, Luke 15:15-19. <><
