Luk 15:21-25 | KingComments | STEP | The younger son adds his deed to his word. He gets up and comes to his father. Many Christians say they have sinned. They also sincerely see that they are not worthy of being accepted by God. However, there is no getting up, but a lingering in the misery. That is a dishonor for the Father. Then there is no confidence that the Father is ready to receive. There may still be so much doubt, but thinking of the Father’s goodness will make someone get up to come to the Father. The father does not act with his son according to what he deserved, but according to his father heart. The father has never let go of him in his heart. His heart has gone with his son. He stood on the lookout. The word “a long way off ” in is the same word as “distant country” in . The father saw his son there and waited until he returned. When the father sees his son approaching in the distance, he is moved with compassion. Then he runs to go to his son. In the picture we see here that God is in a hurry in a positive sense, which is the only time in the Bible. Without any reproach the father embraces him and kisses him, he covers him with kisses. The father never did that with one of his hired men. This is a welcome that suits a son! Thus is God for every sinner who repents and comes to Him. The son starts to say what he had intended, but does not go beyond the first words. Further speaking is made impossible by the father because he does not let him speak further. Before the son can say “make me one of your hired men”, the father acts with him according to his father heart. The position of the father determines that of the son. The love that has received him as son, also wants him to enter the house as son and in a way as the son of such a father must be. The father has slaves. The son is not one of them. The father makes his slaves his son’s servants. The son stands there in his dirty, torn clothes. It is not clothing befitting a son and it is not clothing befitting the father’s house. The father has a robe hanging ready that fits his house. The slaves are ready to put this robe on the prodigal son. The father only has to instruct his slaves to get the best robe and put it on him. The slaves do not have to ask where it hangs. It’s hanging ready for the son. When we came to God, we also came in our clothes tainted by sin, but God has provided new clothes. For us it was already hanging ready before the foundation of the world. He has clothed us with Christ. He has made us acceptable in the Beloved ( ). Clothed with Christ we enter the Father’s house as righteousness of God in Him ( ). That is the best robe, the robe of heaven. The son also receives a ring on his hand as a sign of a special honor and dignity, as we see with Joseph ( ). He also gets sandals on his feet. His feet are shod with the gospel of peace ( ). He is in the Father’s house with the perfect peace in his heart that has been brought to him in the gospel to remain there forever as son ( ). Sandals characterize our walk as sons of God. The son receives much more than he had before he left. Thus the New Testament slaves of God tell the converted sinner what he has received in Christ. We see that with Paul who wants to present every man complete in Christ ( ). He not only preached repentance, but also taught the Word of God to all who repented. Finally, the father orders to bring the fattened calf to kill it and then eat it and celebrate. He does not say: Let him eat, but: “Let us eat.” A meal is prepared to eat together, to share in all the blessings that the son is now allowed to share with the father. That happens in joy. The fattened calf is a picture of the Lord Jesus Who was slain for our sins. In this Gospel we see Him as the peace offering. He is the slain Lamb and around Him all believers, all the sons of the Father, may rejoice together with the Father about the blessings of the Father. The Lamb has given the Father the opportunity to show all His benefits, all His pleasures in man, to man. The joy consists of having a common part in the sacrifice of Christ. That gives the bond of fellowship with the Father and the Son and with each other. The father speaks of his son as “this son of mine”. He does have another son, but “this” son was “dead and has come to live again”. That is presented in the history of the lost and found silver coin. It shows that something has happened in him. “This son” was also “lost and has been found”. That is presented in the history of the lost and found sheep. That shows that something has happened to him. Both aspects are always present at a conversion. The result is a celebration without end. What gives peace and characterizes our position according to grace are not the feelings that have worked in our hearts, although they are truly present, but the feelings of God Himself. Nor is it written now, as in the other two cases, that there is joy in heaven , but we see what the effect is on earth, both in that one person and in the hearts of others.

‏ Luke 15:21-25

Return and Acceptance

The younger son adds his deed to his word. He gets up and comes to his father. Many Christians say they have sinned. They also sincerely see that they are not worthy of being accepted by God. However, there is no getting up, but a lingering in the misery. That is a dishonor for the Father. Then there is no confidence that the Father is ready to receive. There may still be so much doubt, but thinking of the Father’s goodness will make someone get up to come to the Father.

The father does not act with his son according to what he deserved, but according to his father heart. The father has never let go of him in his heart. His heart has gone with his son. He stood on the lookout. The word “a long way off” in Lk 15:20 is the same word as “distant country” in Lk 15:13. The father saw his son there and waited until he returned.

When the father sees his son approaching in the distance, he is moved with compassion. Then he runs to go to his son. In the picture we see here that God is in a hurry in a positive sense, which is the only time in the Bible. Without any reproach the father embraces him and kisses him, he covers him with kisses. The father never did that with one of his hired men. This is a welcome that suits a son! Thus is God for every sinner who repents and comes to Him.

The son starts to say what he had intended, but does not go beyond the first words. Further speaking is made impossible by the father because he does not let him speak further. Before the son can say “make me one of your hired men”, the father acts with him according to his father heart. The position of the father determines that of the son. The love that has received him as son, also wants him to enter the house as son and in a way as the son of such a father must be. The father has slaves. The son is not one of them. The father makes his slaves his son’s servants.

The son stands there in his dirty, torn clothes. It is not clothing befitting a son and it is not clothing befitting the father’s house. The father has a robe hanging ready that fits his house. The slaves are ready to put this robe on the prodigal son. The father only has to instruct his slaves to get the best robe and put it on him. The slaves do not have to ask where it hangs. It’s hanging ready for the son.

