How can we do anything but rejoice when even our worst enemy receives the grace of God? Today, R.C. Sproul considers the power and joy of conversion in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. Get R.C. Sproul’s teaching series The Parables of Jesus on DVD, lifetime digital access to the messages and study guide, and his booklet What Do Jesus’ Parables Mean?, all for your donation of any amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/3912/donate Meet Today’s Teacher: R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was known for his ability to winsomely and clearly communicate deep, practical truths from God’s Word. He was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. Meet the Host: Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of ministry engagement for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, host of the Ask Ligonier podcast, and a graduate of Presbyterian Theological College in Melbourne, Australia. Nathan joined Ligonier in 2012 and lives in Central Florida with his wife and four children. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Chapter 1: What is the parable of the prodigal son?
There are few things in this world more futile than waste. To take a good gift, a beautiful gift, and waste it. Think of the ways that we have wasted the gifts that God has given to us, spent them foolishly. Well, this young man was the epitome of that kind of living. That's why he's called the prodigal.
The parable of the prodigal son is a story of estrangement and reconciliation. It paints a picture of the wasteful life of a lost son and the longing of a hurting father. Many of us have read or heard this parable many times, but as R.C. Sproul will explain today on Renewing Your Mind, we may be getting its emphasis wrong.
Continuing this week's study of Jesus' parables, here's Dr. Sproul on the parable of the prodigal son.
In this session, we're going to look at one of the most popular parables that we find in the New Testament, one that's very popular with the people of the church everywhere. It's called usually the parable of the prodigal son. Although in some scripture texts, it's given by another name, it's called the parable of the lost son.
And in Luke's gospel in chapter 15, this parable does not stand alone, but it is linked with two other parables, much shorter in scope, the parable of the lost coin and the parable of the lost sheep. But the context for these three parables is virtually the same. And before I read the parable, let me read the text that introduces all three of these parables.
Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to him to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained. saying, this man receives sinners and eats with them. So he spoke these parables. So you get the context in which Jesus gives the parable of the prodigal son along with the lost coin and the lost sheep. It was in response
to the complaint of the scribes and the Pharisees that Jesus had dealings with sinners and tax collectors. Seeing that then as the background, let's look then at the parable. Then he said, a certain man had two sons, and 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. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want." Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, how many of my father's hard servants have bread enough and to spare? and I perish with hunger. I will arise and go to my father and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
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Chapter 2: How does the parable illustrate waste and redemption?
Now the focus of the story changes from the prodigal son to his father. Where we read, when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran. You know, so often in the Bible, we're told to gird up our loins for battle and or for labor. And that imagery that is used in the New Testament would speak vividly to somebody in antiquity because they didn't wear blue jeans.
They didn't wear trousers. They wore robes that looked pretty much like dresses, and they would come down below the knees. And so if you're dressed in that outfit and you wanted to run, you had to hike up your skirt and above your knees and then put a belt around it to keep that skirt from tripping you so that your legs would be free to run.
And I see the prodigal father looking off in the distance and he sees this figure approaching and he peers into the distance. He notices the manner of walking. There's something familiar about this figure that is coming. And hoping against hope, he's thinking this is maybe his son who had been gone, and he thought he might never see him again. He hikes up his skirt.
He puts the belt around him, and this man starts running down the street to welcome his son. He ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. No rebuke, no scolding, no admonishment. Just filial love expressed with the embrace and the kiss of a joyful father. And the son said, Father, I've sinned against heaven and in your sight. I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. I don't want to hear it.
The father said to the servants, bring the best robe. Find the best robe in the house and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, the family ring, the signet ring, the ring of authority that says he's my son and has full membership in this family and in this house. And put sandals on his feet and bring the fatted calf here and kill it because we're going to have a party. Let's eat and be merry.
For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. And they began to be merry. Now, the focus goes on the other son who represents clearly the Pharisees in this parable. The older son was in the field, and he came drawn near to the house, and he heard music and dancing, so he called one of the servants, said, what's all this noise? What's going on?
And he said, your brother's come home. And because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.
What? My no good, useless brother?
took that inheritance and took off and left me back here to do all the work. He's back, and we're going to have a party." He was angry and would not go in. And the father noticed that he was missing. So the father came out and pleaded with him.
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