Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

Sunday we returned to our sermon series, “Tell Me A Story”, by looking at Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32 . It is a parable we learn early if we were a part of the church when we were young. It is parable we have probably heard taught and preached numerous times. It is a parable we sense we know well and can easily miss the most important truth within it. Jesus tells this parable in conjunction with the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin countering the religious leaders arrogance and disdain toward Jesus befriending sinners. The previous two parables champion the one who recognizes one’s sin and repents of it. The religious leaders believe themselves to have no need of repentance and do not see themselves as sinners. Jesus shares the story of the son who rejects the father and leaves to pursue his own pleasure. In doing so, the son finds himself destitute and in great despair realizing his folly. The son returns to great fanfare and a grand celebration hosted by the father. The son had experienced a change of heart and repented of his attitude and behavior. There was much to celebrate. But, one son never left and grumbled about the son who returned. The one who had stayed home kept his hardened heart and saw no need to repent. The question contained in the story is which son was really lost? Which son is really the prodigal? Where is our heart in relation to repenting?