The Prodigal Son Part 3

00:00:00 Speaker 1: But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad for this. Your brother was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found Luke fifteen thirty two. Heavenly Father, we are moved by your boundless compassion and the joy of redemption. Teach us, o Lord, to embrace a heart like yours, one that rejoices in the return of the lost and the restoration of the broken. Help us to understand the depths of your grace, which celebrates every soul reborn into your kingdom. May we too find joy in forgiveness and reconciliation, mirroring your love and patience in our interactions with others. Grant us the wisdom to see beyond our judgments and prejudices, welcoming with open arms as you have welcomed us in our journey with you. Let us be agents of your mercy, celebrating each victory of light over darkness in our own lives and in the lives of others. In Jesus' name, we pray with compassion and understanding. Amen. Thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to the Jesus Podcast. Stories of Inspiration and Gospel formation. Remain here for part three of our final parable, The Prodigal Son. If you want to partner with us in our mission to bring the Bible to life in new ways, follow this podcast on whatever platform you're listening to. Doing so will keep you updated, but also help us get discovered by more people. That way, we can reach the whole world with the story of Jesus. 00:01:59 Speaker 2: Jeremiah looked out at the horizon. With a procession of wealth behind him. He felt invincible. He couldn't wait to storm the port cities with his wealth. The first thing I will do is secure in a state, one with fountains and a courtyard large enough to host lavish parties. His companions, hungry for some of his riches, all nodded in agreement. Then who we'll invest in new ventures and see my money double once I'm a titan of industry and famous for my wealth. How get more and more people just begging to do business with me? 00:02:36 Speaker 3: Jeremil leaned his head back and laughed, Ah, think of a lads, the money, the women, the influence. The future is bright, gentlemen. His posse cheered their support for him would go as far as the coins in his purse. Jeremiel departed the loving roof of his father's home and ventured into the world, painfully unaware that the world's freedom isn't true freedom at all. Tragedy would await him. 00:03:10 Speaker 4: God's arms are always open when you've failed, when you've stumbled, when you've rejected him, scoffed at him, or sinned against him, God's arms are still open, wide open, ready to embrace you. This is the Jesus Podcast. I'm zachwipray dot com. Welcome to our final parable episode. We're going to finish up the parable of the prodigal son. Jeremiel, the younger brother, took his father's inheritance, essentially wishing that he would die. It was an egregious insult, but the father gave him what he wanted. Sometimes to show us the error of our ways, God gives us exactly what we ask for. It's only then that we realize that what we needed all along was not material possessions, but the father's loving embrace. 00:03:55 Speaker 2: The dirt crunched and cracked under Jeremiel's feet, as dry as his mouth. Dumbly, Jeremiel wondered when he had last had a drink of water. Had it been a day perhaps two, he stumbled, tripping over the straps of his sandals. They had finally fallen apart, just like his life. He tried to laugh, but only a hoarse rattle came from his cracked, dry lips. Grime from the road caked his wirery beard, and dust scratched the corners of his eyes. He squinted at his bleak surroundings, but was too weary to even raise a hand to block out the blinding sun. How far had he fallen in these last few years, he paused, Had it been years or had it only felt like years. Jeremiel had set out for adventure, an adventure he got. He traveled across foreign lands and saw many wonders. He sailed the ocean, lived in a colorful house in a city bigger than he had ever imagined, traded amongst the most influential merchants, embedded beautiful women, got into a few street fights, and gambled at high stakes. He had lived like a king. Yet Jeremil discovered that while empires take years to build, they can crumble instantly. He trusted the wrong people, took too many SIPs of wine, and gambled away his father's inheritance. He didn't earn the money. He did not put his hand to the plow or spend years building equity. It wasn't his money, so he wasn't careful with it. Jeremil thought his friends could help him, but they had all abandoned him, and just when he thought he could gain it all back, the land fell into a severe famine. It was the worst famine and living memory. The merchants in the city fell away and flocked to greener pastures and far away lands. Trade ground to a halt. Jeremil should have left the town when he could, but he no longer had the capital to consider the move. Then the dead collectors came calling. They took everything, and even the promise of more. Desperate Jeremiel