March 27, 2022
Pastor John Hering
Luke 15:11-32
Luke 15:11-32
The Parable of the Lost Son
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. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Once I learned why, it made total sense why the Japanese took off their shoes before coming into the house. We hadn’t lived in Japan for too long when we noticed that those wet spots on the sidewalk outside the train station weren’t from spilt coffee. It was from people urinating in public. So, it made sense to take off your shoes stinky shoes before walking into your house. Likewise, it makes total sense to me to have the washer and dryer by the garage entrance into the house. Perhaps it isn’t all that big of a deal for me because I don’t come home too smelly. But, when our kids were in sports they would come home all dirty and smelly and it made sense for them to take off their stinky clothes before coming into the house. It makes even more sense for farmers who have to work in the barn with cows and pigs. If you haven’t driven through the Midwest and walked into a pig barn to experience the nose squishing smell, you haven’t lived! I can’t even imagine someone running up to you in your pig manure-stained clothes and giving you a hug. But, that’s exactly the situation in today’s parable. A son returns home with after spending time with some pigs and is worth about as much as burnt toast. His father runs out to give him a huge loving hug because….
The Father Loves Burnt Toast
When Grace is Abused
This parable is one of the most famous stories Jesus told. I want you to know to whom Jesus address this parable. “All the tax collectors and sinners were coming to Jesus to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them. 3 He told them this parable” (Luke 15:1-3). Jesus spoke this parable to the religious leaders who were experts at abusing, underestimating, rejecting and refusing to share God’s grace. Jesus teaches his lesson on grace, not by giving them a dogmatic thesis on what grace means, but a lesson on what grace looks like. “11 Jesus said, “A certain man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all that he had and traveled to a distant country. There he wasted his wealth with reckless living.”
The first son abused the father’s grace. He had a heart like burnt toast. All he wanted was stuff. He didn’t care about his relationship with his father. Requesting his share of the inheritance would be his when his father died. This son could care less—his father was dead to him. This son got his stuff and got lost. Real lost. He went away to immorally spend his fortune on wine, women and rock and roll. He was Burnt Toast That Abused the Grace of the Father.
When Grace is Underestimated
But then the day came when his money ran out. “14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 He went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 He would have liked to fill his stomach with the carob pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, and I am dying from hunger! 18 I will get up, go to my father, and tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” He had spent his money on people and things, but where were they when he was living with the pigs? How bad did it get? He took his money to run away from all restrictions and while sitting in pig manure came to realize how bad off he really was. He was longing for human comfort but there wasn’t anyone around to help him at all. From the pig muck it says, “he came to his senses.” This Burnt Toast of a son practiced his speech and made plans to return to his father. He came to realize how horribly he has abused the father’s grace. He also badly underestimated his father’s grace. Now, he was hoping to return as a hired servant. But, he was Burnt Toast that Underestimated The Father’s Grace.
“20 “He got up and went to his father. While he was still far away, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, hugged his son, and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick, bring out the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let us eat and celebrate, 24 because this son of mine was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found.’ Then they began to celebrate.” I’m not going to give you a definition of grace, but Jesus shows us what grace is. The father had every right to wait for his naughty boy to return home and slap him down. Yet, God’s grace is the father who would only be satisfied when all his children were home—stretching out his neck and waiting for his return. It is the father who welcomed him home with open arms. It is hugging his son—the one who smelled like pig manure. It is the father who gives him sandals, robes and rings fit for a son, not a slave. There is no direct words of forgiveness, but it’s all action. It is throwing a party for him to celebrate for he “was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found.”
This is why Luke 15 is often called the “Lost Chapter” of the Bible. The shepherd lost a sheep and went to look for them. The woman lost a coin and searched diligently for it. The father was constantly waiting for his lost children to come home. Take this lesson home with you today! When condemnation crushes you for the times you Abused and Underestimated God’s grace, then remember, God Loves Burnt Toast!
