In this Bible Story, we explore the story of the Prodigal Son. Jesus uses his story to demonstrate the steadfast forgiveness of God. No matter how far gone someone may seem, the Lord is actively waiting to restore and forgive. This story is inspired by Luke 15:1-32 & Matthew 18:12-14. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.
Today's Bible verse is Luke 15:32 from the King James Version.
Episode 202: As Jesus was reclining enjoying a meal with His friends, the Pharisees mocked Him for eating with known sinners. When Jesus heard this, He got up and told them a story about a man and his two sons. In this story, the younger son went to his father and demanded his inheritance. The young man used up all his wealth on wild living. After coming to the end of himself, he realized he had sinned against his father. He also realized that his father's hired servants were better off than he was. So he went back home with the intention for asking his dad’s forgiveness and asking to be taken on as a servant. But when he got close enough to home to be seen, his father ran to him, embraced him, and made a celebration for his safe return. In telling us this, Jesus gives us a glimpse of God’s great love for His prodigal children.
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Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard
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Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith
Bible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn
Let us pray it was meet that we should make merry and be glad for this. My brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found Luke fifteen thirty two. Lord, your grace and your forgiveness never ceases to amaze me. Then no other story displays this more than the one that you shared about the prodigal son in Matthew eighteen twelve through fourteen. Through the reading of this text, I mesmerized by how even with the foolish decisions that were made, the father never left his position of searching. May this bring comfort to my soul in knowing that no matter what mistakes I make, that you are always there searching for me. When I feel like I have blown and squandered my inheritance, I praise you because you have more in store for me. As I come to you with a humble and broken heart, when others seek to keep me in the pig pen of life, I praise you that you will clothe me with honor. You'll restore power back to me through your ring of authority, and you will seat me at the table of greatness again. All that you have is mine. So I will make sure not to be jealous when I see others get restored back to their place of opulence and abundance. Because what is yours, Father is also mine, because I too am a child of God. I was lost, but through your love, Jesus, But through your love Jesus, I am found in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time with God by listening to today's Bible story, brought to you by Bible in a Year dot.
Com the Prodigal Son. In our last story, we learned about the true meaning of kindness from the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus used this story to teach that goodness does not always come from the perfect people, rather those that we may least expect. Now, Jesus is questioned by the Pharisees for eating with tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners. Jesus confronts them with another story, a story that reveals the true heart of God, inspired by the Gospels.
Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible in a Year. Thanks for joining us. In our last episode, we heard the parable the story of the Good Samaritan, which Jesus used to teach a very important lesson about how we are to love people, what a neighbor looks like, and that our neighbor is anyone who has a need. It was a great challenge for us to share the love of Christ with every person that we meet. Today, we'll hear another powerful story from Jesus that shows the merciful heart of God and his willingness and desire to forgive and share his love with all who seek him. It's the story of a loving father and two sons who are both lost, but in very different ways. Let's listen now to this powerful story from Jesus.
Jesus was sitting at a table enjoying a meal with many of his new friends. They went out, the type of people one would expect a religious man to dine with. Tax collectors, dirty fishermen, and prostitutes sat at the table sharing bread with the son of God. It was a sight that disgusted the Pharisees. They reviled him and scoffed at his willingness to fraternize with the unders desirables of the city. Look, they pointed and spat. This man eats with sinners. What type of man of God is this? A small crowd was watching as the Pharisees mocked Jesus openly, they were waiting for Jesus' response. Jesus wiped the crumbs off his hands, took a sip of water, and stood to his feet. He walked closer to the Pharisees, showing them that their religious elitism had no effect on him. Jesus paced the courtyard, projecting his voice for all to hear as he told another story. There was once a wealthy man who had two sons. The older son worked the fields silently and with diligence. However, the younger son was unruly and independent. One morning, before the rooster crowed and the sun rose, the younger brother stumbled into his father's house after a night of parties. He was a shameful sight and held no sense of respect for his father. He slept in until midday and rolled out of his bed while his brother tilled the fields. Grumpy and entitled, the younger brother went to his father with his chest puffed up in his nose high in the air. He demanded his father give him his inheritance. I do not want to wait until you die, the son complained, give me my half of the inheritance now, so that I might do what I wish. The father did as the younger son requested and divided his wealth with a broken heart. He gave his son property in gold and watched him walk away without so much as a thank you. The younger son gathered everything and took his wealth into the far country. He slithered around the cities, drowning himself in wine, women, and reckless substances. What he did not spend on prostitutes and revelry, he gamboled. Weeks had passed, and his unearned wealth was eventually dried up. He owed a great deal of money to bad people and had contracted sickness from his promiscuous habits. Soon, a great famine fell across the land and everyone was in great need. The friends he had made and his