Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / The Prodigal Son
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Let us pray. It was meet that we should make
- 0:04Speaker 1: merry and be glad, for this my brother was dead
- 0:08Speaker 1: and is alive again, and was lost and is found.
- 0:13Speaker 1: Luke 15.32 Lord, your grace and your forgiveness never ceases
- 0:20Speaker 1: to amaze me, and no other story displays this more
- 0:24Speaker 1: than the one that you shared about the prodigal son
- 0:27Speaker 1: in Matthew 18.12-14. Through the reading of this text, I'm
- 0:33Speaker 1: mesmerized by how even with the foolish decisions that were made,
- 0:38Speaker 1: the Father never left His position of searching. May this
- 0:43Speaker 1: bring comfort to my soul in knowing that no matter
- 0:47Speaker 1: what mistakes I make, that You are always there searching
- 0:51Speaker 1: for me. When I feel like I have blown and
- 0:56Speaker 1: squandered my inheritance, I praise You because You have more
- 1:01Speaker 1: in store for me as I come to you with
- 1:04Speaker 1: a humble and broken heart. When others seek to keep
- 1:09Speaker 1: me in the pigpen of life, I praise you that
- 1:13Speaker 1: you will clothe me with honor. You'll restore power back
- 1:17Speaker 1: to me through your ring of authority, and you will
- 1:20Speaker 1: seat me at the table of greatness again. All that
- 1:25Speaker 1: you have is mine. so I will make sure not
- 1:28Speaker 1: to be jealous when I see others get restored back
- 1:31Speaker 1: to their place of opulence and abundance. Because what is yours, Father,
- 1:36Speaker 1: is also mine, because I too am a child of God.
- 1:42Speaker 1: I was lost, but through your love, Jesus, but through
- 1:47Speaker 1: your love, Jesus, I am found. In Jesus' name, Amen.
- 1:55Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
- 1:59Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story. Brought to
- 2:03Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
- 2:13Speaker 2: The Prodigal Son In our last story, we learned about
- 2:17Speaker 2: the true meaning of kindness from the story of the
- 2:19Speaker 2: Good Samaritan. Jesus used this story to teach that goodness
- 2:24Speaker 2: does not always come from the perfect people, rather those
- 2:27Speaker 2: that we may least expect. Now Jesus is questioned by
- 2:30Speaker 2: the Pharisees for eating with tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners.
- 2:35Speaker 2: Jesus confronts them with another story, a story that reveals
- 2:39Speaker 2: the true heart of God.
- 2:41Speaker 3: Inspired by the Gospels. I'm so glad you joined us
- 2:47Speaker 3: on the Bible in a Year podcast today. But before
- 2:50Speaker 3: we get to today's episode, I want you to know
- 2:53Speaker 3: that I would absolutely love to send you my daily
- 2:56Speaker 3: devotional that will give you fresh encouragement every single morning
- 3:00Speaker 3: and day. From the moment we wake up to the
- 3:04Speaker 3: moment our head finally hits the pillow, there are thousands
- 3:07Speaker 3: of things demanding our attention. But it's in the midst
- 3:11Speaker 3: of all this crush and hustle and bustle that you
- 3:14Speaker 3: and I need peace and truth in God's word. That's
- 3:17Speaker 3: why I want to help you spend time each day
- 3:20Speaker 3: growing in God's life-giving, life-changing word by sending you my
- 3:25Speaker 3: free daily email devotional, PowerPoint Today. So visit jackgram.org to
- 3:31Speaker 3: sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's jackgram.org, jackgram.org.
- 3:40Speaker 3: In our last episode, we heard the parable, the story
- 3:43Speaker 3: of the Good Samaritan, which Jesus used to teach a
- 3:46Speaker 3: very important lesson about how we are to love people,
- 3:50Speaker 3: what a neighbor looks like, and that our neighbor is
- 3:54Speaker 3: anyone who has a need. It was a great challenge
- 3:57Speaker 3: for us to share the love of Christ with every
- 4:00Speaker 3: person that we meet. Today, we'll hear another powerful story
- 4:05Speaker 3: from Jesus that shows the merciful heart of God and
- 4:09Speaker 3: his willingness and desire to forgive and share his love
- 4:13Speaker 3: with all who seek him. It's the story of a
- 4:16Speaker 3: loving father and two sons who are both lost, but
- 4:20Speaker 3: in very different ways. Let's listen now to this powerful
- 4:23Speaker 3: story from Jesus.
- 4:27Speaker 2: Jesus was sitting at a table enjoying a meal with
- 4:29Speaker 2: many of his new friends. They were not the type
- 4:31Speaker 2: of people one would expect a religious man to dine with.
- 4:35Speaker 2: Tax collectors, dirty fishermen, and prostitutes sat at the table
- 4:39Speaker 2: sharing bread with the Son of God. It was a
- 4:42Speaker 2: sight that disgusted the Pharisees. They reviled him and scoffed
- 4:46Speaker 2: at his willingness to fraternize with the undesirables of the city.' Look,'
- 4:51Speaker 2: they pointed and spat,' this man eats with sinners. What
- 4:55Speaker 2: type of man of God is this?' A small crowd
- 4:58Speaker 2: was watching as the Pharisees mocked Jesus openly. They were
- 5:01Speaker 2: waiting for Jesus' response. Jesus wiped the crumbs off his hands,
- 5:06Speaker 2: took a sip of water, and stood to his feet.
- 5:09Speaker 2: He walked closer to the Pharisees, showing them that their
- 5:12Speaker 2: religious elitism had no effect on him. Jesus paced the courtyard,
- 5:16Speaker 2: projecting his voice for all to hear as he told
- 5:19Speaker 2: another story. There was once a wealthy man who had
- 5:24Speaker 2: two sons. The older son worked the field silently and
- 5:28Speaker 2: with diligence. However, the younger son was unruly and independent.
- 5:33Speaker 2: One morning before the rooster crowed and the sun rose,
- 5:36Speaker 2: the younger brother stumbled into his father's house after a
- 5:39Speaker 2: night of parties. He was a shameful sight and held
- 5:42Speaker 2: no sense of respect for his father. He slept in
- 5:46Speaker 2: until midday and rolled out of his bed while his
- 5:49Speaker 2: brother tilled the fields. Grumpy and entitled, the younger brother
- 5:53Speaker 2: went to his father. With his chest puffed up and
- 5:56Speaker 2: his nose high in the air, he demanded his father
- 5:59Speaker 2: give him his inheritance. I do not want to wait
- 6:02Speaker 2: until you die, the son complained. Give me my half
- 6:06Speaker 2: of the inheritance now, so that I might do what
- 6:09Speaker 2: I wish. The father did as the younger son requested,
- 6:13Speaker 2: and divided his wealth. With a broken heart, he gave
- 6:16Speaker 2: his son property and gold, and watched him walk away
- 6:19Speaker 2: without so much as a thank you. The younger son
- 6:22Speaker 2: gathered everything and took his wealth into the far country.
- 6:26Speaker 2: He slithered around the cities, drowning himself in wine, women,
- 6:30Speaker 2: and reckless substances. What he did not spend on prostitutes
- 6:34Speaker 2: and revelry, he gambled. Weeks had passed, and his unearned
- 6:38Speaker 2: wealth was eventually dried up. He owed a great deal
- 6:42Speaker 2: of money to bad people, and had contracted sickness from
- 6:45Speaker 2: his promiscuous habits. Soon a great famine fell across the land,
- 6:50Speaker 2: and everyone was in great need. The friends he had
- 6:53Speaker 2: made and his wealth were nowhere to be seen, and
- 6:56Speaker 2: the young son descended into total poverty. The younger son
- 7:00Speaker 2: scoured the countryside, looking for any work that would fill
- 7:03Speaker 2: his belly and his new addictions. The only job he
- 7:06Speaker 2: could find was tending to a farmer's pigs. Days had passed,
- 7:10Speaker 2: and the son still had very little money to pay
- 7:12Speaker 2: for food. What little money he made, he gave to
- 7:15Speaker 2: pay off his gambling debts. His stomach rumbled as he
- 7:18Speaker 2: watched the pigs feast on slop and garbage. The smell
- 7:22Speaker 2: of rotten onions and fermented figs filled the air. Dung,
- 7:26Speaker 2: dirty rainwater, and pig saliva dripped into the feeding trough,
- 7:30Speaker 2: but the son could not take his eyes off it.
