Lost Son!

July 14, 2025, Monday Message:

Luke 15:11 NLT: “To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons.”

Saturday, we talked about the lost sheep. Sunday was the lost coin. Did you guess that today would be about the lost son? If a fact in the Bible is very important, it will often be included twice, perhaps reworded just a bit, but restated for additional emphasis – so that we can “get” it. The sheep and the coin parables are about returning, about something being put back where it belonged. The lost son includes a factor not in the other stories – willful disobedience. Both repent and return were on Jesus’ agenda as he put forth this scenario.

We know this kid as the “Prodigal Son,” wastefully extravagant and quite full of himself. Growing up, he must have been a piece of work for the poor father. I doubt this was the first time he acted out his vainglorious tendencies.

In Hebrew tradition, if a father passed away, his eldest son would become the new patriarch, the one in charge of family business. Therefore, he would inherit everything. He would also shoulder the responsibility of caring for his siblings. That may not seem fair, but this was an agricultural economy. If the family farm was chopped up into little pieces, no one would have enough to survive. But together, they could all continue enjoying the success they’d known when dad was alive.

So when the younger son demanded, “I want my share of your estate now before you die,” he was totally out of line. He might as well have said, “Dad, I wish you were dead!” ‘A’, That’s a terrible thing to wish on your father, and ‘B’, He really didn’t have anything coming. His older brother would have been next in line.

Nonetheless, the father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons, which is why I call him the Prodigal Father – wastefully making bad decisions. The kid talked him into something that never should have happened.

This is getting long, so we’ll continue with Jesus’ parable tomorrow. Just remember that in the end, the Prodigal Son gives us a clear example of repent and return. The Bible says that ALL have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. So just like the Prodigal Son, we all need to repent and return. It’s our only path to salvation!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship