THE PRODIGAL SON

PROCLAMATION

“Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.  The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’  So he divided his property between them.  Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.  After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. … When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare.  I will set out and go back to my father’ … But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him … ‘But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”  Luke 15:11-32 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION
These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, which were spoken by Christ according to Luke, the physician.  Jesus continued to teach His disciples and the crowd.  He told them The Parable of The Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7), The parable of The Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10), and The Parable of The Lost Son. (Luke 15:11-32)  All three parables reveal the joy that is felt when that which was lost is found.   The lost son, who left home and squandered all of his money, “came to himself” and returned home.  His father received him joyfully and celebrated with a feast.  The brother who stayed with the father was angry and jealous.  The father had to go to him and tell him that all he had was his.  The celebration was because his long lost brother was found. 

APPLICATION

The sinners that we are, we were lost.  After we “came to ourselves” and accepted Christ as our Savior, there was joy and celebration in heaven.  Our heavenly Father will always welcome us when we come to Him.  He will clean us up, wash away our sins, and see us through the eyes of Christ who died for us.  However, we have to want to come to Him and we must do so of our own free will.  Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17)