A Great Father to Two Lost Sons – Trinity 3

A Great Father to Two Lost Sons

Luke 15:11-32 T Trinity 3

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers in this congregation! It’s often joked that the most well-attended Sundays, other than Christmas and Easter, are Mother’s Day, while Father’s Day sees the lowest attendance. This reflects a common belief that church is for the weak, for women and children, and that real men don’t need grace and forgiveness. But, on the contrary, God gives strength to the weak, humbles the proud, and exalts the humble.

Today’s text is perfect for Father’s Day as it showcases true fatherhood and leadership in the parable of the prodigal son. While many sermons focus on the prodigal son or his self-righteous brother, today we will focus on the Father, representing God. This story teaches us about good fatherhood modeled after our heavenly Father and enriches our faith through the joy our Father feels when we repent and return to His grace.

In an age where fatherlessness is on the rise and attempts of being a good father is met with either the extreme of being their kid’s best friend, or on the other extreme, being a master over their children, we can learn how our heavenly Father treats us, and in turn, how the men of our congregations should lead their families and our churches.

It’s important to note that in the parable, the father doesn’t just have one lost son. He has two lost sons. Of course, one was lost in prodigal living. The other was lost in his own father’s house. One got lost in his unrighteousness. The other got lost in his self-righteousness. Talk about having two different types of children! How does a good father respond to such different types of children?

The first aspect of the Father in the parable worth noting, is that he sets clear boundaries. He won’t FORCE His will on either child. He doesn’t threaten them when they err. YET, His will is the standard by which they’re expected to live. They either live in the father’s house as a son of his inheritance, or they live outside the house, being a slave to their own passions.

When the prodigal son asked for his inheritance early, he basically wished that his father would die. That way, he could get his hands on his trust fund money and spend it to his liking. The Father could have simply put his foot down and said “No, not in my household.” But the father doesn’t wish to have a slave under his house. He wants a son who obeys him because He loves him and trusts that he knows what’s best for him. And quite simply, he wants to protect him from a world that would put him in a pig pen. So, what does the father do? He lets his son have free will, with the hopes that he will learn His father’s love and return to Him.

Isn’t this the Christian experience? Our heavenly father doesn’t force us to come to church. He doesn’t coerce us into having faith. We see many people come to church, get baptized, and confirmed. They receive the gifts of eternal life from our heavenly Father! But  they really never come back again. They’re on the church roles, but they don’t live in the Father’s house. Because they want the comfort of that heavenly inheritance of eternal life. Yet, they don’t want to live under the standard set forth by God’s law, teaching us how to be children in God’s household, and that we aren’t slaves to our passions. Rather, in love and obedience to the Father, we willingly submit to him and see HIS WILL is for our good.

            The self-righteous brother is likewise held to the standard of the Father’s will. He failed to live according to the father’s will when the father expressed his disappointment in his response to his brother’s return. The expectation was to celebrate! The lost had been found! Yet, the older brother sulked as he observed his father’s joy over a sinner, albeit, a repentant one.

            Despite the two lost son’s disobedience, there’s a second aspect to admire about the father in the parable. He willingly endures long-suffering. Although he’s disappointed by the sins of the sons, he doesn’t immediately strike them down in fits of anger and wrath. Rather, he suspended his anger for a time, so as to invite repentance. Lo and behold, it worked! The father didn’t seek out his son in the far away countries to seek retribution and instill fear. Rather, the prodigal son remembered the goodness and mercy of his father, which led him home. So, his patience wasn’t a sign of weakness, as some count weakness. Rather, it was a source of His strength! As for the repentance of the older brother, that’s open ended. We don’t know if he eventually rejoiced at the repentance of his sinful brother.

            And isn’t that the way our heavenly Father is toward us sinners? Romans 2:4 says “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” Our heavenly father graciously suspends His anger and wrath on our sin until the Last Day, so as to invite unbelievers to a life of repentance lived underneath His goodness. Our heavenly father has sent His Son, Jesus, by whose punishment the sins of all have been paid. For we justly deserve temporal and eternal punishment of our sins, just as we confess in the confession of sins. We justly deserve to wallow around in the pig slop. Yet, out of His mercy, God doesn’t strike us down, though He would certainly be just in doing so. He patiently awaits for us to humble ourselves, confess our sins, and turn to Him.

            This leads us to the final aspect of the father that all fathers should model: his profound grace. You’d expect that when the younger brother came home, the Father would discipline the prodigal for being so wasteful, and being so disrespectful to the personhood and inheritance of the father. Or at the very least, he wouldn’t restore his inheritance back to this wasteful son. Yet seeing the son’s actions of repentance from far off, the father acts in profound grace and joy. He jumps up and runs to his lost son. He throws his arms around him and kisses him. He doesn’t waste any time on “I told you so’s.” He doesn’t punish his son for he had already returned! He’s overjoyed! He prepares the feast to celebrate and he puts the best robe, shoes, and jewels on him.

            The father in the story doesn’t act like some dog owners do when their dog runs away. For example, when I was disc golfing, I saw a dog off-leash in the park. The dog ran over to me, ignoring its owner’s calls. Eventually, the dog returned, but instead of receiving a warm welcome, it got a swat on the behind. This punishment didn’t make sense since the dog had just done what it was supposed to by coming back. Wouldn’t it have been more appropriate for the owner to be overjoyed at the dog’s return?

Similarly, the father in the parable doesn’t scold or punish his returning son. Instead, he welcomes him with open arms and celebrates his return. This illustrates the profound grace and mercy of our heavenly Father, who rejoices when we come back to Him.

            Our heavenly father is fair. He sets clear boundaries, He’s long-suffering of our sinful ways, and His grace toward us is profound and unprecedented. The invitation to return remains open for all lost sons of the Father. However, we don’t return on our own terms, like the prodigal who rehearsed coming back as a slave. Nor do we live in the father’s house with a self-righteous attitude. Instead, our heavenly Father welcomes us with open arms, setting new robes on us and restores our dignity. He puts the riches back on us, symbolizing the grace and forgiveness we receive, inviting us to live as His beloved children in His household.

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston