Grace & Legalism: Exploring the Parable of the Prodigal Son
Explore the powerful Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 and discover insights about grace, legalism, and God's unwavering love. Dive into the narrative of a wayward son's journey from pride to repentance and learn the crucial lessons it holds for us today.
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The Parable of the Prodigal Son
11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to[a] one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’[b] 22 But the father said to his servants,[c] ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
Setting Up the Parable
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one that you’re likely familiar with. This parable illustrates many things about God the Father, such as forgiveness and what brings God joy.
This parable is woven together with two preceding parables as Jesus responds to the Pharisees who are grumbling because Jesus is spending time with sinners: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, followed by The Lost Son. All three end in celebration because there is joy in God’s heart and heaven as sinners repent.
God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, nor does He find pleasure in people being separated from Him. There were multiple times we see Jesus grieve when people didn’t respond to God’s love through the Gospel. However, in this parable, we see that when one person repents, it brings God great joy.
The first two parables, The Lost Sheep and The Lost Coin demonstrate that God is searching for and pursuing the lost. The Prodigal Son illustrates our role in responding to this pursuit.
Jesus is responding to the Pharisees by sharing these three parables. They believed they knew God, but one of Jesus’ tasks was to destroy that illusion.
A Picture of Pride
“And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me. And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country…” Luke 15:11, 13
This is a picture of pride. As Christians, we operate in the revelation of God, and pride is defined as the desire to live independently of God. I want things on my time, in my way, and we don’t want to be accountable to Him. The Prodigal Son is the poster child for pride.
This narrative has phraseology from the Prodigal Son, such as “Give me my share. Give me my inheritance. I want nothing to do with this family.” He is dead to the reality of the father, and in this context, he would prefer his father to be dead. He only wants the benefits and inheritance instead of restraints, accountability, or commands. His attitude was blatant, bold, and brimming with a self-centeredness that manifests outright rejection of the father and an overreach of pride.
“Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.” Luke 15:13
The word squandered means to throw it away. He wasted it and lived wastefully. Jesus is painting a picture of the worst sinner we see. In all four Gospels, he squanders his inheritance on prostitutes and partying. He was immoral, wasteful, and, frankly, stupid. This is the sinner who disdains all that the Father offers and who hates God.
But this life takes him to the bottom, and he finds himself so spent and empty he’s forced to get a job feeding pigs. He goes even further down and becomes so desperate that he longs to eat the same food the pigs are given for nourishment.
He disdains the Father, and it takes him to life at the bottom. So much so that he finds himself so spent and empty that he has to get a job. When he gets a job, it's feeding pigs, and things become so desperate that the Scripture says that he longs to eat the same food that the pigs are being given for nourishment.
What Jewish boy would ever behave like this? Swine was considered unclean in Jewish law, so this work would’ve been deemed unacceptable. Yet there he is, living among the pigs. This is the picture of squandering every good thing, but he got what he wanted: freedom of the will.
A Picture of Mercy & Grace
Does everyone go down a trail like this? No, but it’s important to see how God treats someone who does.
The Prodigal Son is addicted to a waste expenditure and left destitute, but the Scriptures point out this is where he comes to his senses. This is the first phase of repentance.
He remembered that his father had compassion for the poor. He remembered that his Father was good. It will be humbling to go back, so he begins to rehearse a speech.
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” Luke 15:18-19
These statements tell us a lot about the Prodigal Son. What he’s really saying is, “I will work as long as it takes for me to live.” All he knows is legalism.
But this isn’t uncommon, as all of the world's religions are based on legalism, except for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Like many of us, the Prodigal Son believes you have to earn his way back.
We’re so familiar with the story that we can overlook the amazing turn that the story takes because the Scripture says that on his journey back, his father sees him from a long way off. What does that tell us? The father was looking for his son. In his nature, the father had to wait until the son was broken and submissive to turn back.
The Bible says God loves a broken and contrite heart. He won’t despise that because a broken heart that’s submissive to God is moldable and shapable for His glory.
