Luke 15:11-32, “He was lost, and is found!”
Today’s text comes from Luke 15:11-32, about the prodigal son. The word “prodigal” comes from Latin, and its basic meaning is “wasteful,”–particularly regarding money, but it would be more accurate to say it is “wasteful” of one’s resources –time, energy, and health, including life itself.
The major storyline goes like this as you all know: a father had two sons, and the younger one wanted his inheritance. In a Jewish context, when it comes to inheritance, the firstborn son got the double share (cf. Deut. 21:17), while the rest got a single share upon their father’s death, but the younger son in our text wanted it while his father was still alive. In other words, he wanted his independence from his father. As the story goes, we know the father gave what he wanted. Likewise, God respects our own free will. The choices are ours to make, whether to accept or reject God. Although God wants us to abide in Him, God does not force Himself upon us. God wants to save us badly, but we must accept that offer.
The younger son set off for a distant country farther from his father. For a while, he enjoyed his freedom away from his father, being led by his fleshly desires. Soon, his resources ran out because of his wasteful living and a severe famine that struck the land; he had to suffer hunger and thirst in a distant country far away from home. The severe famine in that distant country was not coincidental but a characteristic of that country where there was no God, the fountain of our resources. The younger son ended up eating pig’s pods!! If we leave God’s bosom, living on our own, we will live in starvation, not having real food that humans eat but only those foods that pigs eat. Not only was he with pigs, but he also ate the pig’s pods.
What does it mean? Pigs are unclean animals in the Bible, symbolically demon’s habitat. Remember? The legion of demons went into a herd of pigs in Matthew 8:30-37. If we leave God, we are in the company of demons, –hang out with demons, and eat what demons eat. Humans are not supposed to eat the food that pigs eat; it is dirty and impure. But in the demon’s world, there is no difference between humans and animals, clean and unclean, sacred and profane, sanctity and depravity. The dignity of human beings is based on humans being created in the image of God, but in the demon’s world, there is no reverence for the sacredness of God or honoring the sanctity of marriage between woman and man, which God instituted. I saw a video clip on YouTube of a man marrying a dog- a man in a tuxedo and a dog in a bridal dress. Engaging in group sex, or husband and wife joining a club of swapping sex partners or doing drugs and/or drinking alcohol at parties and having sex with just anyone one meets there. These are the filthy things practiced in our society. It does not matter whether it is a girl, a boy, or an animal; as long as one can satisfy one’s depraved and perverted sense of pleasure, one tries anything or anybody. That is what is going on in the demonic world!
Do we have a sense of awe when we come into sanctuary? Is worship any different from other church activities in this church building? Do we prepare for worship with utmost care when coming to the Holy presence of God? Do we offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God during worship? Or is worshiping something to get it over with so we can move on to something more fun and interesting? Are we aware of the Holy presence of God in worship? Do we experience God’s forgiving grace, mercy, and love in worship? Do we differentiate between worship and mundane activities? I met a patient who wanted me to pray for her while talking on the phone so that “she can get it over with.” That was the very word she said to me.
This prodigal son realized he would soon die of starvation if he didn’t eat real food, so he decided to come to his father. He came to his senses and longed to return home.
Father, on the other hand, had never left his prodigal son. His house door had always been open for him to return. Even from a distance, the father could spot his son because his heart was always after his younger son, looking and looking to see whether his son was returning home. When the father finally spotted him, he ran. Middle Eastern men of status never — never — ran. If he were to run, he would have to hitch up his tunic so he would not trip. If he did this, it would show his bare legs. In that culture, it was humiliating and shameful for a man to show his bare legs. However, the father didn’t care if he was ashamed or not. He ran and ran, greeted him with a kiss, and ordered the celebration. A fattened calf was ordered for a party for the prodigal. The blood had to be shed to have a party for the younger son, signifying atonement for sin. Fatted calves were saved for special occasions such as the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23: 26-32). Jesus’ blood was shed to restore us, prodigals, to God.
At the same time, the Father ordered his servants to bring three things: a robe, a signet ring, and sandals, which represent what we receive in Christ through his sacrifice for our salvation. The robe that we lost from the time of Adam, who found himself naked after he sinned, is given back to us as Jesus Christ was naked on the cross in our place. Like the father in the parable, Jesus did not mind being ashamed of being naked. Because Jesus was naked, being ashamed, we no longer are naked in shame and dishonor because the best robe, the robe of the Redeemer’s righteousness (Isaiah 61:10), was given to us returning. God put the robe on us as a sign of dignity and honor, proof of the prodigal’s acceptance into the family.
Secondly, the father put his signet ring on the younger son’s finger. Ancient kings used signet rings to designate authority or ownership. Official documents were sealed with the king’s signet ring to prove it was his word. God gave us the signet ring, the name of Jesus, to use. We have the same authority as Jesus because his name is given to us.
But the question is whether we use our signet ring to execute our authority on earth. If the enemy comes against us, do we invoke the authority of the name of Jesus? God has given us the authority over demonic powers, sicknesses, and diseases. But do we exercise our authority over demonic power?
Thirdly, the father gave the younger son sandals for his feet. In ancient times, slaves wore no sandals. In a Jewish context, being without shoes means one of three things: the lack of social status, an act of humility in repentance, being in the Divine presence, or being punished for crimes since a common punishment or judgment was to go without shoes. In this context, giving sandals to the younger son means that he has regained his social status and is saved from his destiny of being damned as a judgment for leaving the father. Wearing sandals on his feet, he was prepared to walk in the ways of holiness and ready to spread the gospel. “… with your feet fitted with the readiness from the gospel of peace. (Ephesians 6:15). Jesus’ feet were nailed barefooted in our place on the cross. Because of his suffering, we regained our shoes. The question is whether we walk in God’s holiness and spread the gospel.
Lastly, let us turn to the most tragic character in this story, the oldest son, who worked hard, obeyed his father, and brought no disgrace to his family, unlike his younger brother. He could not accept his returned brother. One of the duties of the eldest son as the priest of God in the Jewish context – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were priests of his household- was to reconcile with the father and his other sons. According to the role prescribed to the eldest son, he should have been the host at the feast to celebrate his brother’s return. Yet he could not bring himself to do that. To him, his younger brother has no more business back in his father’s home ever since he left the home. Once lost, he is forever lost in his mind. In other words, not just the younger son but also the older son was a prodigal son, though he never left his father’s fold. He had lived in his father’s home all those times, yet he did not accept or own his father’s rich love, grace, and mercy. He refused to enter the banquet that was thrown for the lost. He remained outside!!
A good Christian I know whose mother-in-law was severely abusive toward her physically, emotionally, and verbally. In American culture, you can beat up your mother-in-law, but in Asian culture, that is never permitted. One can be expelled from her home if she does that. Because of the stress of having to deal with her mother-in-law, she had even contracted cancer. A long time later, her mother-in-law accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior through her neighbor’s long-time prayer and sharing God’s words with her. Upon hearing it, this woman, who could not forgive her mother-in-law, her body trembled uncontrollably, said, “I will not go to heaven if she goes there!”
Do we know our duty as “elder brothers” if we are God’s children? Are we willing to accept the lost ones as God accepts them, even if they are our enemies? Or do we want to remain outside, refusing to come to the celebration God has thrown for the lost because of what they have done to us?
2025-03-30
