Text: Luke 15:11-32
In Luke 15, we have three parables: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Prodigal Son. It's interesting to note how each situation was handled.
Lost sheep wander off. They're curious and get distracted. Their leaving is not deliberate. The shepherd goes after them and brings them back to the flock.
The lost coin is part of 10 silver coins a married woman would wear around her neck. For some unaccountable reason, one disappears. The woman searches for the coin.
Our main focus is on the Prodigal Son. You'll notice the father did not seek him out or search for him. Scripture says the son "came to himself" - wandering from the father is like being out of his mind. The father waited for him to return. He expected repentance, but not perfection and restored him to his former position.
The older, faithful son comes in from the field and hears a party going on inside the house. He asks a servant what's going on and is informed that his brother has returned. The older son is angry, stays outside, and pouts. His father comes out and urges him to enter the house and join the celebration. He spills out his tale of woe. You never gave me a kid much less a fatted calf. The father tells him everything he has belongs to him. The older son could have had his heart's desire at any time.
Our words identify us: The wayward son was identified by...
The Father as his son who was dead.
The servant called him, "your brother."
The older brother identified him to the father as, "your son."
Unthankful people always look to blame others, feel like they're being cheated, and that they deserved better.
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