God’s Second Chances

The Prodigal Son parable shows God’s eagerness to give second chances (Luke 15:11-32). Jesus discloses God’s willingness to welcome back His lost people. This short moral story shows us a loving father who doesn’t disown his youngest son but waits for his return to rejoice in their reunion.

Christ understood the Jews were lost, souls. He used this description to correct the Pharisee’s spiritual blindness. In the two previous parables (Luke 15:1-10), Jesus showed the reason He spent time with sinners and the desire to bring back those who went astray. And in the parable of the lost son, He heightened God’s wishes to embrace His lost sheep.

God’s Unconditional Love

In this parable, Christ exemplifies God’s, unconditional love.

The primary lesson of the Prodigal Son message is God never abandons His chosen race.

When Christ unveiled this story, He showed why some people choose to turn away from God’s kingdom.

The youngest son wanted a way out of his current circumstances and decided exploring the world would be his new journey. So, he received his inheritance, left his family, and chased after a life freed from personal obligations.

Christ said that the young man wanted more out of life than his father offered. So, without hesitation, he left.

This parable is an excellent example of the Sower (Matthew 13:22). Here we see how the world’s glamour entices people to turn away from God.

The young man found out that living a sinful life is disastrous (Luke 15:14-16). But God intervened and used his conscience to show him the need for repentance (Luke 15:17-19). See how God never stops loving us? How exceptional is that?

The Humbleness of Repentance

When Jesus spoke on the return of the lost son, He illustrated the humbleness of repentance. Christ highlighted how the son fell at his dad’s feet and confessed his sin (Luke 15:20-21).

Repentance isn’t a one-time action. Sometimes we sin, and until I repent, my spiritual connection with God weakens. A point often overlooked is salvation isn’t the end of sin but is the freedom from the bondage of transgression. Remember that Christ is our intercessor with God (1 John 1-2). 

Christ preached about repentance (Matthew 4:17). When Jesus commands us to act on God’s precepts, it has a significant purpose. For that reason, I must obey His command because failing to act on God’s truth separates me from His holiness. A life without His sovereignty opens the door to the devil.

Jesus shows us when we repent; God provides us with abundant blessings (Luke 15:22-24). Our Father in heaven rewards our faithfulness with unconditional love, peace, and joy. Repentance opens the door to a life filled with God’s mercy and full of Christ’s compassion. 

It pleases God when we humble ourselves before Him and confess our disobedience. In return, He uses the Holy Spirit to show us His faithfulness. Every promise God makes comes true, and repentance is the stepping stone that activates this incredible reality.

The Hardened Heart of Jealousy

In this story, Christ brought to our attention how jealousy hardens the heart. The father in this parable had an older son who stayed loyal. This son worked hard and did everything his father asked. But when his younger brother returned, he reacted in jealousy, showed anger, and refused to rejoice in his sibling’s return (Luke 15:25-30). 

Here, we see a sinful reaction to God’s forgiveness. Instead of loving his brother, he chooses anger and jealousy. His defile spirit towards his brother’s repentance caused a division between the father’s sons.  

In the Old Testament, Cain became angry with his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8). Cain’s hatred caused Abel’s death, and his action directly results from anger. In the Prodigal Son, the brother Christ spoke on used anger to blind his compassion towards his brother’s return.

This Parable of the Lost Son ends with God’s willingness to give second chances.

Christ ends this parable with this:

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Luke 15:31-32

These two scriptures bring God’s incredible desire to give humanity second chances. God responds with gladness when I confess my sin and repent from my disobedience. He welcomes me back and celebrates my humbleness. And from these actions, He engulfs me with spiritual blessing.

As seen, the Prodigal Son shows how God’s love endures our weak faith. It’s an excellent reminder to self-examine my walk in Christ. God welcomes the lost son and will do the same for any of His wayward followers.

What is your outlook on the Prodigal Son?