- 7:33Speaker 2: He was starving, desperate, and ashamed. The young man walked
- 7:38Speaker 2: beside the pigs, fell to his knees, and began to
- 7:41Speaker 2: eat the brown slop with the pigs. The rancid smell
- 7:45Speaker 2: was almost unbearable. His mouth was filled with dung, rotten vegetables,
- 7:49Speaker 2: and spoiled meat. As the young man brought his face
- 7:53Speaker 2: to his hand filled with garbage, he considered the state
- 7:56Speaker 2: of his life.' Even my father's hired servants get fresh bread,
- 8:01Speaker 2: yet I am here in hunger,' he thought to himself.'
- 8:03Speaker 2: If I go to him and beg for his forgiveness,
- 8:06Speaker 2: maybe he will make me a slave. At least then
- 8:09Speaker 2: I will have a warm bed and fresh bread.' So
- 8:12Speaker 2: the younger son traveled to the countryside back to his father.
- 8:16Speaker 2: His head was held low and his feet dragged in
- 8:18Speaker 2: the dust. A few tears streamed down the son's eyes.
- 8:23Speaker 2: He could picture the angry look of his father. Surely
- 8:26Speaker 2: he would be too ashamed of me to take me back,
- 8:28Speaker 2: the son thought to himself. Yet the younger son kept walking,
- 8:32Speaker 2: his options were limited, and his belly was empty. It
- 8:37Speaker 2: was late afternoon, and the son had turned the father's
- 8:40Speaker 2: fields a bright gold. He sat above his terrace, admiring
- 8:43Speaker 2: the way the breeze made the grain dance. He watched
- 8:47Speaker 2: his elder son tending to the works. Then a small
- 8:50Speaker 2: speck appeared in the distance. The father peered closely towards
- 8:54Speaker 2: the hills to see a figure hobbling towards the property.
- 8:57Speaker 2: As the figure drew closer, the father could see that
- 9:00Speaker 2: it was his younger son. He had returned. The father
- 9:04Speaker 2: tied up his robes and ran out of his home.
- 9:06Speaker 2: He ran with fire and vigor. The son could see
- 9:09Speaker 2: his father in the distance running towards him. Afraid that
- 9:12Speaker 2: his father would attack him, the young son braced himself.
- 9:16Speaker 2: But instead of a strike to the jaw, he received
- 9:18Speaker 2: a warm embrace. The father cried on his son's shoulders.
- 9:22Speaker 2: Laughs came from his belly as tears streamed down his
- 9:25Speaker 2: bearded face. You have come home, the father shouted with glee.
- 9:30Speaker 2: My son, you have returned to me. The son fell
- 9:33Speaker 2: to his knees. He was so ashamed he could not
- 9:36Speaker 2: stand to look at his father. My father, please forgive me,
- 9:40Speaker 2: the younger son said. I am not worthy to be
- 9:43Speaker 2: called your son. His face fell into the dust as
- 9:46Speaker 2: he wept. The father knelt down into the dust with
- 9:49Speaker 2: him and picked him up by the shoulders. He called
- 9:52Speaker 2: for his servants and said, Get me my best robe
- 9:55Speaker 2: and put it on my son. Put a ring on
- 9:57Speaker 2: his hand and shoes on his feet. Then kill the
- 10:00Speaker 2: fattest calf we have, for tonight we will hold a
- 10:03Speaker 2: feast in his honor. The servants left immediately. The son
- 10:08Speaker 2: was stunned and confused. The father smiled from cheek to
- 10:11Speaker 2: cheek and said, My son, you were once lost, but
- 10:14Speaker 2: now you are found. This is why we celebrate. So
- 10:19Speaker 2: the younger son was washed and given fine clothes. There
- 10:22Speaker 2: was a great feast and party held in his honor.
