Articles
Reexamining the Prodigal Son
The story of the Prodigal Son is one of the most well-known stories of Jesus, and likely because we can all relate. The story is one of a trilogy of stories wherein something [or someone] was lost and then found, and the joy of the lost one being found again; Jesus began with the lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7), then tells of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10), and concludes with that of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). The main point of the stories is easily and widely understood, yet we may be overlooking some points we could be learning from the story of the Prodigal Son, if we are not careful. We could be missing some important points that might help prevent us from being a modern-day version of the Prodigal Son. Let’s take a brief look at just two parts of the story: the leaving and the return of the Prodigal Son.
The Leaving. In the story, we are not told why the son wanted to leave; many who read this simply assume his intent was simply to go blow all his money on wasteful living, but I believe we are presuming too much. Note that Jesus only said, “the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living” (Luke 15:12, 13). While he clearly “wasted his possessions” in the far country, there is nothing prior to this that said this was his intention; we are merely left to speculate. While I normally avoid speculation, here is a situation where I believe it would be wise to consider some possibilities, for some of those same reasons may be why some today leave the Lord.
Did he think the father unfair? Countless young folks have left home, or at least strongly desire to leave home, because they think their parents are not ‘fair’; and by ‘fair’ they mean, ‘They aren’t letting me do whatever I want.’ The same could be said of why some leave the Lord. Some think God is not ‘fair’ because He doesn’t allow them to live however they want, believe whatever they want, or serve Him however they want. Some have a terrible misconception of God and think He is there to serve them, rather than they serving Him. When they finally get frustrated enough with not finding some ‘loophole’ in Scripture that applies specifically to them and their desire, they get mad and decide God is not all they thought He was [and they are correct], and just quit. They are disillusioned with God and think they will be happier without Him.
Did he just not get along with his brother? Within physical families, there may be conflict between siblings, sometimes to the point one or more decide they just want to get away from the other as quickly as possible and as far away as possible. Sadly, this is sometimes the case within congregations where some brethren just can’t seem to get along with each other. After so many conflicts, and sometimes because of some degree of stubbornness on one side or the other or with both sides, someone decides to leave; but they don’t just leave and go to another congregation where they can faithfully serve the Lord. They quit serving Him altogether!
Did he just want to go live however he wanted to live, without accountability? It is common for some young folks to be enticed by the pleasures of this world to the point they run away from home and head off to “the big city” to find whatever pleasures and indulgences are available — things they have heard and seen on TV or in magazines or on websites or in movies. They have taken the bait Satan has placed in front of their eyes and they have believed the lies that life is all about doing whatever you want and just enjoying life to the fullest. Sadly, some within the Lord’s church are likewise enticed and are likewise seduced by the pleasures and indulgences the world offers and they leave behind all they have ever known in search of some pleasure they think they have somehow “missed out on,” or been deprived of by God’s restrictions and commands. They leave the world of spiritual focus and jump headfirst into the world of no restraint.
The Return. As the story continued, Jesus told of how, after the young man had “wasted his possessions,” a severe famine arose in the land and it was not long before he was “in want” (Luke 15:13, 14). It is noteworthy to see there is nothing said about anyone who helped him waste those possessions offering to help him in his need, but we see that he at least took it upon himself to work for a man of that country, and a job not too pleasant, either: feeding swine. It was then that he found that he was so hungry he desired even the pigs’ food, and he “came to himself” (Luke 15:17) and realized he knew of a place where he could have a better life: his father’s house!
Here, we must stop and make a point relative to the possible reasons for his departure. It should be noted here that when “he came to himself,” that necessarily means he was no longer deceived by his previous misconceptions; he now knew that what he had at his father’s house was better than any reason for leaving! So, let’s make some application to the previous points about the young man, and then to the reasons why some leave the Lord.
First, the young man. If he left because he thought his father unfair, he now realized that was not true. Maybe he had been persuaded by some companion, or maybe just by his own thoughts; whatever the case, now he knew better! If he left because he just couldn’t get along with his brother, he now realized that was a foolish reason for leaving a much better life than what he was now living! If he left because the lure of physical pleasures and the ‘freedom’ to do whatever he wanted, he now understood that, too, was a foolish decision because he ended up in a far worse condition compared to anything he had at home.
Now, for the one who leaves the Lord: If you think you want to quit the Lord because you think the Lord is not ‘fair,’ just what do you think the world is going to offer you? Men will lie, cheat, and steal, and they care nothing about you when it comes down to it. When you hit a hard patch in life, your so-called friends will dump you like yesterday’s garbage. God loved you so much He sent His only Son to die for you, to pay the price for your sins. And you honestly think men of the world will treat you better?
If you are thinking about quitting the Lord [or already have] because you just can’t get along with a brother or sister in the church, do you honestly think you’re going to find people of better character out in the world? Do you honestly think you will be loved and welcomed as you would be by God’s people? Maybe your focus has been too much on God’s imperfect people and not enough on our perfect God!
And if you have been deceived by the lure of this world and simply want to do whatever you want to do without accountability, please understand you have been duped by the Great Deceiver, Satan. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are all his doing (1 John 2:16), and not of God, and if you turn your back on what God offers for what the world offers, please know that He will turn His back on you when you stand before Him in Judgment.
That story had a happy ending because the young man “came to himself” and understood the truth of the matter. His father welcomed him back. God will welcome you, too, but you must return. — Steven Harper
