THE PRODIGAL

by Ronnie Mutina

I was reminded, just a couple of days ago, of the scriptures in Luke15:11 – 32, about the prodigal son, in which Jesus spake. It’s always amazed me how you can take situations in your life and find similar situations in the Bible. In the scriptures found in Luke, starting with verse 11, we see that the younger son, of two, decided he wanted to get all he had coming from his dad, as an inheritance, and go live the way he wanted to. After the son had spent all that he had, on his, so called, friends, he finds himself eating and sleeping with pigs, because his, so called, friends were not there any longer.

The young man, portrayed in this parable, by Jesus, is a great example of how many young people, and some older adults, are today. The world makes us want to think it loves us, when it actually just wants to use us. What about this young man in the Bible? He was given his portion and allowed to leave, so he could do what he wanted to do. We notice in verse 13, the scripture tells us, "And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living." I looked up the word, riotous, to find out that it was interpreted from the Greek word, ‘asotos,’ as – o’ – toce. It’s an adverb, which means, dissolutely. I then went to Webster’s to find what the word dissolutely means. Dissolutely means to loosen, dissolve: lacking restraint: esp: marked by indulgence in things (as drink and promiscuous sex) deemed vices. Of course, when we read the scripture down to verse 30 we find that his older brother defined it too. He said, "But as soon as thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf."

We know that the oldest brother got very angry, and that’s not my focal point this morning. I want us to look at the young man who went away and then came back. It’s always amazed me how we are so much like him. We think we know what is best for ourselves then we find out that what we think we know and what we are taught in God’s Word is usually just the opposite. We compromise what God’s Word says and justify it within ourselves as acceptable, don’t we? I know that we usually have to be torn way down, and a lot of times, hit the bottom to start on our way back up. This young man had tons of friends, he thought, but when he didn’t have even enough money to feed himself, these friends were not reaching out to help him at all. In fact, they probably didn’t act like they even knew him.

This young man did what he wanted to, and his dad did not stop him. His dad, obviously, had made a good living, but the boy didn’t want to continue to do what his dad had done. However, he was willing to be a servant if he was allowed to come back. How does this apply to men today?

We are in a world of substance or material wealth. Now this doesn’t mean that everyone is wealthy, but it does mean that we usually have more than we actually need. Today, we are in a world that tries to see who can have the largest house, best cars; trucks, etc. get the picture? We aren’t satisfied with just our needs. We, as this boy, want to have enough, what I call, stuff, that we fit into this world. We want to be accepted by this world. Even though we now that Solomon said, "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24) Who was Solomon talking about? He was talking about Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you." (John 15:13 – 14)

Solomon hit in right on the head, when he said, "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly:" For us to have, what we classify as, friends, we must show what we can do for them. How will they benefit from the friendship materially? However, the best friend we have is Jesus, who only wants to save you from eternal death, which is total and eternal separation from HIM in an everlasting tormenting place called hell. He’s there when we need HIM too.

This young man found out, the hard way that his real friends were at home. All his dad wanted him to do was to be with him. We have got to come to a conclusion that what we need is to be around people who are real friends. These people do not want anything from you, but companionship. Real friends will tell you when you are doing wrong or right, and if you are their real friend, then you won’t get offended. Jesus is a real friend. However, we want to get offended because HIS ways are not our ways. Solomon tells us, "There is a way, which seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof is the ways of death." If we are doing things our way and not God’s way, then we will never be happy.

The young man in the story found out his way wasn’t God’s way, but he had a way out. He came to understand that his dad’s ways were better than his. However, it took him having to hit the very bottom before he understood that. We have an opportunity to understand that there is a better way and maybe not have to hit the bottom of our lives. Some would argue that hitting the bottom would make us a better witness from Christ when we came to HIS saving grace. The fact is; HIS saving grace is always better than our ways. Sometimes, however, people have to learn the hard way, don’t they? Then again, you have to have a desire to find a better way. This young man knew that he had blown all of his material wealth on other things, but even coming back as a servant to his dad would be better than eating with the pigs. Of course, there is a great picture of how our God loves us. Instead of the dad telling his to be a servant or leave, his dad killed a calf and fed him. He celebrated his son’s return to him. We are told that the angels in heaven rejoice over one soul that comes home.

You may be reading this article this morning, wondering where you are headed? Seek God and HE will find you. However, the condition has to be met, before you come to HIM. You must first ADMIT that you need HIM. Second you must BELIEVE that HE died on the cross for you sins and that HE is the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD. Third, you must CONFESS, your sin before God and ask HIM to be the LORD of your life. In the book of Romans, we are told, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth in HIM shall not be ashamed. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:10 – 11; 13) May the Lord help us see that HIS ways are better than our ways. "It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8)