took out more loans to attempt to pay the money he owed, but it wasn't enough. There were threats to his life. He couldn't go back to his house. Jeremal feared every dark and hooded figure lurking around every corner. Fear drove him from the city with nothing but clothes on his back and the worn sandals on his feet. The last remaining coins in his purse were spent on spirits to drown out his sorrow. He was an utter wreck. He had been forced to take on work from any farmer or trader he met along the road. He would only earn enough money to make it to the next town and the next job. This became his existence for a time. He couldn't say how long he had lived like this. Malnutrition and melancholy and soomed his thoughts entirely. His lowest point had come when he found himself drooling over the slop the pigs were eating. He couldn't remember the last time he had truly been full. He stared at the pig slop. He watched as the pigs devoured every morsel. The pigs were fat and satisfied. He greedily watched the pigs scrape the bottom of their trowel and sprang forward. Go on, get get out of here, go, he yelled at them. The pig scattered, and Jeremial dove face first into the troth. He devoured whatever he could. Muck and feces covered his face. When he had scraped the last morsel out of the troth, he rolled over on to his back and wept. He was covered in shame, filthy, hungry and alone, he curled into a ball and fell asleep among the pigs. Jeremielawoke abruptly when a cold bucket of water was poured on his face. It was the farmer standing over him with a pitchfork. 00:08:10 Speaker 5: Get out of here. 00:08:11 Speaker 6: My farm ain't an inn for ingrates and drunks. 00:08:16 Speaker 5: Get out of here. 00:08:17 Speaker 6: If I see your face again, I'll have you arrested. 00:08:22 Speaker 2: Jeremiel ran away and walked the road until his sandals snapped. Jeremil washed his face in a nearby pond. He looked at his sorry reflection in the mirror and sighed, what am I doing here? How many of father's hard workers have more than enough food? And here I am dying of hunger? What what if I? What if I could go back? And his mind raised with anxiety and regret. The thought of his father petrified him. His father would never let his worker starve. His mind raised with anxiety and regret. He was always so prudent with his resources. Undoubtedly the farm had stocked their grainhouses and store rooms. Certainly his father supported the village through the famine and shared his excess ah his father. His heart panged with sorrow. How could he even think of his father without bristling with shame. He had been a fool. He squandered away all that his father had so generously given him. No, he didn't even deserve to think about his father. The guilt was overwhelming. But then his hunger pains returned. Jeremil had squandered his rights as a son. But perhaps his father could find it in his heart to allow him to become one of his hired workers. I could go to my father and say to him, father, who. 00:10:02 Speaker 1: I've sinned? 00:10:04 Speaker 2: I've sinned against heaven, and in your sight, I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. What choice do I have? I'm already dead, or or I will be soon. These thoughts swirled Jeremiel's mind as he tried desperately to hold on to his consciousness. He felt faint now that he had stopped moving. He stopped and looked down at his sandals on the dusty road. They were broken beyond repair, so he removed them from his feet. Barefoot now, Jeremiel stumbled forward. He knew he would surely die if he stopped moving. He limped back towards his father's house, tears creating streaks down his dusty cheeks all the way he practiced his lines. Father, I've sinned against heaven, and in your sight, no longer worthy to be called your son. He hobbled for miles, driven by hunger and desperation. With his head held low. He began passing by neat rows of crops in a field, and he could see workers in the distance. His heart began to swell. He was back home, but was it his home? He had severed all ties with his family. Surely his father would meet him with judgment and retribution. But still, it would be far better to beg at his father's table like a dog than continued to fight for the slop of pigs. The world had been harsh and unyielding in its cruelty. Even if his father Abiathar was angry, his judgment would be softer than the world's jagged edges. I'm so ashamed he want nothing to do with me. Just then, Jeremiel saw a blurry figure in the distance. He blinked his eyes. It was moving, It looked like it was getting closer. Perhaps it was a man or a guard dog sent to run him off. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. It was definitely a person, and they were running right towards him. Jeremil braced himself and turned away as quickly as he could muster. Surely this was another farm man coming to run him off the land. He could barely manage a limp, but he prayed his pursuer would give up the chase. Then he heard some one call. 00:12:30 Speaker 5: His name, Zeramiel. 