- 10:25Speaker 2: The younger son was humbled and laughed silently as he
- 10:28Speaker 2: watched his family dance and sing, although not everyone was
- 10:32Speaker 2: happy to see him return. The older brother came in
- 10:35Speaker 2: from the field to see his father dancing and rejoicing.
- 10:38Speaker 2: He saw that the fattest calf had been cooked and
- 10:41Speaker 2: the finest robe placed on his brother's shoulders. The older
- 10:44Speaker 2: son stood in anger. He felt underappreciated and angry. He
- 10:49Speaker 2: stormed off to be alone in the fields. The sun
- 10:52Speaker 2: was setting and the older brother could hear the music
- 10:55Speaker 2: in the distance. He hated his brother. He hated that
- 10:59Speaker 2: he stole half his father's wealth while he toiled in
- 11:02Speaker 2: the fields, yet his brother received the celebration. The wind
- 11:06Speaker 2: blew gently and a few tears fell down the older
- 11:08Speaker 2: brother's face. His father could see him sitting and sat
- 11:12Speaker 2: beside him. What upsets you, my son?
- 11:15Speaker 3: He asked.
- 11:16Speaker 2: The older son shook his head and gave a sorrowful laugh.
- 11:20Speaker 2: He did his best to hold back tears as he spoke.
- 11:23Speaker 2: For years I have served you and worked hard for
- 11:26Speaker 2: your favor. I never disobeyed you, and you have never
- 11:29Speaker 2: given me so much as a goat for me and
- 11:31Speaker 2: my friends to celebrate. Yet when your son comes home
- 11:34Speaker 2: after squandering your wealth with prostitutes, you kill the fattest
- 11:38Speaker 2: calf and adorn him with rings and robes. The father
- 11:42Speaker 2: was silent for a moment and sighed. He put his
- 11:45Speaker 2: arm around his oldest son. Son, you are always with me.
- 11:51Speaker 2: Everything I have is yours. You may take of whatever
- 11:55Speaker 2: is mine and enjoy it. But your brother was once dead,
- 11:58Speaker 2: but now is alive. He was lost, and now he
- 12:01Speaker 2: is found. This is worth celebrating. After saying these things,
- 12:07Speaker 2: Jesus sat back down with his friends, and the Pharisees
- 12:10Speaker 2: left in a fury. Jesus revealed a special part of
- 12:14Speaker 2: God's heart that day that no child is too far
- 12:17Speaker 2: gone to experience his love and favor. No matter how
- 12:21Speaker 2: far one goes, the father will run to embrace his
- 12:23Speaker 2: lost child. As a shepherd will leave 99 of his
- 12:27Speaker 2: sheep to go after one lost one, so Jesus will
- 12:30Speaker 2: go to any length to find the ones he loves.
- 12:41Speaker 3: As we begin today's reading, let's give a little background.
- 12:44Speaker 3: Once again, the Pharisees are grumbling and complaining about the
- 12:48Speaker 3: kind of people that Jesus is hanging out with. They
- 12:51Speaker 3: expected him to shun all the undesirables, tax collectors, sinners, outcasts,
- 12:56Speaker 3: fringe people, just as they did. Consorting with sinners, they believe,
- 13:02Speaker 3: was beneath the man of God. So if Jesus was
- 13:05Speaker 3: really a righteous man, they concluded, he would not associate
- 13:09Speaker 3: with bad people. As always, Jesus knew their thoughts, and
- 13:13Speaker 3: so he told them more stories, parables, to illustrate what
- 13:17Speaker 3: it means to be lost and found. He spoke of
- 13:20Speaker 3: a shepherd who left his flock to find one lone
- 13:23Speaker 3: sheep that had gone astray, and the joy of finding
- 13:26Speaker 3: a lost coin, even when it was just one of many.
