parable of the prodigal son

Lost and Found

Jesus used the concepts of being lost and found to describe the spiritual regeneration that takes place when a person is born again. Jesus said in his parable of the lost sheep:

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:4-7)

Jesus made it clear in this parable that a person who is lost cannot be expected to find himself. Someone had to go after the sheep that was lost (Luke 15:4). Jesus identified the owner of the sheep as the person responsible for the sheep’s well-being, and indicated that the owner had to leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the open country in order to go after the one that was lost.

Matthew’s rendition of the parable of the lost sheep focused on the owner’s motive for leaving his other ninety-nine sheep in order to save the one that was lost. Matthew concluded with Jesus’ statement, “So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:14). The fact that God is not willing for even one person to perish and was willing to send his Son into the world to save the lost is evident in John 3:16-17 where it says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus indicated that God’s plan of salvation was directed at the entire world. The Greek word that is translated world, kosmos (kosˊ-mos) refers to “The earth, this lower world as the abode of man: The then-known world and particularly the people who lived in it” (G2889). Peter clarified God’s intention of saving everyone and explained why the process of salvation seems to be taking so long to us compared to God’s perspective of things when he said, “But do not overlook this one fact beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9).

Jesus continued his discussion of those who are lost and found in his parable of the lost coin. Jesus asked:

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:8-10)

Jesus’ emphasis of the joy in heaven over one sinner who repents was meant to encourage his listeners who thought that admitting their guilt would result in God punishing them. Jesus made it clear that God’s goal for people was to experience spiritual regeneration so that they could celebrate their triumph over sin.

Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son brought the concepts of being lost and found down to a level that everyone could relate to. The idea of being lost is not about extinction, “but ruin, loss, not of being, but of well-being” (G622). Jesus said:

“There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.”

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.” (Luke 15:11-24)

In the parable of the prodigal son, the father did not search for his lost son, and yet he concluded, “Your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:32). We are told in Luke 15:17 that the lost son, “came to himself.” The Greek word erchomai (erˊ-khom-ahee), which is translated came, implies motion to or toward any person or place” (G2064). Since there was no external movement, it seems that the coming to himself that took place was internal, perhaps having to do with an inward turning of the lost son’s heart.

Luke 15:17-19 records the internal dialog that took place in the prodigal son’s heart when he decided to go back and ask his father for help. It says of the lost son, “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’” The lost son acknowledged his sin and guilt before God, the initial step of repentance that is required for a person to be saved. Rather than rejecting his son or punishing him for his irreverent behavior, the father of the lost son called for a celebration. He told his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:22-24). The lost son’s father said that he was alive again. The Greek word anazao (an-ad-zahˊ-o) means “to live again, to revive” (G326). When the prodigal son came to himself and made his decision to return to his father, he said, “I will arise and go to my father…And he arose” (Luke 15:18, 20). The Greek word that is translated arise and arose, anistemi (an-isˊ-tay-mee) was used by Jesus when he spoke of his resurrection, saying, “that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise” (Luke 24:7). Jesus intended the lost son’s action of rising to his feet, or perhaps standing up again after having wallowed in the mud with the pigs, to represent a type of resurrection in which he was regenerated and given eternal life. Jesus wanted his listeners to understand that when a person goes from lost to found, he is experiencing a life transforming event.

Matthew’s account of the parable of the lost sheep includes an introductory statement by Jesus that identifies his purpose for coming into this world. Matthew 18:10-14 states:

“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Jesus used the phrase go astray to describe how someone becomes lost. The Greek word planao (plan-ahˊ-o) is derived from the feminine form of the word planos (planˊ-os), which means “roving (as a tramp), i.e. (by implication) an imposter or misleader” (G4108).

Jesus specified which sheep he was looking for when he said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the household of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). Jesus’ disciples initially thought that this meant only the household of Israel could be saved, but in the book of Acts we read about Peter’s discovery that salvation was intended for everyone (Acts 10:9-33). It says in Acts 10:34-35, “So Peter opened his mouth and said, ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” Peter went on to say, “And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:42-43). Peter said that Jesus was appointed to be judge of the living and the dead, those who are in a state of being lost or have been found and received salvation. This is a reference to the final judgment that Paul talked about in his second letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:6-8). Paul said of himself that he had kept the faith, meaning that Paul was no longer lost at the end of his life. Revelation 20:12 tells us that the lost, those who have died without receiving salvation, will be judged according to what they have done. Afterward, “if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” where the lost will experience weeping and gnashing of teeth throughout eternity (Revelation 20:15; Matthew 13:42).

Missing the Mark

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem was followed by a series of events that resulted in him being executed by the Roman government. It might seem like Jesus’ crucifixion was a tragic mistake, but it was planned by God before the foundation of the world that his Son would die for the sins of the world (John 3:16-17; Ephesians 1:3-5). The role that the nation of Israel played in God’s plan of salvation was to establish a kingdom that would facilitate God’s rule and reign over all people on earth under a single government system. This kingdom was intended for the Messiah, “an epithet of Jesus” (G5547). God told King David through the prophet Nathan:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. (2 Samuel 7:8-17)

Verse 13 of 2 Samuel 7 “refers initially to Solomon but was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the ‘Son of David’ (Luke 1:31-33; Acts 2:25-35) who reigns at God’s right hand (Psalm 2:7; Acts 13:33)” (note on 2 Samuel 7:13). Mark stated in his narrative of Jesus’ triumphal entry, “And many spread their cloaks on the ground, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who were before and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!’” (Mark 11:8-10).

A short while later, Mark tells us about the plot to kill Jesus. Mark said, “It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, ‘Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people’” (Mark 14:1-2). The dramatic shift from Jesus being heralded as Israel’s Messiah to a hunted criminal was linked to a parable that Jesus told about a man who planted a vineyard and leased it to tenants (Mark 12:1-11). Isaiah indicated that the vineyard was the house of Israel (Isaiah 5:7) and said about it, “They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD, or see the work of his hands” (Isaiah 5:12). At the conclusion of his Parable of the Tenants, Jesus said that the owner of the vineyard sent his beloved son to the tenants, but “those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard” (Mark 12:7-8). Afterward, Mark said of the chief priests and the scribes and the elders who were listening to the parable, “And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away” (Mark 12:12).

Israel’s pattern of rejecting God’s authority was established over hundreds of years during the reigns of the kings that followed in David’s footsteps. One king in particular, King Ahaz was singled out for leading the people of Judah away from God. It says in 2 Kings 16:7, “So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, ‘I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me,’” and in 2 Kings 16:10-14 that King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser, and there he saw an altar that he had replicated and placed in the temple of God. “Then the king drew near to the altar and went up on it and burned his burnt offering and his grain offering and poured his drink offering and threw the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. And the bronze altar that was before the LORD he removed from the front of the house, from the place between his altar and the house of the LORD.” It says of Ahaz’s idolatry in 2 Chronicles 28:22-23, “In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the LORD—this same King Ahaz. For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, ‘Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.’ But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.”

Second Chronicles 28:19 indicates that God humbled Judah, “because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he made Judah act sinfully and had been very unfaithful to the LORD.” The Hebrew word that is translated unfaithful, ma’al (maw-alˊ) is “a verb meaning to violate one’s duty. The term is used often as a synonym for sin; however, this word almost always denotes a willing act (Numbers 5:6; Ezekiel 14:13)” (H4603). Isaiah’s account of Ahaz’s unfaithfulness suggests that it was a turning point, you might say the tipping point that was responsible for Israel rejecting their Messiah when he arrived. Isaiah was sent to King Ahaz with a message from God that he was not to be afraid of the Syrians (Isaiah 7:4). Isaiah 7:10-14 states:

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

“The famous prophecy of Christ’s virgin birth is contained in this verse. The events of chapter 7 occurred about 734 BC. Isaiah was sent to King Ahaz with a reassuring word concerning the planned invasion of Judah (Isaiah 7:4-9), but Isaiah’s word also challenged him to exercise faith in God during this crisis (cf. Hezekiah’s response in Isaiah chs. 36-38). The Lord generously offered to grant a sign to Ahaz to bolster his faith (v. 11). Ahaz chose to trust not in God, however, but in his alliance with Assyria (cf. 2 Kings 16:7-9)” (note on Isaiah 7:14).

Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son illustrated God’s willingness to forgive and forget the transgression of Israel. In this famous parable, Jesus said that the younger son “came to himself” (Luke 15:17). You might say that this son realized who he was or more importantly, he recognized within himself the character of his father and knew what he needed to do in order to make things right. Luke 15:17-19 states, “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.’” The Greek word that is translated sinned, harmartano (ham-ar-tanˊ-o) is properly translated as “to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize)” (G264). One of the key principles of Christianity is fellowship or what is referred to in the Greek language as koinonia (koy-nohn-eeˊ-ah). Koinonia means “to share in,” the “act of partaking, sharing, because of a common interest” (G2842). Missing the mark means that a Christian is no longer receiving their share of God’s blessing, as well as the rewards that will be given to those who have served him faithfully (Matthew 25:14-30). Paul told the Philippian believers, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14, KJV).

All of Jesus’ twelve disciples were selected from the Jewish population that was in Israel at the time of his birth. The twelve disciples all accepted Jesus’ invitation to “follow me” (Matthew 4:19; 8:22, 9:9), but there was at least one other Jewish man that was given the opportunity to follow Jesus and did not do so (Matthew 19:21-22), and one of the twelve that had accepted Jesus’ invitation later betrayed him. Mark tells us, “Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him” (Mark 14:10-11). Judas admitted that he had missed the mark when he decided to surrender Jesus to the chief priests (Matthew 27:4). Matthew 27:3-5 states:

Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesuswas condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.

The fact that Judas changed his mind after he saw that Jesus was condemned suggests that he didn’t intend for Jesus to be crucified, but the sin that Judas committed wasn’t about him getting Jesus killed, it was about Judas’ attitude toward doing God’s will. When Judas decided to betray Jesus, he was taking matters into his own hands. Judas thought Jesus would escape punishment because he was innocent, but Judas was wrong.

Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Paul explained to the Romans that we are made right with God by his grace so that he might be the just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Paul wrote:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)

Paul indicated there is no distinction because all have sinned. The distinction that Paul was referring to was the distinction between the Jews and everyone else. Paul clarified this point later in his letter. Paul said, “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:11-13).

Calling upon the name of the Lord is similar to what the Prodigal Son did when he decided to return home. The Greek word epikaleomai (ep-ee-kal-ehˊ-om-ahee) means “to entitle, (by implication) to invoke (for aid, worship, testimony, decision, etc.)” (G1941). The Prodigal Son needed food. He went home to his father because he thought to himself, “How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!” (Luke 15:17). The thing that caused the Prodigal Son to go home was not just his hunger, but also a realization that he had sinned, that he was missing the mark and could restore fellowship with his father at any time. Jesus told his disciples that while the Prodigal Son was still a long way off, “his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). The Greek word that is translated saw, eido (iˊ-do) means “to see face to face, to see and talk with, to visit, i.e. to have acquaintance and relationship with.” Eido comes “from the Hebrew, with the idea of volition: to know and approve or love; hence spoken of men: to care for, take an interest in (1 Thessalonians 5:12; Sept.: Genesis 39:6). Of God: to know God, i.e. to acknowledge and adore God (Galatians 4:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Titus 1:16; Hebrews 8:11; Sept.: 1 Samuel 2:12; Job 18:21; Jeremiah 31:34)” (G1492).

The writer of Hebrews cautioned believers not to neglect meeting together, “as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25). The writer went on to say:

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31)

The writer of Hebrews compared a person who was guilty of breaking the covenant that God made with the Israelites to a believer who had walked away from his relationship with God and asked the question, how much worse punishment do you think the believer will receive? Peter echoed this sentiment, but took it one step further by comparing the believer to a fallen angel. Peter said:

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. (2 Peter 2:4-10)

Peter’s harsh words of criticism toward those who despise God’s authority were spoken by one who had the experience of denying the Lord three times (Mark 14:66-72). Mark tells us that Peter “began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not know this man of whom you speak” (Mark 14:72), when he was confronted the night of Jesus’ trial. Peter concluded his second letter with a word of encouragement for those who had missed the mark and wanted to get back on track. Peter said, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9). The Greek word that Peter used for repentance, metanoia (met-anˊ-oy-ah) when used in a religious sense, implies “pious sorrow for unbelief and sin and turning from them unto God and the gospel of Christ” (G3341). Peter’s statement implied that repentance was necessary for a believer’s relationship with God to be restored. Given that missing the mark is something that we all do, every believer should be able to recall at least one time in their life when they have repented of their sin.