What the Bible Really Says About the Prodigal Son

Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick. Okay, now let's just get right back into the book, Luke chapter 15. Those of you joining us on television, in case you've never watched the program before, we're just an informal Bible study. We normally teach several nights a week throughout eastern Oklahoma, but once a month we come in and tape four programs. And so I always like the television audience to realize that when you see the same people in the same clothes and I wear the same shirt for four weeks in a row, it isn't that we've been fortunate enough to get everybody in the same place that often, but we do come in and tape four programs right in succession. And it just becomes an interesting afternoon. And for those of you in the Oklahoma area, feel free to call us and come in and join us for this afternoon. Again we like to always remind our television audience that all the past programs are available on videotape, and just call us and we'll send you the information. Turn with me now if you will to Luke chapter 15, and we'll drop right in at verse 3. Now I'm still standing on that same premise that the only way you can get any sense out of all these parables and everything that Jesus says, is to leave it first and foremost where it belongs. It's Christ dealing with the nation of Israel, under the Law, the temple is operating, everything is still under the Law, and not a word has been said about not keeping temple worship, and He's still trying to prove to the nation of Israel who He is. But of course there are great moral lessons that come through, and we can make application from those, of course we can. But so far as understanding the flow of Scripture you have to realize that this is still all part and parcel of God's dealing with the nation of Israel under those covenants. Now in Luke chapter 15 I'm going to point out something that I think has been totally confused, and I'm going to give a song writer part of the blame for that. Here we are going to deal with the one sheep out of a hundred. Let's read it first, and then hopefully we can make some sense out of it. Luke 15 verse 3, "...and he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety of nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?" Now let's back up a little bit. According to the song, I'm sure you all remember it, where were the ninety and nine? There were ninety and nine that safely lay in the shelter of the foal. And I dare say that just like people have got a picture of the ark as you saw it back in kindergarten in Sunday school with that little boat and the little shed in the middle, and the giraffe outside, and the elephant with his trunk hanging over the edge, that's the first impression people get when they see the ark in their mind. Well it's the same way with this parable. The first thing they see is ninety and nine sheep laying safely in the fold, but one is out there alone. Now that makes good preaching. I remember a long time ago a preacher was in my class and we had taught the Flood. You know how I teach the Flood. It was an instantaneous cataclysmic event as everything just burst. You know he came up and said, "...and you just blew my sermon right out of the water." I said, Ephesians 2.7 "...and I know how you preached it. It started to rain, and the water got ankle deep, and boy they came knocking on the door. It got knee deep, and some more came knocking, and by the time it got up to their shoulders, boy they were just clamoring to get in the ark." He said, "...and you just blew my sermon right out of the water." I said, "...and I know how you preached it. It started to rain, and by the time it got up to their shoulders, boy they were just clamoring to get in the ark." He said, "...and I know how you preached it. Now we've all been given some wrong impressions of these events in Scripture. Same way here. They are not in the fold, they are out where? In the wilderness. So now the ninety and nine are in the wilderness, and verse four continuing, meaning he goes after that which is lost until he finds it. So what does he do with the ninety and nine? He leaves them alone in the wilderness out there on the desert. Now I know very little about sheep, all I know is what I�ve heard from others and what I�ve read, but sheep are dumb. And you leave a bunch of sheep out on a desert with only a little clump of grass here and there in a matter of an hour or two. Where are those hundred sheep? All over the place and they are lost. But what�s the difference? They don�t know it. But you see the little fellow that�s caught in a crevice some place, he�s just crying his heart out. Why? He�s lost and he knows it. Do you see the difference? Now you see you try to put that into church language, and it just doesn�t fit. But you leave it with Israel, and now who are the ninety and nine? Well that�s the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the majority of Jews. They were without a shepherd, but did they know it? No. They were so self-righteous, they were so self-content, and there they were just like a bunch of sheep out there in the wilderness going from clump to clump, thinking they were alright, but they were desperately lost. But the one that knew he was lost, that was the sheep that the shepherd went and saved. Now of course who is indicative of the one sheep? Well that little small remnant of Jews that followed the Lord and became believers that He was the Christ. Now you see what a difference that makes? It just fits so beautifully if you leave it where it belongs. So the little small percentage of Jews realized that they needed the true shepherd, and they let it be known, but the vast majority of Pharisees and religious Jews went on their merry way, not knowing that they were lost. Now let�s come on down and watch the same way in the next parable, the lost coin. It fits only if you leave it within the customs of the Jew, and really what�s in mind here these 10 pieces was part of the dowry. She probably had these 10 coins given to her in dowry and it was precious to them. Again you have the same analogy. She lost one of those that was hers, and she didn�t give up until she found it. Now you always have to remember, and we�re going to see it now when we come into the prodigal son especially. A lost individual of the Gentile world, we have never originally belonged to God. Have we? No, we�ve been lost. We�re sons of Adam. We�ve been a rebel since the day we were born. Now maybe I should make