When Grace is Rejected
The second son wasn’t any better. He was the son who had everything. But, when he observed the grace the father had for his younger brother, he rejected that grace because he probably didn’t want to lose any of his stuff to that loser! Neither of the sons wanted a relationship with the father. They both just wanted stuff. They wanted the same things—the 1st son looked immoral and 2nd son looked moral. But they were both Burnt Toast who either Abused, Underestimated, or in this case, Rejected the Father’s grace.
“25 “His older son was in the field. As he approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the servants and asked what was going on. 27 The servant told him, ‘Your brother is here! Your father killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 The older brother was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.
29 “He answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I’ve been serving you, and I never disobeyed your command, but you never gave me even a young goat so that I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours arrived after wasting your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’
31 “The father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 But it was fitting to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found.”
You wonder if the Pharisees picked up on the fact that Jesus was talking about them. If they did, it only made them more angry for there was no light in them. The Pharisees couldn’t see how they were breaking the Father’s heart. Jesus was mirroring for them what the father did for the older brother. God had every right to destroy these evil men and damn them to hell for their hatred toward Jesus. How sad, for the Father’s love is so abundant he wants all his sons back home. Luke doesn’t record the reaction of the Pharisees, but we know Jesus is speaking this parable a short time before being handed over to the religious authorities for trial. There was a glorious party to enjoy living in God’s grace, but they were missing out. They were Burnt Toast who Abused, Underestimated and Rejected the Father’s Grace. But, praise be to God, there is a 3rd Son in this parable! It is the Son who Shares God’s Grace with Burnt Toast like you and me.
When Grace Is Shared
“11 Jesus said.” Did you catch it? The 3rd son is the one telling the parable. He is the proof of the Father’s wreckless love. For which son are you in Jesus’ parable? The 1st or the 2nd? How about you’re both at different times in your life. We all are guilty of squandering God’s blessings in our life. We are all guilty of looking down on others. God wants us to have a heart of love for others, not a heart of Burnt Toast. So great is the Father’s love for us to send his one and only Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty of all yours sins and redeem you back into the Father’s Family. So great is the Father’s love for you to watch his children abuse, underestimate and reject his grace, yet he continues to show his love by calling us to come home again and again. Yes, the Father Loves Burnt Toast like you and insists on showing you his love. He showed his love for you when you were baptized. He shows his love for you every time you come to receive the Lord’s forgiveness for all your sins in the Lord’s Supper. He publicly Shares his love over and over with open arms and wreckless grace with Burnt Toast people like you.
It is also the Father’s grace that he wants us to share with others. Sometimes that desire to share it with others is a challenge for a church. We need to be ready to receive all people into our worship at Divine Peace. Think of it like this. If you are an expert at a hobby or some other skill (electrician, plumber, CPA, nurse, videographer, manager, beer brewer) and someone came to your house and you found out they were interested in your hobby or skill, wouldn’t you give them your phone number and say, “If you ever need any help with that, please give me a call!” So, we want to make our church the safe landing spot for people whether they have been wallowing in pig muck, looking down their noses at everybody else, or returning after being away for a while due to Covid, or from a different culture, or for whatever reason! We want our church to be a safe place for sinners! This is a big challenge, but it’s doable! We want to have a circle of friends, but don’t make your circle smaller, but make it bigger. Invite your friends, relatives (even children who have strayed), acquaintances and neighbors and Share the Father’s Grace with them. Even if they’re Burnt Toast just like you and me. And while we are waiting for them, we want to be sure that we’re ready and waiting to embrace them with God’s grace.
I get it why people take off their shoes in Japan and why farmers change their clothes before coming into the house. But, do you wonder why I kept calling you Burnt Toast today? Because according to our sinful nature we are the sons in this parable who abuse, underestimated, rejected God’s grace. That’s makes us worth about as much as Burnt Toast. But, the condemnation of all your sins has been crushed by God’s grace. And when the weight of your sins makes you feel like Burnt Toast then recall what Jesus said, The Father Loves Burnt Toast. Amen.