- 13:30Speaker 3: He was setting up the grand finale, a story about
- 13:33Speaker 3: a father and his two sons. It's a story that
- 13:36Speaker 3: many have heard. It's the story of the prodigal sons.
- 13:40Speaker 3: We call it the story of the prodigal son, but
- 13:42Speaker 3: if you pay close attention, it's really not about the
- 13:45Speaker 3: son so much as it is about the loving father
- 13:49Speaker 3: who never gives up in waiting for, longing for his
- 13:53Speaker 3: children to come home. We hear that this father had
- 13:57Speaker 3: two sons, one who was obedient to all the rules
- 14:00Speaker 3: and expectations, but another who wanted to live for himself.
- 14:05Speaker 3: The older son, the elder brother, worked hard, waiting for
- 14:09Speaker 3: one day to receive an inheritance that he felt was
- 14:12Speaker 3: owed to him. But the younger son, he did not
- 14:15Speaker 3: have patience. He wanted it all now. He, in effect, said, Dad,
- 14:21Speaker 3: I don't care if you live or die. Give me
- 14:23Speaker 3: what's coming to me now. And he asked for his cut,
- 14:26Speaker 3: and then he left town. Imagine the heartbreak of his father,
- 14:31Speaker 3: totally rejected and abandoned by his son. But he would
- 14:35Speaker 3: not force him to stay, and as the son demanded,
- 14:38Speaker 3: he gave him his share of the estate. Of course,
- 14:43Speaker 3: this was a terrible decision for this young man. It
- 14:46Speaker 3: looked like a lot of fun at first to go
- 14:48Speaker 3: and live it up in a place called the far country.
- 14:51Speaker 3: But his way of life, all the partying, all the drinking,
- 14:55Speaker 3: all the womanizing, it finally caught up with him, and
- 14:58Speaker 3: he went to the bottom. You know, sin is like that.
- 15:02Speaker 3: It can seem pleasurable at first. In fact, the Bible
- 15:05Speaker 3: says there is pleasure in sin for a season. But
- 15:09Speaker 3: you know, sin will take you farther than you want
- 15:11Speaker 3: to go and keep you longer than you want to
- 15:13Speaker 3: stay and cost you far more than you want to pay.
- 15:18Speaker 3: We think if there are no rules, then we can
- 15:20Speaker 3: really live it up. But when there are no rules,
- 15:23Speaker 3: when we throw our lives away, there is such loss.
- 15:26Speaker 3: And that's what this young man experienced. He found out
- 15:29Speaker 3: for himself what an uncontrolled life is really like. It
- 15:33Speaker 3: was truly prodigal. But though he turned away from his father,
- 15:39Speaker 3: in his heart of hearts, when he came to the
- 15:41Speaker 3: end of himself, he knew that there was one hope
- 15:44Speaker 3: and only one hope, and that was to return to
- 15:46Speaker 3: the father, to go back home, to humble himself. He
- 15:50Speaker 3: came to himself, and he owned his own sin, and
- 15:53Speaker 3: he's repentant in heart, and he wants to go home.
- 15:57Speaker 3: When I read this story, I'm reminded of the grace
- 16:01Speaker 3: in the heart of God to receive us when we
- 16:03Speaker 3: truly confess our sins and seek God's love, grace, mercy,
- 16:08Speaker 3: and forgiveness. Did you notice in this story as the
- 16:12Speaker 3: son began his way back home to his father that
- 16:16Speaker 3: his father wasn't surprised? He had not given up or
- 16:19Speaker 3: shut out his son permanently. No, apparently this man was
- 16:23Speaker 3: looking for his child. For it says in Luke 15
- 16:26Speaker 3: and verse 20, But while he was still a long
- 16:29Speaker 3: way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and
- 16:33Speaker 3: ran and embraced him and kissed him. What a beautiful story.