When we came to God, we also came in our clothes tainted by sin, but God has provided new clothes. For us it was already hanging ready before the foundation of the world. He has clothed us with Christ. He has made us acceptable in the Beloved (Eph 1:6). Clothed with Christ we enter the Father’s house as righteousness of God in Him (2Cor 5:21). That is the best robe, the robe of heaven.

The son also receives a ring on his hand as a sign of a special honor and dignity, as we see with Joseph (Gen 41:42). He also gets sandals on his feet. His feet are shod with the gospel of peace (Eph 6:15). He is in the Father’s house with the perfect peace in his heart that has been brought to him in the gospel to remain there forever as son (Jn 8:35). Sandals characterize our walk as sons of God.

The son receives much more than he had before he left. Thus the New Testament slaves of God tell the converted sinner what he has received in Christ. We see that with Paul who wants to present every man complete in Christ (Col 1:28). He not only preached repentance, but also taught the Word of God to all who repented.

Finally, the father orders to bring the fattened calf to kill it and then eat it and celebrate. He does not say: Let him eat, but: “Let us eat.” A meal is prepared to eat together, to share in all the blessings that the son is now allowed to share with the father. That happens in joy.

The fattened calf is a picture of the Lord Jesus Who was slain for our sins. In this Gospel we see Him as the peace offering. He is the slain Lamb and around Him all believers, all the sons of the Father, may rejoice together with the Father about the blessings of the Father. The Lamb has given the Father the opportunity to show all His benefits, all His pleasures in man, to man. The joy consists of having a common part in the sacrifice of Christ. That gives the bond of fellowship with the Father and the Son and with each other.

The father speaks of his son as “this son of mine”. He does have another son, but “this” son was “dead and has come to live again”. That is presented in the history of the lost and found silver coin. It shows that something has happened in him. “This son” was also “lost and has been found”. That is presented in the history of the lost and found sheep. That shows that something has happened to him. Both aspects are always present at a conversion.

The result is a celebration without end. What gives peace and characterizes our position according to grace are not the feelings that have worked in our hearts, although they are truly present, but the feelings of God Himself. Nor is it written now, as in the other two cases, that there is joy in heaven, but we see what the effect is on earth, both in that one person and in the hearts of others.

The Older Son

The father also has another son. While his brother comes home and is warmly welcomed by his father, that son is busy in the field. When his work is done, he goes home. When he is close to the house, he hears music and dance. The house is a place of joy.

When we come together as an assembly, we experience what it is like to be in the ‘house of God’. There the Word of God is ministered by slaves of God. What we hear in the house when we hear God’s Word sounds like the melodious music of grace. The reaction to this will be the joyous dance of the members of the household. The Lord has reproached His contemporaries for not having responded to the tones of the music of His grace with expressions of joy in a dance (Lk 7:31-32). He brought heavenly music to earth in the melodious words of grace, but there was no answer. The house of God is a place where servants play the flute and where those present react with joy. How often, however, is there only criticism.

That resembles the remarks of the older son. The older son needs to know what is going on. Instead of going inside, to his father, he asks one of the servants outside what that music and dance can mean. He understands nothing of the manifestations of grace. He is a tightened man who knows no joy in the Lord. He abhors cheerfulness. That is the mind of the Pharisees and the scribes who see how the Lord Jesus eats with sinners. The servant knows exactly what the reason of the joy is. His brother has come back safe and sound. His father is so happy about this that he has killed the fattened calf. The servant draws attention to the fattened calf as the center of the feast.

The younger son is inside, the older son is outside. There he stays because he doesn’t want to go inside. He is outside and stays outside because his heart is outside his father’s house. The older son is a type of religious man who does not grant the grace to others. The older son becomes angry, while the father celebrates. There was and is no fellowship between the father and this son. He does not breathe the spirit of love shown to the returned prodigal son. Grace is something strange to him and so he does not share in its joy. He pursued his own interests.

He was undoubtedly zealous and intelligent ‘in the field’, in the world, far away from the scene of Divine mercy and spiritual joy. Yet the father, in his love for him, goes outside to encourage him to also come inside. The father’s love also goes out to him. But the older son repulses his father and his love for him with heavy accusations. He is brutal enough to condemn his father, just as the self-righteous man does not hesitate to judge God.

In the thoughts of the unbelieving, but very religious, legal man, God is hard and demanding. He is completely blind to all the favors of God; his heart and conscience are totally insensitive. With all was joy, except for man in his own righteousness, the Jew, of whom the older son is a picture. People who live in their own righteousness, legal people, can’t tolerate the fact that God is good to sinners, because if God is good to sinners, what then benefits their righteousness?

The older son accuses his father of never giving him a young goat to celebrate with his friends, even though he has served his father for so long and flawlessly. With these statements, the older son shows that he has no affection for his father. He has only acted out of duty, as a servant. He has lived according to the rules, leading him to judge of himself that he has done so blamelessly. His self-righteousness is obvious.

The fact that he has no affection for his father is also evident from his accusation that he would have liked to celebrate with his friends at times, but that his father never provided him with a young goat for that. He wanted to celebrate with his friends, but without his father. He has no eye for the fact that a young goat can only be enjoyed in the father’s house and together with the father.

It is clear what an aversion he has to grace and the way grace works. He does not call the prodigal son his brother, as the servant he had addressed did, but speaks scornful of “this son of yours”. He also makes it seem as if his brother has consumed all his father’s wealth, while it was the part that the father had given him. He also knows how that wealth was consumed, namely with prostitutes. The father’s conduct in grace for his younger brother brings out the worst side in the older brother in every respect.