Thank you sir, you gave me something to think about and I surely am still in a process of learning. In effect, their continuance within the sacrificial system that was at the heart of their Jewish life, and their adherence to that life in a practical sense, essentially made null and void their growth and hope in Christ. The reaction of the crowd was most likely extreme upset and outrage, similar to that of the eldest son. And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:8-10). This is essentially like telling the Prodigal Father to “drop dead…I want my inheritance now!” This is because the inheritance was never given until after the father had died so the Prodigal Son was basically insulting his father and asking for the money now and saying I don’t ever want you to be my father again. These are the things that she does not want to do… she feels like I should just allow her to live here without any obligations and that she should be able to have sexual relations as long as she is not doing it in my house — which is fine (not really but she is 18) as long as she is contributing as I just mentioned…. My question is, when she gets to the point of having to eat like a pig does and says she is ready to live under our roof again, eventually returns to her old ways (because she will only be coming back because she has no other choice) and leaves again, do we just keep taking her back each time thereafter? The parable of the prodigal son is about a young man who demands his father’s inheritance while he is still living. All you can do is trust in God and leaven the consequences up to Him. Jesus spoke these parables of loss and redemption to the "Pharisees and religious leaders after accusing Jesus of eating with sinners" (Wikipedia). We all still sin (1 John 1:8, 10) but these ALL will confess their sins (1 John 1:9). However, when we look at who Jesus was speaking to, the elder son character stands out. This is by far my favorite story in the bible. The Parables of Jesus In Chapter 15 of Luke’s gospel, there are three parables, the Parable of the Lost Sheep (vv. Good point and I totally agree with this. Thank you Donk. Ricardo, thank you sir for your wonderful comment. I know I’m not supposed to presume God’s will but it’s very discouraging. I see the theme all throughout the Bible about love, forgiveness, mercy, and redemption. Thank you so much sir. What i had always missed was the cultural issue of the Jews. Jesus was teaching against their tradition and for that they would have been offended and astounded. When Christian folk read these verses they often neglect to consider that it was addressed to a specific group of people (a gathered people) rather than an individual, in much the same way the letters were written and distributed to the various churches in the Revelation. You did not come to yourself by yourself. Parables are stories with meaning behind them. There are numerous verses talking about these two separated flocks which, one day, will be joined again. She does not have a job so in place of that I have given her other rules she must follow like being a part of church ministry, volunteering at a shelter and keeping busy with other activities if she does not choose to go to college. The prodigal son is believed to be, by many, a Christian who falls away from the truth and then later returns after repentance but this doesn’t seem to fit to whom this was written too or the story itself. “Trials” in James 1:2 is the Greek peirasmos and refers to that which examines, tests, and proves the character or integrity of something. All glory to God Asawa and please do come back and visit us again soon my friend. If we can do anything here for you as far as doctrinal mission statements or so forth, let us know Paul. The Parable of the Lost Son. My past clearly shows that I haven’t been living for him. I know this story is condensed and may not make a lot of sense, but I feel like maybe by enforcing our rules so strictly and not letting her be who she wanted to be in our home that I was not acting as the father in the story did. They did help me financially intermittently when I needed it and I am grateful for that. Christian Prodicals or not lost, they may be in search for a church home where they can continue their spritual calling. You might not be expecting to get anything for your effort. Never did I wish ill to my parents or family. In Jesus name. This sense of need motivates us to seek God and draw near to Him. Also, this book of Hebrews was written TO Jewish Christians who saw Christ and knew He was the Son of God and saw His miracles and many saw Him after they were resurrected and so it was written to them. and is found (saved). Dear Jack Wellman, The way I see it is that the new covenant became fully operational in 30AD… at the cross and Pentecost… God bless. Parables in the bible always have a bibilical meaning or moral to the story. ^_^ God bless you. Last week was my mom’s birthday, TYB (The Youngest Brother) orcistratate elabrate birthday celebration and planning for my mom’s 67th birthday. Love God’s simplicity in this text, but soo profound and powerful. Just take a glance at their terrible fate (Rev 20:11-15) compared to yours (Rev 21 & 22). { 106 comments… read them below or add one }. The parable of the Prodigal Son is a story about God’s redemptive grace and mercy. It took the Holy Spirit to awaken me to the grace of God and so I never found God…He found me. I am the oldest girl (2nd born child) of 4 children. I was that prodigal…and agian, thank you for your comment and we do hope you will come back again my friend. The older brother is filled with anger saying in Luke 15:29-30, “Look! I am glad the story of the Prodigal Son makes more sense now. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end [NOTE: indicating that they are still in the sheepfold and will be till the end! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts. Amen. The question we must each face is not, ‘if’ we are going to have trials in life, but how will we respond to them? No fruit? I can help you find your way back to the Lord if you will do these things. Although it has become well-known by this title, it would be better described as the parable of the forgiving father. God is NEVER closer to us than in our pain, suffering, and trials and ultimately, justice will be served. I have taken my daughter to stake and I am trusting God that when He allows her to hit rock bottom, down to the devils pit, He will call on me to bring her home! painful for the Prodigal son. Greetings to you there in Nigeria my friend. but couldn’t He also be teaching us show these character traits to the people in our lives too? Fast forward a year later, we brought her home three months ago and the devil has put his grips into her stronger than ever — BUT, something drastically changed in the past year — ME! WHY. Thank you Gregorio. The son finally spends all of his inheritance in sinful activities (Luke 11:30) and finds himself in a pigs sty, feeding the pigs, who ate better than he did. The old hymn Amazing Grace makes me think of the Parable of the Lost Coin because I was once hopelessly lost and it would take the supernatural work of God to find me because I was so blind and groping in the dark at one time. I got this from Hebrews 6:6. As stated in the opening of this commentary, the Jewish people would have disinherited the son or even stoned him to death. Dear Jack, I want to say thanks for this commentary, I have learnt a lot and have been blessed. Take about undignified! This prodigal son was who I was and who every Christian was before they were saved. Jesus NEVER qualifies His word that “except if you sin again. His effort is to be expected, and it almost seems like he’s being taken for granted. That is they were saying they believed in Jesus yet continuing the practices of sacrifices which should have ended once for all after Calvary. It is a story of His unconditional love and forgiveness. The Parable of the Prodigal Son (also known as the parable of the Two Brothers, Lost Son, Loving Father, or of the Forgiving Father) is one of the parables of Jesus in the Bible, appearing in Luke 15:11–32. It was a shock to him. He had plenty of “friends” to help him spend it but quickly ran out of his inheritance funds. Meaning and symbolism of the parable of the prodigal son jesus narrates this story when he was accused by the pharisees of keeping the company of the sinners. Ephesians 4:4-5: There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling;One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Sometimes they need to be in the pigsty for a while before they see the need for family and for God. but this doesn’t stop the father from commanding the servants to bring a robe for the son (does this represent being clothed in the righteousness of Christ or does it symbolize the wedding garment at the wedding feast of the bride of Christ during the marriage supper in Revelation 19:9? What a beautiful name. I want to live my life according to Gods Word … there really is no continuation of what to do if the prodigal child goes back to their old ways and how we deal with a habitual abuser of a parents love. I thank God that you left such a powerful response to this. … So, when Jesus told the parable of the lost son (“The Prodigal Son”) in chapter 15, He used the opportunity to teach them about more than just the excessive love of God; Jesus took a swipe at their self-righteousness by including the description of the reaction of the elder brother. If not, that may be the issue for those outside of the Body of Christ, the church, outside of the sheepfold of the Great Shepherd, are subject to spiritual attacks and doubt by the Enemy. Well said that you can’t allow her to live under devils rules under your house. Meanwhile, the father has a second son, who becomes jealous of… And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I have been told by formerly prodigal kids that the only way they truly learned is by hitting rock bottom. This is a blog series featuring contributors to the new book, Cruciform Scripture. The lost sheep, separated from the flock and from the shepherd, is a warning of the state of any child of God who wanders away from the church and away from the Shepherd. The youngest son had nothing to bring, no good works, and came back with barely the shabby cloths on his back. The first two are: Parable of the Lost Sheep and Parable of the Lost Coin. I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. Notice that Paul didn’t say “unless you sin again.” No, Jesus said in John 11:26 “whoever lives by believing in me will never die. I am making a play about the prodigal son for our Christmas cantata I found this very helpful. If he had died in his “partying” life, he would have been eternally lost but the point is that the father was looking for him and the son returned (repented) of his own accord. This is a first time event. The oldest son did not kill the father, no, but the prodigal son, the younger one, asked his father for his inheritance while the father was still living. Positioned together in Luke’s Gospel, the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the Prodigal Son are traditionally interpreted to be about sinners repenting and God graciously offering forgiveness and reconciliation. “And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. They observed the Christian practices but they still labored within religious Judaism. The devil is controlling her right now but that is ONLY because God is allowing him to do so!!! Read them in the archive below. My father was happy and as it is written he gave him GRACE that TYB did not deserve and MERCY that TYB did not earned. When God chastises those Who He has redeemed, as any loving father would, He brings them to their knees and they see their need for repentance and return to God and ask for His forgiveness. It is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purposes in our lives in a way that would never occur without the trial or irritation. I say this because the father gives the son what he does not deserve (called grace) and withholds what he actually did deserve (called mercy). No Holy Spirit. I am a believer in Christ alone for my salvation. They did believe upon Christ as the promised Savior, but perhaps at the very same time they did not fully understand the Old Covenant was soon to be nothing more than a memory. GODBLESS YOU ,THANK SO MUCH,VERY INSPIRING. A person who continues in sin but says that they are a “carnal Christian” or they are just “backslidden” is deceiving themselves and are not of God. Hello Terri. The parable of the lost son has shown me compassion and unconditional love God has for me. I think the article should be corrected under “Who The Son Represents” so that there are no contradictions to confuse anyone. 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