a point. Through the Scripture you see God deals with Israel on two levels, national and personal. So you have to always look at it, is He dealing with the nation here as a nation under the covenants, or is He dealing with an individual? Well most of the time of course He�s dealing with them on the national level, because that�s where the covenants come in, the nation. And an individual of Israel can still even today be saved, but nationally what is the spiritual condition of the Jew? Well they�re blind. But that doesn�t mean that an individual Jew can�t come and enjoy salvation. So here again in the parable of the lost coin, just leave it as a condition of the nation of Israel, that which was God�s by covenant promises, but the one that was lost is the one that He goes and He brought to Himself, just like He did the little lost sheep. Now let�s come to the prodigal son. I can remember years ago when Iris and I were young and our kids were all little, and we�d be driving home from church and we had just heard a good sermon on the prodigal son. But I always had a question. Why in the world don�t they ever preach about that other brother? You ever heard of that? They don�t. Why don�t they preach about that other brother? Well you see he doesn�t fit, and so if he doesn�t fit, well you leave him alone. But I maintain he�s in here and he fits, again if you leave it where it belongs. Secondly, like I�ve already said, verse 11. Jesus begins the parable, �A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, �Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.� And he vided to them his living. Now here�s where I want people to stop and ask a question. Was this our state in our own experience? Had we at one time been a child of God, and then decided we want to turn our back and go, �No.� We�ve always been sinners, and that�s what a lot of people can�t understand. A lot of people try to tell me I�ve always been a Christian. No you haven�t. We�re born in sin. We�ve all sinned and come short. So we weren�t children of God, but in the prodigal son they both were children. Do you see how that doesn�t fit? So the younger took his inheritance, and not in many days after the younger son gathered everything together, he took his journey into a far country, and there he wasted his substance with riotous living. Now you all have heard enough sermons on the prodigal son, you know that. He just went out and blew his inheritance, and lived it up, and then finally he ended up where? In the pig pen. And of course that makes good preaching, I know it does, but it isn�t good theology. So verse 14, and when he had spent all there arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a swine, of all things for a Jew, to end up feeding hogs. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husk that the swine did eat, and no man gave unto him. So where does he find himself? Destitute. Now he realizes that in himself there�s nothing he can do. Well isn�t this exactly where in all of Jesus� parables He was trying to show the Jew that this was their state, that they needed Him. In fact I haven�t decided yet whether in this program I�ll teach the book of John as we did down in Wilberton. I don�t think so because it takes too long, but you know those of you in the Wilberton class, there are eight signs in the book of John, seven of them before His crucifixion, and one after the resurrection. And all those signs had a specific message for the nation of Israel, every one of them. It would fill a particular need if they would have just rested on the One who could fill them. Now here we come back to this youngest son. He too now, like that one little lamb caught in the thicket, the son realizes his need, and he realizes there�s only one place he can go for sustenance, and that is back to the Father. He�s got to come back to the Giver of those covenant promises, to the Giver of spiritual life, and so he does. Now like I said, every sermon I�ve ever heard they don�t talk about the other brother, but I�m going to because he fits, you bet he does. Now let�s go look at him. Verse 25, and you all know the story how the youngest son came back and they killed the fatted calf. I don�t have to rehearse that with you. But now let�s look at the second brother. Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in, and therefore came his father out, and entreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither have I transgressed at any time thy commandment. Now that�s the voice and the words of what part of Israel? The Pharisee. This older brother is typical of the Pharisees in Israel. They�ve been under the covenant promises, just like the other brother, but they were so self -righteous, they were so filled with their own importance, their pomp and circumstance, they didn�t see need of anything. And yet when they saw this little element of believers who were embracing Christ as the Messiah, what did it do to them? It made them angry. And like Saul of Tarsus, he�s typical of it. He thought he could stamp them out by putting them to death, and putting them in prison. That�s the mentality of the other brother, self -righteous. Let�s read on. Ephesians 2, verse 30. But as soon as this thy son was come, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. Now you see Jesus Himself said, the well person doesn�t need a physician, who does? The sick person. Paul makes it so plain, you can�t be saved, you cannot enter into salvation if you think you�re going to make it on your own, but you have to come how? As a sinner. That�s mandatory. It�s the way God works. But see the self-righteous brother just couldn�t get that through his head. He said, I�ve always served you, I�ve always been obedient. And the father said to the son, Son thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. Now you see how that fit for Israel? They were under the covenant promises nationally, and if they would have just come and believed what God wanted them to believe, they could have enjoyed all the promises. But in their self-righteous attitude it could never happen. Now I�d like to have you come over just a couple of pages and turn with me to Luke chapter 17. I�m going to come to a verse that again I think has been twisted all out of shape, simply because the Greek has probably not been translated as clearly in the King James as it could have been. I adhere to the King James, and I feel it is still the best. I don�t tell people not to use the others, but I think the old King James is still pretty reliable. But