Prodigality

Luke 15:11-32 The prodigal Son

Is it me or does it seem that this parable has been one of the most preached parables EVER? We had to go through this parable last night during small groups and yes, I sighed when I found this out.

I’ve heard just about every way you can preach this parable: from the dad’s pov, from the eldest son’s pov, from the prodigal son’s pov, from the pig’s pov, from the pig owner’s pov, from the prodigal’s mom’s pov, from the servant’s pov, from the dog-gone fattened calf’s pov!

You’ve all heard the story: a kid wants his inheritance because he’s for some reason or another decided to get the heck outta dodge. He then moves off to a far-away town and blows it all partying. After he realizes he has no more, his friends leave him and his wallet left him with no choice than to work. So he goes and gets a job feeding pigs and he’s so hungry that he wishes he could feed himself with the food that came in the pods he’s feeding those pigs.

After he’s had enough, he starts to think about what he could do to get outta there. So the thought crosses his mind that he could go back home and work as one of his father’s servants. They’re getting fed better than he is. So that’s just what he does. He tells the pig farmer, “Take this job and shove it,” and head’s back home.

When he gets there, his dad has some kind of spidey senses and can see his boy from afar off. Dropping everything, he runs out to receive him with all his servant’s behind him because they want to know what all the fuss is. He tells his servant’s put a ring on his finger, clothe him and kill the fattened calf, we’re gonna have a feast in his honor for my son had left but has came back.

So this is where my mind caught something, unbelievably, I have never seen before in this story. When the father realizes something is wrong with the older brother, he goes to him to see what was wrong. The older brother tells him that he’s been working and been faithful for all these years and never once got a goat. As soon as this heathen child (This son of yours) comes home after blowing all you gave him, you throw him a party? That is so not right!

His father comes back with something I thought was cool. He says, “This brother of yours was dead and is now alive, was lost but is now found!”

POINT—- The older brother tried to deny relations to his younger brother because of his shamefulness. He wanted nothing to do with him. (You ever thought that way about a sibling?) Yet his father reassures him, no matter of your brother’s ignorance, you will always be family. You can’t deny him. He is your brother.

Tough!

We are family
I got all my brothers with me
We are family
Get up ev’rybody and sing