00:12:34 Speaker 2: Jeremil stopped in his tracks. There was something familiar about that voice. With hope in his heart, he turned back to face the figure on. 00:12:44 Speaker 5: The road, Seramiel my son. 00:12:48 Speaker 2: There in front of his eyes was his father. Abiathar's smile was brighter than the rising sun. Though he was old, his legs ran with youthful exis ruberants. 00:13:01 Speaker 6: My son, my son. 00:13:05 Speaker 2: Jeremiel prepared his speech again in his head. He limped towards his father, ready to fling himself at his feet and beg for forgiveness. But before he could say a word, his father threw his arms around him and kissed him, tears streaming down his face. The embrace nearly took Jeremiel off his feet, but his father's strong arms held him upright. Remembering the speech, he practiced with the pigs. He fumbled his way through the words father, cindy, kin, steaven, and a new sight. I'm no longer worthy to be called no, Abiathar said into his son's neck, you are my son. The words melted Jeremiel's heart. Abiathar turned and shouted back over his shoulder at the crowd of workers who had gathered at the edge of the field to see the commotion. 00:13:57 Speaker 5: Quick, bring out the best road and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then bring the fatted calf and slaughter it, and let celebrate with a feast. 00:14:10 Speaker 2: Jeremil was stunned at the words coming out of his father's mouth. Still feeling ashamed and overwhelmed, he looked down at his dusty, now bleeding feet. A feast a celebration for him. The worker sprang into action and ran back towards the homestead. Jeremil felt ready to collapse into a heap on the ground, but his father's strong arms held him in place. When Jeremil had set out that morning, he never would have imagined that he would have received mercy instead of mistrust, and grace instead of guilt. Abiathar turned back to his son, took his face in his hands, and said. 00:14:52 Speaker 5: This son of mine was dead and is alive again. He was lost. 00:15:01 Speaker 2: A Biothar reclined at the table, soaking in the scene before him. It was evening now, and the soft glow of torches and cook fires gave the courtyard and the center of the homestead a warm, inviting glow. If asked, he doubted he could truly convey the joy he had in his heart. He watched his now found son come back to life, laughing and smiling with friends and relatives. All seemed to be right in the world now, but one person was missing. His other son, Amnon, had not come home. A Biothar had sent servants to the field to tell him the good news, but that had been hours ago. A Biothar had hoped Amnon's anger would cool and that he could find it within himself to reconcile with his younger brother. He knew that Jeremil's choice had deeply wounded Amnon. He also knew that Amnon did not understand He didn't understand the choice he had made in response to Jeramil's request for his share of the estate. They had discussed it at length many times, but that sprigue of bitterness ann had been nursing for many years had finally taken root. His heart had heartened. Amnon's misunderstanding of mercy created a divide between them. A Biothar was deeply grieved, but he knew that this was something his son must overcome himself. He prayed and hoped that day would come, and he knew he would be there with open arms when it did. With a heavy sigh, a Biothar got up from the celebration and found his older son exactly where he thought he might be. He was pacing in the deserted inner courtyard of the home, the home he had built for his wife and children. The smell of roasted meat and the sounds of music wafted through the air from the main house only a few dozen yards away. The warm, inviting light from next door cast long shadows across his son's courtyard. Even as he approached his son. In the darkness, he could tell his anger had been stoked into a flame. He braced himself for what Amnon was surely going to hurl at him. Sure enough, Amnon headed towards his father, already worked up into a rage. 00:17:17 Speaker 6: Look, I've been slaving many years for you, and I've never disobeyed your orders, Yet you never gave me a goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 00:17:27 Speaker 2: He shouted. He continued this one sided argument as Abiathar stood patiently before him, waiting for him to say everything on his mind. 00:17:36 Speaker 6: But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you slatted the fat and calf for him. 00:17:46 Speaker 5: It's not fair. 00:17:48 Speaker 6: Why does he get a greater measure of love than I am? 00:17:52 Speaker 5: I not good enough? 