here in Luke 17 verse 21, Jesus again is speaking, and He says, Luke 17. And he says, Neither shall they say, Lo here, or lo there. For behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Now our King James says, within you, and that has just thrown a curve at so many people. But the Greek word here is entos, and entos is not translated within in most places, it�s translated in the midst. Now what a difference that makes. Just as soon as John the Baptist came on the scene, what does he begin preaching to Israel? The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Why? Because the King was here, and the kingdom is centered in the King. And so the kingdom was right in the midst of Israel in the person of the King. And had they accepted that, oh they could have had the King and the kingdom. It was a valid offer. But oh, they just couldn�t see it, and they rejected it. Now then, instead of trying to use this verse for us today, and trying to teach from what Jesus is telling the Jews about the kingdom of heaven being within us, let�s go look and see what the apostle of the Gentiles says about it. Now on your way back to what he says, let�s just look and see why I call him the apostle of the Gentiles on your way back to Colossians. Stop at Acts chapter 9. I don�t want to say too much out of the book of Acts, because I want to save all that for when we start studying it, because I�ve never had a class yet that hasn�t thoroughly enjoyed the book of Acts. I mean it is so exciting, and it is so revealing once we understand it. But here�s just a little tidbit. Acts chapter 9, Saul of Tarsus on his way to Damascus like a raging bull. I mean he was just breathing out threatenings and slaughter. He couldn�t wait to get those Jews who had believed that Jesus was the Christ, that He could bring them back to Jerusalem and commit them to death or to prison. Ananias, a devout man according to the Law, the book of Acts says in chapter 22. But Ananias is a believing Jew, and he has heard about Saul. And now of all people, the Lord tells Ananias, �Saul is coming to your house.� Now how would you feel? And Ananias says it. Acts 9 verse 13, Ananias answered, �Lord, I have heard by many of this man, and how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name, including himself.� Ananias was already picturing himself in some dungeon down under the streets of Jerusalem, and then the Lord says, �He�s going to come to your house?� Verse 15, look what the Lord answers, �But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles.� Oh, who�d ever heard of something like this before? The word Gentile was anathema to a Jew, and we get into the book of Acts and I�m going to show that to you. Just to say the word would cause a riot. And now the Lord is telling Ananias, I�m going to send this man to the Gentiles? Who�d ever heard such a thing? Now let�s stop at Romans chapter 11, and drop down to verse 13. I�ve never knew it was in my Bible, and most people don�t. And of course Paul wrote the book of Romans, and he says, �For I speak to you Gentiles inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles.� Now the twelve were apostles of the Jew, but this man is the apostle of the Gentiles, and don�t lose sight of that. Keep going to the right, we�re on our way to Colossians. Stop at Ephesians, go through the Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, chapter three and verse one. Now don�t lose sight of that verse we just read in Matthew, that the Kingdom of Heaven was in the midst of the Jew, in the person of Christ. Ephesians chapter three and verse one. Ephesians 3 for this cause, and of course he�s referring to everything he�d written in chapter one and two. Ephesians 3 for this cause I Paul, Jesus Christ for you Gentiles. So plain, the apostle for you Gentiles. And then he comes on down and he says in verse six, that his ministry is such that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ, not by the law, not by works, but by the Gospel. And of course Paul only knows one Gospel, and that is Christ died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Now then keep moving, go through Ephesians, Philippians, and come to Colossians chapter one. Now let�s pick up the Kingdom so far as you and I are concerned. It was in the midst of Israel, and for the most part they rejected it. Oh that little flock of course, they accepted it, but for the most part the nation rejected it, and they said, away with him, crucify him. We�ll be looking And so the crucified King after his burial, his resurrection, now goes where? To Heaven. So now where is the Kingdom? In Heaven. Always remember the Kingdom is where the King is. The King is in Heaven. But as I�ve stressed to my classes before, always be careful. Paul never alludes to Christ as the King of the Church. We are never to address Him as our King. He is the King, but He�s not our King. Because as members of the Body, we are a joint heir with Him, and we are part and parcel of Him. He�s the Head, and we�re the Body. Now do you see that�s a far different relationship than a King. What do you call those under a King? His subjects. And we�re not subjects of a King, we�re a co-heir with a King. My what a difference. See that�s our position. You pick that up again in Paul, and you won�t find that in the Gospels. Now in Colossians chapter 1. We�ve only got about a minute left. We�ve got to pick up the King and the Kingdom. Colossians 1. Paul is praying for these Gentile believers in Colossae, and he says, Colossians 1.1 "...giving thanks unto the Father, who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." And where is that Kingdom? It�s in Heaven. Where are you positionally tonight? You�re already in Heaven. We don�t feel like it, we�re on terra firma, but positionally in the mind of God we are already in Heaven. Now back up just one page, and that will take you to Philippians chapter 3. We�ve been translated into the Kingdom by virtue of our salvation based on the Gospel, and now here�s our position. Philippians 3. We�ve been translated into the Kingdom by virtue of our salvation based on the Gospel, and now here�s our position. For our citizenship is where? In Heaven. Our citizenship is in Heaven, from whence also we look for the King? No, the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body that it be fashioned like unto His. Now back up just one page, and that will take you to Philippians 3. We�ve been translated into the Kingdom by virtue of our salvation based on the Gospel, and now here�s our