The Prodigal Son Parable
LUKE: 15:7;
“I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven, over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”
LUKE: 15:10;
“Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God, over one sinner that repenteth.”
LUKE: 15: 11-32
Jesus tells the parable because the scribes and Pharisees were upset, jealous and complaining because Jesus would sit down with tax collectors and sinners to eat as Jesus taught the people.
Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son, a story of a father who gives his youngest son his inheritance, the son then leaves home ends up falling on hard times, returns home, apologizes to his father and is received back with open arms and a celebration. The eldest son seeing the celebration gets a little upset and jealous and confronts his father who explains to the eldest son that they were celebrating the returning home of his brother whom had been thought lost or dead.
Most if not all Christians, view this parable as a lesson about someone who sins and then repents, thus joy and celebration are in order, but is this really the only lesson that can be derived from this parable?
God’s Holy Spirit has opened my eyes and heart to yet another reason for the sharing of this parable.
Almighty God is the Father, and Jesus becomes the youngest son. Jesus comes to earth and experiences living as a human, living amongst sinners, experiencing human weaknesses and frailties. In other words, Jesus is feeding the swine as he teaches the peoples both Jew and Gentile. The food he uses to feed them is his teachings of repentance and love, and the miracles he performs, and as he teaches he prepares for the people a narrow path for them to follow so that one day, they might find their way back to heaven and Almighty God.
After Jesus has completed his teachings he knows that he has one last duty to perform. He must die a physical death taking upon himself the sins of man, before he can return to The Father, Our Father Almighty God.
Upon Jesus return to heaven, God our Father greets Jesus and for certain, one big heavenly party took place for Jesus had defeated the devil, sin, and death, and opened a gateway for all of mankind to one day return home to heaven and Father God.
If you are wondering how the Holy Spirit works into this story, it’s simple the Holy Spirit is the eldest of the two brothers who stays back with the father and carries out all that the father asks of him.
Removing oneself from sinfulness and repentance for one’s sins through Jesus, is the narrow path one must take in order to achieve salvation, for once one is cleansed by Jesus they become baptized in Jesus Righteousness and become born anew.