Accepted and Loved (Luke 15.11-23)

Introduction

The parable of the prodigal son. Probably the best loved of all Jesus’ stories. I’m sure it’s familiar to most of us here.

1) Why Jesus Told the Story

But perhaps we know a little less about its context. Who did Jesus tell this story to? Where was he when he told it? And why did he choose that story for that audience?

At the beginning of chapter 15, Luke gives us this background information. Verse 1 says there were tax collectors and sinners crowding around Jesus as he was talking.

The tax collectors were hated outcasts. They weren’t just those humourless people at the Inland Revenue we all feel slightly nervous of (well, I do anyway). But in Jesus’ day and culture, tax collectors were selfish traitors and thieving crooks.

When it says “sinners” people often think of alcoholics, prostitutes and drug addicts. But tat’s not what it really means. The “sinners” were basically anyone who had given up trying to keep the Law of Moses. Times were tough and they had got to keep their family together, make ends meet. So they ate cheap non-kosher meat and took little jobs on Saturdays to keep the wolf from the door.

I once heard a Christian who works as a tour guide in Israel talk about this on a coach trip to the Dead Sea. He stood up, took the microphone and said “In the Bible, it talks about sinners. Now, our bus driver and tour operator are good examples of sinners. They are both Jewish and are working on the Sabbath which is against the Law of Moses.” As you can imagine, it was a pretty awkward situation and the two men tensed up and just stared straight ahead.

And then the tour guide continued. “Now when Jesus came he picked corn and healed the sick on the Sabbath and he was called the friend of sinners. So I just want our driver and tour operator to know that Jesus, their Messiah, is for them and has come to release them from the burden of the law.” Well, the two guys broke into a broad smile and gave the thumbs up.

But there are others present too; the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law. We hear quite a lot about these people in the Gospels and, since they were always in conflict with Jesus, we tend to assume they were complete villains.

In fact, they were upright, middle class law abiding citizens who gave generously to charity, loved going to Bible studies, were always in church and were into missionary work big time. And they were appalled by the company Jesus kept.

I had a mate when I was young who was brilliant at everything; art, music, English, foreign languages, maths, science, sport… He was good looking too and always had a string of admiring girls not too far away. One summer in the end of year tests he got 8 A grades and one B. Nobody at my school had ever come close to that set of grades. (It was in Essex, so the bar wasn’t all that high to be fair). When he got home, he told his mum and dad and guess what they said: “Oh, such a shame about the B grade.”

That’s what the Pharisees were like. You could spend a week spring cleaning a house from top to bottom and they’d go round with a pen and clipboard and pick out a smudge you missed under the fridge.

But Jesus loves even proud, arrogant, self-righteous religious frauds like the Pharisees.

So that’s why he tells a story about two sons. The prodigal son stands for the tax collectors and sinners. The elder son stands for the Pharisees and teachers if the law. Actually, both sons were lost and estranged from their father - but only one of them knew it.

2) What the Story Means

Most of us know it as the story of "the prodigal son." Which is remarkable because Jesus never actually used the word "prodigal" and I wonder how many of us know what the word means. It’s not a common word in modern English is it? What does it mean?

Lost? Restored? Selfish? Wasteful?

All four words are true of the younger son, but the right answer is wasteful.

He wastes his inheritance. He wastes his father’s fortune. He wastes his life.

And it was a lot of money to waste! As the younger son, he was entitled to one third of the estate and a man with a property, livestock and servants, would have been worth a small fortune.

The footballer George Best once said “I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered!” He went on to say “In 1969, I gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst twenty minutes of my life.”

Well, this young lad fritters everything on wine, women and song. Then the economy hits a recession, his money runs out, his friends say "bye bye", and before long he is desperate.

Have you ever made a big mistake in life only to wake up one day and realise how low you’ve sunk? Have you ever wanted to be able to turn the clock back and start again? This is where the younger son ends up. What am I doing here? What have I done? What was I thinking sharing supper with pigs?

In those days there were two sorts of employee; servants and hired hands.

Servants were members of the extended household. They were well treated and had rights in law. They also had a roof over their heads for life.

By contrast, casual labour was just hired and let go, as and when needed. No contract, no security, severance pay, no notice period, no tea break.

So when the son says “take me back as a hired worker” he isn’t even daring to think he might be received as a house servant – that would mean coming back to live at home. That would be too good for him he thinks.

He decides whatever happens can’t be worse than eating pig swill, so he goes home, hoping for the best. He starts to rehearse his little speech. He walks over the hill and his father’s home comes into view. His heart is in his mouth.