00:17:54 Speaker 6: Have I not been faithful? Maybe I should leave you and return so I can get an ounce of the love you shown him. 00:18:02 Speaker 2: By the time Amnon had finished shouting, he was panting for breath, chest heaving, fist clenched into tight balls. Suddenly, Amnon collapsed onto one of the nearby benches and sobbed. His wails echoed through the courtyard. Abiothar joined his son on the bench. He felt Amnon stiffen, but his breath was steady now. As he sat beside him, Slowly, a Biothar placed a gentle hand on his son's back. He felt Amnon began to relax and they sat in the stillness of the courtyard for a few moments before the father looked at his son and said. 00:18:39 Speaker 5: Son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 00:18:46 Speaker 2: Amnon had turned to look at him when he spoke, but now he was staring at the ground before him. His fists were no longer clenched, and his shoulders slump forward as he let out an audible sigh. The fiery anger that had engulfed him only moments before had been snuffed out. He couldn't be sure in the darkness, but a Biathar thought he saw his son's eyes glistening with tears. He prayed that this was the beginning of the softening of his heart. With the tender heart of a father, a Biathar looked at his son and said. 00:19:21 Speaker 5: I celebrate your brother because he was lost, but now he is found. I celebrate as a father whose son was dead but is now alive again. 00:19:38 Speaker 4: Let's consider how this parable redefines our understanding of God. In our lives. We often view God through the lens of our earthly experiences, sometimes as a distant authority, other times as a critical judge. Yet Jesus presents God as a loving father. This father isn't just waiting for us to make the first move. He's actively seeking us out, ready to embra race us, even when we feel unworthy of his love. The Father in this parable has initiating love, a love that runs to the son. The Father's initiating love teaches us to see beyond our sins, to the very nature of our estrangement from him, and, more importantly, the cost he's willing to bear to bring us home. Just as the father ran to his son's embrace, Jesus marched up the cross for us. He is an initiating God, a God that wants us to repent, yes, but will do most of the work for us. In this story, Jesus also gives us a new lens of which to view our own mistakes. Both sons and the parables seek the father's inheritance, yet they miss the heart of their relationship with him. This mirrors our own lives. How often do we see God's blessings without seeking God himself? You see, true sin is the separation from God, a misplaced love that prioritizes his gifts over his presence. Jesus invites us into an understanding that salvation isn't just about tallying our good deeds, but about embracing a relationship with God grounded in love and grace. The oldest brother in this parable, who stands on the sidelines, angry and bitter, reminds us of the danger of self righteousness. Unlike him, Jesus is the true elder brother. We all need one who doesn't begrudgingly, someone who doesn't just begrudgingly accept us back, but who lays down his life for our return. This act of ultimate love that Jesus did on the cross, and this sacrifice, is what true salvation is about. It's not just about being found, but about being welcomed into a forever family at a great cost. So what does this mean for us today? It means that our identity as Christians isn't defined by our sinfulness or moral achievements. Our identity is rooted in being loved by God so deeply that he would pay the ultimate price for our return. This understanding invites us into a new way of living. Repentance is not just about turning away from sin, but turning towards God's love, a love so profound that it transforms us from the inside out. As we go about our week, Let's ponder these truths. Let's remember the initiating love of the Father, the new understanding of our sins, and a radical redefinition of our salvation. Let's seek not to be like the older brother, shaking our heads at other people who are stumbling forward through life. Let's live as beloved children of God, extending our reach towards those who are in need. You see, when we are fully known, and fully loved and fully embraced by the Father, it empowers us to fully love, fully know, and fully embrace others. Let's live lives that overflow the love of God. My prayer for you this week is that you would walk in the grace and love of the Father, knowing that you are cherished, you are sought after, and that you are welcome homed always. No matter what you've done, no matter where you've come from, the Father's arms are open white for you. We are going to explore that concept for the next twenty episodes. After this, we're going to go through a new mini series called Jesus and the Outcasts. We'll showcase a bunch of stories from the Gospel where Jesus extended his reach to those who are on the fringes of society or forgotten. Have you ever felt lonely? Have you ever felt lost? Have you ever felt cast aside? These next twenty episodes are definitely for you. I can't wait to dive into them with you. If you've been enjoying this podcast so far, be sure to leave a review and give us your feedback. Also, make sure to share the podcast with a friend. That way, we spread the message of hope al throughout the nations. 00:23:31 Speaker 1: God bless