In Luke 15, Jesus tells 3 parables to illustrate the Father’s joy when the lost become found. He tells the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin, and the Parable of the Prodigal son. This 3rd parable is probably one of the most shocking parables Jesus ever told, and it gives a
vivid picture of God’s willingness to forgive us when we sin.
vivid picture of God’s willingness to forgive us when we sin.
In this parable, there’s a man who has 2 sons. The younger son asked his father to give him his inheritance. The father did as the son asked, divided his estate, and gave his younger son his inheritance. HIs son left
town and quickly spent all his inheritance in reckless and sinful living. This would have been an unforgiveable sin against his father, a slap in the face that showed he had no respect for the man who gave him life.
town and quickly spent all his inheritance in reckless and sinful living. This would have been an unforgiveable sin against his father, a slap in the face that showed he had no respect for the man who gave him life.
The son ended up unable to even feed himself, and he made the difficult decision to return to his father’s house. After what he’d done, he didn’t expect his father to welcome him back into the family, he just hoped he would hire him as a servant. But, as he was on his way back, his father came running out to meet him! He embraced his son, kissed him, and then he threw a party to welcome him back home!
This is how God treats sinners who turn back to him. No matter how badly you’ve sinned against God, he is ready to forgive you if you’ll turn back to him!