11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
13 "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.
In our verses for today Jesus begins the all too familiar parable of the lost son, in my opinion, more appropriately named the parable of the loving Father - clearly setting forth for us the immeasurable riches of the gospel of grace. The prodigal here is representative of the tax collectors and “sinners” while the elder “self-righteous” son represents the Jews in general and particularly the Pharisees. Jesus begins the parable with the prodigal making an imperious demand upon his father - “Give me now, what is my right.” Of this request Matthew Henry states:
“The great folly of sinners is being content to have their share in hand, now in this lifetime to receive their good things. They look only to the things that are seen, and covet only a present enjoyment, but have no care for a future happiness.”
I am reminded of Proverbs 30:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. Prov 30:8-9 (NIV)
While riches and material goods are not in themselves intrinsically evil, the love (or should I say lust) of them is. Paul’s words to Timothy describe this (and for that matter our prodigal) perfectly:
9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Tim 6:9-10 (NIV)
Our prodigal takes his inheritance and immediately begins to squander it away in riotous living leaving him destitute and in dire need when famine falls on the land. Isn’t it interesting when overwhelming need strikes our focus suddenly turns upward? Isn’t it sad that it often takes these difficult circumstances for God to once again get our focus back on Him? Sadly, isn’t it is a lesson we just seem to have to keep re-learning? Jesus tells us:
31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matt 6:31-33 (NIV)
As believers we are to be kingdom seekers displaying a life of daily faith. Yet, unfortunately, many will not be bound to God’s authority by seeking His kingdom and righteousness first but sadly, like the prodigal, will bind themselves, as Matthew Henry states, “to the cords of their own lusts”. When will we ever learn that, as A. W. Tozer writes:
“The man who has God for his treasure has all things in one.”
“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us. We are far too easily pleased.” C. S. Lewis
As God was the earthly inheritance for the Priestly tribe of Levi in the Old Testament, so too is He our earthly inheritance today as believers are termed His royal Priesthood in the New Testament. Scripture tells us:
8 At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today. 9 That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance among their brothers; the LORD is their inheritance, as the LORD your God told them.) Deut 10:8-9 (NIV)
4 As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-- 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4-5 (NIV)
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV)
“It is natural for us to wish and to plan, and it is merciful of the Lord to disappoint our plans and to cross our wishes. For we cannot be safe or happy until we are weaned from our own wills and made simply desirous of being directed by His guidance. Although we understand this we seldom learn to put it into practice without being trained for a while in the school of disappointment. The schemes we form look so plausible and convenient that when they are broken we are ready to say, ‘What a pity!’ We try again, and with no better success; we are grieved, and perhaps angry, and plan another, and so on; eventually, in the course of time, experience and observation begin to convince us that we are no more able than we are worthy to choose correctly for ourselves. The Lord’s invitation to cast our cares upon Him, and His promise to take care of us, appear valuable; and when we have done planning, His plan in our favor gradually opens, and He does more and better for us than we could either ask or think. I can hardly recollect a single plan of mine, which if it had taken place in the time and the way I wanted would, humanly speaking, have proved my ruin; or at least would have deprived me of the greater good the Lord had designed for me. We judge things by their present appearance; but the Lord sees them in their consequences. If we could do the same we would be perfectly of His mind; but since we can’t, it is an unspeakable mercy that He will manage for us, whether we are pleased with His management or not; and it is regarded as one of His heaviest judgments when He gives any person up to the way of their own hearts, and to walk according to their own wisdom.” John Newton