A fresh look at the Prodigal Son

Luke 15:25-32  “Now his older son was in the field. As he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.  (26)  So he called one of the slaves and asked what was happening.  (27)  The slave replied, ‘Your brother has returned, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he got his son back safe and sound.’  (28)  But the older son became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and appealed to him,  (29)  but he answered his father, ‘Look! These many years I have worked like a slave for you, and I never disobeyed your commands. Yet you never gave me even a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends!  (30)  But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’  (31)  Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything that belongs to me is yours.  (32)  It was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.’”

How many times have you heard the story of the prodigal son. It is a key component of evangelism, encouraging the lost to come to the Father through Christ. Yet, there is a much forgotten part of the parable that is not emphasized often and really not that widely understood. It is the story of the so called "good son" the faithful son. I have posited that above for you to read in full.

We know that the prodigal repented. In fact, the prodigal son is proof of the thing that Paul stated toward the end of his letter to the Galatians. Paul said, "be not deceived, God is not mocked, whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap!" The point is that if you sow to evil, you will reap evil in the here and now. It is not eternal punishment. It is "right now" punishment. It is not God's punishment, it is merely a fact of the law of sowing and reaping.

There is something far more sinister in this parable. It is the plight and fate of the so called "good son." Jesus did not say that the good son repented. In fact, it is likely that the good son just remained angry and jealous. In this parable the good son is a picture of the self righteous Pharisees. The good son is a metaphor for the religious person and the self righteous person... for the religious mindset so to speak.

The religious mindset is so enticing and beguiling to so many. If affords one the false sense that they are somehow worthy because of their right behavior. Nothing could be farther from the truth because the good son was filled up with jealousy and anger. He was miserable in his working to gain the father's favor and he was jealous of the father's love for that prodigal. I some times feel sorry for the good son because it seems that the gospel is unfairly geared toward the prodigal. So much so that in the religious mindset, people try their best to enslave the repentant prodigal into becoming a miserable good son. Jesus said of the Pharisees that they traveled land and see to make a convert and when they had converted one, they set out to make them twice the demon of hell that they were.

This brings me to the idea that the so called "strong man" spiritually is the demon of religion. Metaphorically, the first attempt at religion was the sewing of fig leaves to try to cover up sin and shame. Satan, the accuser of the brethren is always at work and in this parable we see that the good son is the accuser. The self righteous judgmental attitude of the good son poisoned everything about him to the point where he could not enjoy himself for jealousy and anger.

Unfortunately, this part of the parable is a metaphor for the evangelical church today. They travel land and see to make converts,and then they try to turn them into twice the child of hell that they themselves are. All the while they ignore or marginalize the gospel of grace which is the gospel of the kingdom. There is but one gospel and the gospel of the kingdom is quite simply the gospel of grace. Let's look at Jesus' words: Mat 23:15  “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves!"

The true gospel of the grace of God is freeing. It does not place the prodigal in bondage. It sets the prodigal free to love the father who so graciously welcomes him home, but more than that, the father also longs to lavish his love on the good son and the gospel of grace facilitates that as well. This message is especially geared at religious leaders and so called "seasoned saints." They are the ones that seem to want to believe that their behavior pleases God. I think it makes them feel superior and when you stop and think about it, that itself is sinful behavior. It is rolled up in pride. Yes, pride was the main problem that the good son faced. He was proud of his obedience, and then when the prodigal returned and found unmerited favor jealously crept in.

The truth is this. We all need the gospel twenty-four seven. My prayer is that people will awake from their religious stupor and begin to live out the gospel in community.