The Parable of the Prodigal Son
One morning as I was praying scriptures over those who are lost and the parable of the prodigal son came into my spirit. As I prayed I began to think about how much God loves us. In the book of Luke Jesus tells us a parable about a lost son. The reason Jesus tells this story is because the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling about Jesus spending time with tax collectors Luke 15.
A little background about the tax collectors. Rome had captured and occupied the territory of the Jews. The Jews were living in their own country, but they had no control over it. Rome required all citizens to pay taxes to Cesar. So they hired Jews from that region to collect the taxes. The tax collectors would collect tolls, tariffs and customs, but they were notoriously dishonest and despised by their own people. They would collect more than what was necessary so they could add to their own pockets. Therefore, no one had anything to do with them and the Pharisees and the Scribes considered them the sinners of all sinners. So when they saw Jesus hanging out with the tax collectors they grumbled and complained.
Jesus hearing their grumbles gave several parables of why he was there with the tax collectors. One of those parables was about the prodigal son (the lost son). This son lived with his father, who was wealthy, but when the son grew up he wanted his share of the inheritance and he wanted to leave.
The father relinquished to the son his request and the son left. While the son was out in the world having a great time, he spent all of his inheritance. So much so that when hard times came, he had no where to go. He found a place to hire himself out to feed the pigs and he was so desperate and hungry that he was tempted to eat the pigs’ food. Now to the Jews, pigs are an unclean animal and they are not even supposed to touch a pig.(Leviticus 11:7) And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. 8 You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.
This son was so desperate that he was at a point of eating food of an unclean animal; which would make him unclean. Sometimes we do things that we would never do when we are not in our right mind.
Many times pride can get in the way of us seeing what is truly available to us. God has everything for us, but we can be blinded and stubborn in our own ways. I remember a friend whose family told her not to marry a particular man, but she loved him and did so anyway. They moved several hundred miles from her parents and they had two children. Her husband ended up being just like her family said and they spilt up. She was so determined to prove to everybody that they were wrong that she would not ask for any help and lived out of her car for months with her two children all because of pride. But her parents had everything that she needed.
When the prodigal son came to himself and realized that he could go to his father with a humble heart, ask for forgiveness and hopefully be hired as a servant, he left that job! But when his father saw him coming, he ran to his son with open arms and his father put a robe on him, threw a party and celebrated that his son was home!
The whole parable was not only about the tax collectors, but about all of us who are lost. The tax collectors had left their family and turned their backs on everyone. They knew they had done wrong, but they had no place to go to for hope and forgiveness. But when Jesus came and they heard the message they eagerly accepted him. They knew freedom was in him. We all know when we have been doing wrong, and when the truth comes it speaks to our hearts. All of us get off track, but that is why Jesus died and rose from the grave. When he rose he gave us all the opportunity to choose life. We were guaranteed death, but life has come! Scripture says, “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19, ESV
Do not let you past hinder you from your future. Jesus died for every sin and he is inviting you to join with him in eternal life!
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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