The son expects to be hired back by the father as a slave, not taken back as a son. But the father saw him, had compassion, and felt the pain and brokenness of his son. The father ran to him, hugged and kissed him. In the Greek, it’s a tense that denotes a continuous action. That’s the picture of God the Father kissing the penitent sinner on the head.
The father rallied his servants for a celebration. He gave his son a new position with a ring, a robe, and sandals. There are two words for this action:
Mercy: He didn’t get what he deserved.
Grace: He received what he did not earn.
The speech the Prodigal Son prepared was pointed at earning his reconciliation, but he experienced the mercy and grace of the Father. That tells us there is never a reason to hesitate around repentance. The picture is that of an eager father who seldom takes his eyes off the road as he sees his son off in the distance.
The celebration in heaven is not in honor of the sinner; it’s in honor of the Savior. He was dead, but now he is alive. He was lost, but now he is found. But the parable doesn’t stop there.
A Warning Against Legalism
The parable ends with a warning, and many scholars say that this is actually the real point of the parable. There’s a warning here about what legalism can do to people. Legalism is not reading Scripture and following Jesus’ commands. Legalism is when we add something to Scripture that’s not there and put it upon people as a requirement. That’s what the Pharisees had done.
So, the father organizes the servants and begins the grand party. It’s already underway, and the oldest son doesn’t know about it. In other words, the father hasn’t communicated with the older brother, and we can surmise it’s because they have no relationship.
“Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends.” Luke 15:29
The older brother is furious. He thinks he has a relationship with his father because of his work. This is a classic example that’s illustrated throughout the New Testament. He thinks he has a relationship with the father because he’s a good person in his mind.
However, the most revealing thing about the older brother regarding his lack of relationship with his father is that he has no joy that the younger brother has returned. He doesn’t care that their relationship has been restored. He was more angered than joyful. This takes us back to the Pharisees grumbling because Jesus spent time with people far from God.
Instead of being filled with joy over their brother’s potential restoration, they are only filled with resentment that Jesus cares for lost people. In light of what we see unfolding in the story, we know that the Pharisees are legalists, and legalists are a tough group to reach because they hate grace.
The Older Brother: “But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!” Luke 15:30
There’s a party in heaven in celebration of the mercy of the Father, but as a legalist, they neither appreciate what they have nor want anyone to share in it. When you experience God’s grace, it makes you gracious.
When we consider those among us who conduct the worst offenses, we must remember that they still have hope in Christ. It’s important to remember if there is no hope for them in Christ, then there is no hope for you and me in Christ. If there's no hope for them in Christ, there's no hope for any of us in Christ because that wasn’t just anybody hanging on that tree; that was God in human form.
However, have you ever noticed that the parable ends without giving us the full ending? There are two scenarios.
The older brother repented of his hypocrisy.
The older brother picked up a piece of wood and pummeled his father to death.
I believe the latter is the more likely outcome. Why? Remember that the older brother represents the Pharisees, and it was them who cried out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
The irony is that the father, being beaten to death on a cross in the form of the son, He would pay the penalty.
“Fix your eyes upon Jesus, the founder, and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
We’ve all fallen short of God’s glory, who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated today at the right hand of the throne of God. None of us are good enough, but we can be reconciled to God. That’s the grand narrative from Genesis through Revelation. It begins with the fall and something being deficient within us, but God pursues us through the work of His Son, His Word, and the Spirit.
TL;DR
The Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 illustrates God's forgiveness and joy when sinners repent.
The younger son's journey from prideful rebellion to humble repentance highlights the contrast between legalism and God's mercy and grace.
The parable warns against legalism and emphasizes the importance of rejoicing in restoring lost souls.
Ultimately, it underscores the need for reconciliation with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Related Reading
Debtors of Grace by Rev. Paul Lawler
How to Meet With Jesus by William Merriman
Give It To God by Bro. Chris Carter
