Luke 15:11-32
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The 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. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He 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 servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So 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. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For 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. 26 So 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. 29 But 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. 30 But 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.32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
When the Prodigal Son ask his father for a portion of his father's estate, the son is ready to go...And he goes off without asking his father or brother if they want to go...He wants to do the things in life he wants to do without involvement from his father or brother...The Prodigal Son, once he got his father's money, got together all that he had, and set off for a distant country...There he squandered his father's wealth in wild living....The money had now ran out...After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need...Misery had found the Prodigal Son...So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs....He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave the Prodigal Son anything...He had taken his father's money, spent all of it, and was now hungry and miserable...It would seem that if God does not want us to sin, then misery would follow sin...Where would the prodigal son be years later, if he did not come to his senses and return to his Father?...
R. C. Sproul writes, “We want to be saved from our misery, but not from our sin...We want to sin without misery, just as the prodigal son wanted inheritance without the father...The foremost spiritual law of the physical universe is that this hope can never be realized...Sin always accompanies misery...There is no victimless crime, and all creation is subject to decay because of humanity’s rebellion from God.”...