What will dad say when he sees me?

I’m absolutely filthy. He’ll go mad.

I’ve dragged the family’s good name through the mud. He’ll hit the roof.

I’ve spent all his money. He’ll kill me.

What would your dad say?

What do you think you’re worth to God? God thinks you’re worth much, much more.

Jesus said that the father saw him while he was still a long way off. He was watching out for him and he was filled with compassion.

And with his heart pounding hard, he ran (which was an unusual thing for an old man to do in that culture because it was considered undignified). Jesus says that he embraced him and kissed him.

We’re not talking about a polite, formal greeting. This father is overjoyed, uninhibited, demonstrative, over the top.

“David, Quick! Get my boy a cloak of honour!”

“Fred! Put a family ring on his finger. I want everyone to see who is back.”

“Bill! I want shoes on his feet. This is my son!”

“Mike! Get the barbecue going and crack open the bubbly. It’s party time!”

3) What Does It Mean for Me?

When you come back to God he restores your identity. He gives you back the real you. He has you back and it’s as if you’ve never been away. Think of the mess the boy was in; hated by his brother, rejected by his society, gossiped about by his former servants, cursed by the law, not a penny left to his name, not a friend left in the world. But accepted and loved by his father.

Maybe you feel you have been in the pigsty. You might look respectable enough on the outside perhaps but you know you’re a long, long way from God. You may be the only one who knows it. Jesus told this story to let you know that you can’t go so far – that it’s too far. You can come back to God today. Your Father is looking for you and there’s a feast waiting!

That’s great. But some of us, might relate more to the older son more than the younger one.

The older brother was a prodigal son too. He too was wasteful. Think about it. He had all the privileges, all the advantages, of his father’s riches – but he wasted his life in resentment and bad feeling.

You may have been a believer a long time and frankly you know you’re in a rut. Or perhaps you’re less and less moved by God’s amazing grace. Maybe you feel you’ve been drifting away, become quite cynical even. Like the older brother - and like the Pharisees.

The mistake the elder brother made was to compare himself with his younger sibling. Why has he got the fattened calf? What about me? Why don’t I ever get a party? It’s not fair! What a waste of time and energy.

But the Father says to the older brother, “My child. You are always with me. All I have is yours.”

When we were in Cwmbran on Wednesday night, one of the speakers talked about this parable.

Let me give you a bit of feedback from our time there. There was undoubtedly a sense of God’s presence there. People were queuing for about 45 minutes to get in and when the doors opened, people were cheering to press into church.

Inside, it was loud, it was raw and it was intense; they’re not respectable Anglicans, it’s a Pentecostal church that meets in a building that, on the outside, looks like Matalan and, on the inside, with walls painted black, feels like a night club. There are hard looking guys on the doors with shaved heads and tattoos - and a passion for Jesus. There were lots of people cramming into a limited space.

They’ve seen hundreds of people come to new faith in Christ there since April 10^th when a disabled man was prayed for, got out of his wheelchair and stood unaided for the first time in 10 years. He carried the wheelchair above his head and walked around the church. Other healings have followed. Many people went forward for prayer for healing the night we were there. Some fell to the floor right by where I was standing. I don’t know if anyone was healed.

What I do know is that among the new converts in the last 5 weeks or so, there are former drug addicts, lap dancers and bank robbers. The church has two pastors; both became Christians in jail. After a short and simple Gospel message, about twenty more people gave their hearts to Christ the night we were there.

There was a strong sense of conviction of sin. When there was another call to repentance and a new consecration, there was a mighty surge forwards. Nobody thought “what will so and so think about me going forwards.” There was no sense of just coming to church and watching, then going home. Nobody seemed self-conscious. Nobody seemed to care about keeping up appearances. There was brokenness, a meekness, a hunger for God.

As I said, one of their pastors was saying that there are prodigals in the church too. You may have been coming to church for years and years and yet be miles away from God. You need to understand that you are just as accepted and loved as someone who has been a top of the range sinner with an amazing testimony. God says to everyone here this morning exactly what the father said to the elder son. “My son, [my daughter] you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.”

Ending

I believe God is speaking today to people who think they’re no good, like the younger brother. He is saying that he loves you, accepts you, and welcomes you.

And I think he is also speaking to those who think they’re absolutely fine and don’t need to change – like the older brother. And he is saying that everything he has (his grace, his healing touch, his power, his gifts, his anointing, his blessing… everything he has is yours, if only you will ask and receive.

Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 19th May 2013