Luke 15:11-32
The Parable of the Lost Son
11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
31" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "
How we think is not how Jesus thinks...And Jesus knows, how sinners think...The prodigal son is bold to ask for his inheritance before his father has passed on but he does anyway...The prodigal son is thinking about the future and what it has in store for him...He is probably thinking about what he will be able to do with half his father's wealth and how he can spend it on this pleasure or this desire...I don't have to live under my father's rules, anymore, now that I have my own money (it is after all "my own money", since he is my father and we are family, and I am going to get one half of it anyway)...Ideas and dreams of getting away and thinking what he will be able to do with all that freedom... He wanted to do things his way...
Our minds are wired, it seems to me, to be selfish...Maybe we just want to do things our way...We want to be in control...Maybe we are selfish, and want to satisfy certain desires...The prodigal son has dreams to leave his family and spend the wealth that his father or other family member's have worked hard and sacrificed to obtain...My father loves me, so even if I lose some of the money, dad will bail me out...
What the prodigal son's thought process was then, is no different now...We focus on where "we seen to think" the grass is greener... Where we think there is pleasure, temptation, and excitement...The focus is on ourselves...It is sad to say, we haven't improved our thinking process over these many, many years...We still have war, differences, terrorists, famine, and many, if not all of these same basic problems we had when Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were here...Man has not tired of violence, jealously, anger, wickedness, and envy...We want to have the things we want...Pride moves in and out of our lives and affects how we think...We want to do things and have material wealth, thinking that is happiness...The cost (to our LORD and our neighbor) seems just a byproduct to get these...
When watching the older brother react to the his young brother is the natural one...He thought, man dad, we just lost half the families wealth and it was spent so quickly, foolishly, and on prostitutes...What was my young brother thinking (why didn't I go with him, to enjoy these pleasures)...Doesn't my brother deserve some punishment...What was he thinking, no I know what he was thinking, because I was dreaming, even with a little envy, about what he was doing and enjoying...
This is how we sinners think...Everyday, something is always a little bit better out there...Someone or something can make us a little bit happier...We search for this happiness on earth...The temptations of life, make life exciting, or so we think...Temptations and sin provide this life both the variety and excitement we think we need...Our thoughts are internal and are mostly about us...We can even rationalize, the prodigal son, did not do anything wrong...He was young...Money is for spending...The flesh thinks that the young son was just sowing his youthful oats...
We need to think differently from what Jesus teaches us...We need to think more about God and His will, and less about ourselves and this earth...
Jesus teaches that these thoughts, of both brothers, are the wrong thoughts...Our thoughts and focus need to be on the Father, and our neighbor...Our neighbor can be our brother, in this case...Jesus does not want us focusing on us and what is exciting (or so we think) on material wealth, and desire and pleasure because this is not true happiness...It is only a short term pleasure...We need to focus on the Father and His love... That is where we must start...Most of us think though that is not much fun...If you have read the Bible, fun isn't referred to too much...Pleasure, is not its focus either...The Good Book, also does not spend a lot of time focusing on satisfying our desires of the flesh...
Jesus teaches us that we should focus on God, the Father...We need to follow God's will...We need to love our neighbors as ourselves... When we do learn these things we become content...We then know that God's grace is absolute, He will forgive us for sins of our youth, but also sins in our mature years...God is always wanting to help sinners...He sees us sin, but never forgets us...He is there for us, ready to forgive...When someone repents, we need to celebrate with them and with God...We must not be jealous and unable to forgive...
God is full of grace searching, seeking, looking for sinners...And when we come to our senses, we must repent as say "Father I have sinned against heaven and against you...In His heart, He has pure love, He celebrates...We must celebrate with Him...Somehow we must change our thoughts and way of thinking...We need His help to change this past thinking, our old ways of thinking...