This week is Part 3 of a 4 part series examining Luke 15, which includes the parable of The Return of the Prodigal Son.
Luke 15 is the “Lost & Found” department of the New Testament. It started off with a lost sheep, moved to a lost coin and now moves on to a lost son.
And just as with the lost sheep and the lost coin, this lost son needed to be searched out and found by the father, which is followed by rejoicing and celebration.
This young man did not become a “stand up guy” in the pig sty, repent and then return home contrite and remorseful. He was actually being manipulative, continuing to work out his own agenda — which was motivated by his own starvation.
Nor did this father initially sense his son’s deep remorse and contrition. After all, he lavished his love on the young lad before he had even uttered a single word!
Rather, the father’s willingness to suffer humiliation, and demonstrate costly love melted the young man’s heart and actually facilitated his genuine confession and remorse. In short, the son then allowed himself to be found of the father.
This shocking conclusion first required two “warm up” stories so we would not miss the point. We do not reform our ways and then find God — rather it is God Himself who searches us out and finds US.
The father verifies this shocking conclusion as he announces the cause for celebration:
“For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”