Luke 15 - The Lost Sons

 If by any chance you are following one of the Lectionary options for Sunday and looking at the parable of the prodigal son, may I recommend what Dr Peter J. Williams has to say about it. In The Surprising Genius of Jesus: What the Gospels Reveal about the Greatest Teacher (Crossway, 2023) Williams treats the parable, first, we might say, in itself, and then in terms of allusions to Genesis, then more briefly to the wider Old Testament. I was completely convinced and struck afresh by the profundity of Jesus’ 400 word / two and a half minute story. The parallels with Jacob and Esau, Jacob and Laban, Joseph, Judah, Ishmael and Isaac, Cain and Abel are laid out and Williams suggests the rhetorical impact of each. He is particularly at pains to discuss how the parable makes sense in Luke and to the audience described in Luke 15:1-2, “the tax collectors and sinners… drawing near to hear” Jesus “and the Pharisees and the scribes” grumbling. It is wonderful to see new things in a passage one thought one knew so well. In addition to Luke 15, which is the only other Bible text to mention a friend, a goat and a supposed or imagined prostitute? And how does that relate to the meaning of Jesus’ tale?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNyzxMOWNe4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0ISnElryuQ

A few jottings stolen from the above:

 

The parable of the prodigal (wasteful) son

The parable of the two sons

Or the lost sons

Or the loving father

 

Luke 15 introduction vv1-2 – two groups of two sets of people

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. ² But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

 

The coin is lost at home, the sheep is lost away.

The older son is lost at home and the youngest son is lost away!

 

The older son given everything?

Not breaking up the family farm.

The younger son goes off with movable wealth.

The older son might get twice what the younger brother gets.

Likely the older brother now own the whole farm and has done very well out of the younger son’s request

 

A man had two sons

Who in the Bible had two sons?

 

Adam – Cain and Abel – an angry envious older brother who is associated with the field / ground – a younger brother who looks after animals

 

Abraham – the Bible’s ultimate father figure – the first man in the Bible who runs (an old man who runs) – Genesis 18:6 – his first word is “quick!”, just like the father – Abraham he gave away his inheritance while alive – Abraham as host of a meal

 

Isaac – only two sons: Jacob and Easau - younger son cheats the older son out of the inheritance – older son angry – younger son goes off into a far country

Similarity and contrast

Jacob goes away with nothing and becomes rich (the opposite of the younger brother)

The older brother out in the field; Easau is a man of the field; Isaac is the stay at home type!

Esau is hungry in the field and about to die – cf. younger son starving in the far off country

Esau sells his birthright for food; the younger son comes to his senses whilst hungry

The whole story is turned on it’s head

The only time anyone in the OT anyone runs, embraces and kisses is in Genesis 33:4 when Esau runs to meet the returning Jacob and forgives him

Cf. the unforgiving older brother

If Esau (a bady!) can forgive, can you?

 

Young goats – Jacob and Esau – goat skin

The best robe – the older brother’s robe

 

The father who can see far away and the father who can’t even see up close (Isaac)

 

Gen 27:41 – Esau the angry brother waiting at home for his father to die!

 

Near and far – physical and emotionally near or far

The older brother at home but outside emotionally far away from his father (and his brother)

 

Younger son – “Father…, Father…, Father…” – older brother doesn’t call him father

 

A younger son who moves away and wastes his property

 

Lk 16:1 – another story about a waster

 

The younger son is not only a prodigal, wasteful son – he is sinful, but he is also unlucky – the victim of famine

 

“citizen” – the younger brother is not a citizen

 

The older brother hasn’t been a vegetarian all this time!

 

V29 – “celebrate” a key word in this chapter – the shepherd and the woman celebrate – the older brother wants to celebrate with his friends, not with his father

 

The missing ending is an invitation – will the older son come in? How does it end? Will you come in and accept your brothers and sisters?

 

Pigs an unclean animal – a very lowly job a good Jewish boy wouldn’t want

 

The younger son only gets part of his pre-prepared speech out

 

The generosity of the father – he pays more than the minimum wage – even the workers have food to spare

 

Genesis 41 – Joseph brought out of prison and given a ring and a robe

 

A son dead and alive again (from the Father’s perspectives) – famine – Joseph, whom his father thought dead

 

Jesus is riffing off Genesis’ Greatest Hits!

 

My son – your brother – relationships emphasised – if you want to claim relationship with the father, you have to welcome the repentant younger brother

 

The younger son’s repentance speah sounds like Pharoh in Ex 10:16

Music and dancing – anger – calf – The older brother sounds like Moses

Turned on it’s head

Cf. Rabbinic stories – Moses going to find a lost sheep – losing a coin like losing the Law

The scribes and pharisees turn out not to be the good guys!

 

The older son working late whilst others are partying

 

Likely the older son has been working on his own farm, building up the wealth he owns (or will own) not slaving for his father!

 

The older son refuses to go in to the party and complains about the lack of parties!

 

A young goat is less good than calf; partying with your friends is less good than feasting with your family (and the wider community)

 

Where does the older brother get this prostitute stuff from? Is that the older son’s fantasy? Presumably he hasn’t been getting postcards from the brothel!

 

What the older son says is exaggerated / implausible – he reveals his angry, resentful, complaining, ungrateful mindset

 

It’s not as if the younger brother is actually going to eat 400 portions of meat all on his own – this is a big party with many invited

 

If the older brother came in, there would be joy.

He needs to repent / change: get over his anger and accept his brother

Cf. the rich man and Lazarus in the next chapter – if you are going to have Abraham as your father you have to treat the poor man as your brother

 

Jesus rather like the father – he welcomes sinners and eats with them whilst the pharisees etc are angry and excluded

Someone can be a son and a father – as I am!

Is 9 – Christ the everlasting father

Heb 2:13 – Christ’s children – Christ as father to those he saves (as well as brother)

Jesus is the shepherd who has come to seek the lost

Christ came into a far country for us, he came and embraced us, he never disobeyed his father’s commands

 

Should the older brother not be the one who runs and embraces his little brother (as Esau did)?

 

(cf. B B Warfield on this parable)

 

We can often find things to complain about (as the Pharisees in a land occupied by the Romans could etc.) as the older brother does, when in fact we have been given so much and we have it good!

Gratitude and grace