- 16:37Speaker 3: While he was still a long way off. It reminds
- 16:41Speaker 3: me of the scripture that says that while we were
- 16:43Speaker 3: yet sinners, Christ died for us. You see, God loves
- 16:47Speaker 3: you very much and he's waiting for you to come
- 16:51Speaker 3: to him. It's so inspirational to see that the father
- 16:54Speaker 3: didn't wait and watch for his son to come to him.
- 16:57Speaker 3: He ran to his son. In this culture, this was
- 17:00Speaker 3: not the action of a dignified man. But this loving
- 17:04Speaker 3: father could care less about appearances. He was rushing to
- 17:08Speaker 3: restore his son. He was running to show forgiveness. The
- 17:12Speaker 3: young man confessed his sin, his unworthiness, but he didn't
- 17:16Speaker 3: have to say anything more. The father clothed him with
- 17:19Speaker 3: his robe and made him part of the family again.
- 17:23Speaker 3: This story could have ended with a very happy reunion
- 17:26Speaker 3: for everyone. But as we noted, there were two sons
- 17:30Speaker 3: in this household. And with all the rejoicing and feasting
- 17:34Speaker 3: for the prodigal son who came back, the older son
- 17:38Speaker 3: is now bitter. He had no interest in welcoming his
- 17:41Speaker 3: brother back into the family. Instead, he was pouting and
- 17:46Speaker 3: pitying himself, complaining. After all he'd done for his father,
- 17:50Speaker 3: how could he receive this young son back? Where was
- 17:53Speaker 3: his reward? As the Pharisees listened to this story, I'm
- 17:58Speaker 3: sure they were nodding their heads in agreement with the
- 18:00Speaker 3: son's anger. They too had done everything right. Why should
- 18:04Speaker 3: they welcome terrible sinners into the family of God? The
- 18:09Speaker 3: sad reality is this son, the elder brother, just like
- 18:13Speaker 3: the Pharisees, was just as lost as the younger son.
- 18:17Speaker 3: The younger son was lost way far away from the house,
- 18:20Speaker 3: but this young man was lost inside the house. Both
- 18:25Speaker 3: had the father all along. Both had an opportunity for
- 18:28Speaker 3: a relationship, but they both missed the joy and the
- 18:31Speaker 3: abundance that the father could give them. In telling this story,
- 18:35Speaker 3: Jesus was demonstrating how much God is always loving us
- 18:39Speaker 3: as a caring, compassionate father. He rejoices with those who
- 18:44Speaker 3: return to him and repent of their sins and receive
- 18:47Speaker 3: his grace. And he's reminding all of us that it's
- 18:50Speaker 3: never too late for a new beginning. It's not too
- 18:54Speaker 3: late for a new beginning for you today. And if
- 18:57Speaker 3: you find yourself far from God, this is the time
- 19:00Speaker 3: to come home to him. Jesus loves you. He died
- 19:04Speaker 3: for you. He rose again. And he will give you
- 19:07Speaker 3: a home and a hope in heaven if you will
- 19:10Speaker 3: trust in him. Let's pray. Dear God, we thank you
- 19:14Speaker 3: for your love and grace. We know that you are
- 19:17Speaker 3: a father who cares for your children. And so we
- 19:21Speaker 3: come to you. we trust in you. And we believe
- 19:24Speaker 3: that when we return from our sins, that you will
- 19:27Speaker 3: welcome us into your family through our faith in Jesus Christ.
- 19:31Speaker 3: And that no matter how far we have walked away,
- 19:34Speaker 3: that it's never too late to start over. In Jesus' name, amen.
- 19:40Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
- 19:43Speaker 3: I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. And before we go,
- 19:47Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would love to
- 19:48Speaker 3: send you my daily devotions to give you fresh encouragement
- 19:53Speaker 3: every single day. So visit jackgram.org to sign up for
- 19:57Speaker 3: your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's jackgram.org.