March 30th, 2025
Atonement Lutheran Church
Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year C
Sermon on Luke 15:1-3,11-32
In the Name of the Father and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Luke 15:1-3,11-32: “1Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3So he told them this parable:” ..“11And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 17“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ 20And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. 25“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ””
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is probably one of Jesus most famous, well-known parables. You have heard it referenced and compared to in movies, TV shows, and other situations where a prominent or important person returns to their former place of life (be it job, a relationship, or exonerated from wrongdoing) in a triumphant or impressive way.
The World sees the Prodigal Son as an underdog story – and who doesn’t love and underdog story. The World sees the Prodigal Son as a story where the younger of two sons rises out of his despair and mistreatment and claims his rightful place with his fathers against the selfish, hatful older brother. Sounds like an exciting story. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is not an underdog story. No, the Prodigal Son is not about us and our triumph or about what we can do. The Prodigal Son is about God relationship to his people, to you and me, and what He is doing for you and me.
When I was younger, I had no idea what the word prodigal meant. As I grew and heard this parable more and more, I began to think that the word prodigal meant as something like a transition from disappointment to joyful. Boy was I wrong! Recently I found out the word prodigal means “one who spends or gives lavishly and foolishly” or a person “characterized by profuse or wasteful expenditure”. In other words, a squanderer.
Now this is the exact condition we find ourselves in when we are sperate from the Love of God and of His Mercy. We squander our lives in a pursuit of a connection, a desire that only God can fill. And for a time, you might think you have found it in fame, riches, and pleasures – like the Prodigal Son – but you will always find your life without God empty and lonely.
Take for example little Johnny. Johnny just received his first allowance money, ten dollars, from their dad. Little Johnny was told by his dad that he could save his money a buy something very nice and special after his next allowance or two. Johnny was so excited; he can be just like the other kids in his class. Johnny could not wait to spend his money at the local Dollar Store down the street. At the Dollar Store, little Johnny spent all his money on candy, soda, and cheap plastic toys. After returning home, Johnny was soon disappointed. The candy he bought had very little candy in the packaging, the soda was not very good, and the plastic toys broke within minutes of him playing with them. Little Johnny, in his desire to be like the rest of the kids in his class, found himself miserable and broke.
In our example we find the father giving his son an opportunity to save money. The father even tells him to save money so that he can buy nicer things later. The son disregards his father's instructions and does what he wants to do. In the end, because he forsakes the wisdom of his father the son finds himself lonely and without money. And this is exactly what we do when we sin. We regret God, his wisdom and instructions to do what we want to do. And suffer because of our arrogance.
As a parent, it is hurtful when my children do not follow my instructions or take my advice. It is hurtful not because I am a tyrant that must be listen and obeyed, though I am sure they must think of me that way at times – as I did of my own parents at times. No, it is hurtful because I know the disappointment, the hurt feelings, and pain that will result in their decisions. If only they had listened to me, could they have avoided the pain and disappointment of their choices. But it should be comforting to my children that I will always be ready to listen to them and guide them, even though they continually reject my advice and do not adhere to my instructions. And if I am willing to this for my children, how much more is God willing to do for His children, for you and me.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is the last of three parables that Jesus gave regarding the relationship between God and His children, and what he is doing them. The first two parables, the lost sheep and the lost coin, are the same parable but from two different viewpoints. In these two parables we happen to have a sheep and coin become lost. The shepherd and the woman both look for their lost item, the sheep and the coin. When found the shepherd and the woman rejoice with their friends over finding their lost item.
This last parable, the Parable of the Prodigal Son, sometime called the Parable of the Lost Son, is different in that the parable describes how the object of importance, the son, became lost. The loss was not due to incompetence or mismanagement by the father but by a choice that the son made.
The parable does not start with the object already lost, like the previous two parables do. Instead, the parable describes how the son became lost. The son, out of greed or some other misguided notion, asked for his inheritance early. I am sure this hurt the father as it would have been seen as a statement, he wished his father was already dead – how disrespectful of the son. The father loves his son, and though it hurt him, the father granted the son his request. The son, for a time, rejoiced and reveled in being lost, that is until all his money was gone. Now the son had to get a job, and not just any job but the worst kind of job for a Jew, feeding pigs.
In the other two parables, the shepherd and the woman began looking for their lost item – the sheep and coin – immediately after finding their item was lost. Here we see the father waiting for the son knowing that the son could not be found until the son began seeking his way home. Seeking does not mean that the son could find his way home. In fact, the only way that the son could find his way home was for his father to run towards and embrace him and guide him back to his home. Like with the other two parables, once the father returned home with his lost son, the father threw a party in celebration of the return of his lost son.
Some though were not happy at seeing the lost son return. The older brother, who did not ask for his inheritance and thus did not wishing for his fathers’ death, was not happy at seeing his younger brother return, and certainly did not approve of the celebration of his lost brother who has now been found. And who could blame him, was it not him who stayed with the father, was it not he that honored their father by listing to him and obeying his word. Yet it is the younger brother who is celebrated and for what? Disobeying their father, wishing him dead and then foolishly wasting the property and money of his inherence, that their father worked so hard on obtaining. Should it not be the older brother who is celebrated for his faithfulness and not his young brother for his unfaithfulness. Does the older brother not have a right to look down on his younger brother for wasting his inheritance on frivolous, selfish pleasures?
NO, because that is not what the parable is about. It is not about us, and our relationship with the father. It is about a father relationship with his children. The parable is about Gods relationship us, his children.
God loves us so much, that He came to us. Even though we have sinned against God by denying Him before others, not followed His rules, not listened to His wisdom, and even cursed His name and wishing He did not exist. God loves us so much that He left heaven to come to be with us, to find the lost sheep’s, the lost coins, the lost sons of His people, of his children.
God run towards us and embraced us with a kiss