wealth were nowhere to be seen, and the young son descended into total poverty. The younger son scoured the countryside looking for any work that would fill his belly and his new addictions. The only job he could find was tending to a farmer's pigs. Days had passed and the sun still had very little money to pay for food. What little money he made he gave to pay off his gambling debts. His stomach rumbled as he watched the pigs feast on slop and garbage. The smell of rotten onions and fermented figs filled the air. Dung, dirty rain water, and pigs eliva dripped into the feeding troth, but the sun could not take his eyes off it. He was starving, desperate, and ashamed. The young man walked beside the pigs, fell to his knees, and began to eat the brown slop with the pigs. The rancid smell was almost unbearable. His mouth was filled with dung, rotten vegetables, and spoiled meat. As the young man brought his face to his hand filled with garbage, he considered the state of his life. Even my father's hired servants get fresh bread, yet I am here and hunger. He thought to himself. If I go to him and beg for his forgiveness, maybe he will make me a slave. At least then I will have a warm bed and fresh bread. So the younger son traveled to the countryside, back to his father. His head was held low and his feet dragged in the dust. A few tears streamed down the sun's eyes. He could picture the angry look of his father. Surely he would be too ashamed of me to take me back, the son thought to himself. Yet the younger son kept walking. His options were limited, and his belly was empty. It was late afternoon and the sun had turned to the father's fields a bright gold. He sat above his terrace, admiring the way the breeze made the grain dance. He watched his elder son tending to the works. Then a small speck appeared in the distance. The father peered closely towards the hills to see a figure hobbling towards the property. As the figure drew closer, the father could see that it was his younger son. He had returned. The father tied up his robes and ran out of his home. He ran with fire and vigor. The son could see his father in the distance, running towards him. Afraid that his father would attack him, the young son braced himself, but instead of a strike to the jaw, he received a warm embrace. The father cried on his son's shoulders. Laughs came from his belly, his tears streamed down his bearded face. You have come home, the father shouted with glee. My son, you have returned to me. The son fell to his knees. He was so ashamed he could not stand to look at his father. My father, please forgive me, the younger son said, I am not worthy to be called your son. His face fell into the dust as he wept. The father knelt down into the dust with him and picked him up by the shoulders. He called for his servants and said, get me my best robe and put it on my son. Put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. Then kill the fattest calf we have for to night we will hold a feast in his honor. The servants left immediately. The son was stunned and confused. The father smiled from cheek to cheek and said, my son, you were once lost, but now you are found. This is why we celebrate. So the younger son was washed and given fine clothes. There was a great feast and party held in his honor. The younger son was humbled and laughed silently as he watched his family dance and sing. Although not everyone was happy to see him return. The older brother came in from the field to see his father dancing and rejoicing. He saw that the fattest calf had been cooked and the finest robe placed on his brother's shoulders. The older son stewed in anger. He felt underappreciated and angry. He stormed off to be alone in the fields. The sun was setting and the older brother could hear the music in the distance. He hated his brother. He hated that he stole half his father's wealth while he toiled in the fields. Yet his brother received the celebration. The wind blew gently, and a few tears fell down the older brother's face. His father could see him sitting and sat beside him. What upsets you, my son, he asked. The older son shook his head and gave a sorrowful laugh. He did his best to hold back tears as he spoke. For years, I have served you and worked hard for your favor. I never disobeyed you, and you have never given me so much as a goat for me and my friends to celebrate. Yet when your son comes home, after squandering your wealth with prostitutes, you kill the fattest calf and adorn him with rings and robes. The father was silent for a moment. In sighed, he put his arm around his oldest son. Son you are always with me. Everything I have is yours. You may take of whatever is mine and enjoy it. But your brother was once dead, but now is alive. He was lost and now he is found. This is worth celebrating. After saying these things, Jesus sat back down with his friends, and the Pharisees left in a fury. Jesus revealed a special part of God's heart that day, that no child is too far gone to experience his love and favor. No matter how far one goes. The father will run to embrace his lost child, as a shepherd will leave ninety nine of his sheep to go after one lost one, So Jesus will go to any length to find the ones he loves.
As we begin today's reading, let's give a little background once again. The Pharisees are grumbling and complaining about the kind of people that Jesus is hanging out with. They expected him to shun all the undesirables, tax collectors, sinners, outcast fringe people, just as they did. Consorting with sinners they believe was beneath the man of God. So if Jesus was really a righteous man, they concluded, he would not associate with bad people. As always, Jesus knew their thoughts, and so he told them more stories parables to illustrate what it means to be lost and found. He spoke of a shepherd who left his flock to find one lung sheep that had gone astray, and the joy of finding a lost coin, even when it was just one of many. He was setting up the grand finale, a story about a father and his two sons. It's a story that many have heard. It's the story of the prodigal son. We call it the story of the prodigal son, but if you pay close attention, it's really not about the son so much as it is about the loving father who never gives up in waiting for longing for his children to come home. We hear that this father had two sons, one who was obedient to all the rules and expectations, but another who wanted to live for himself. The older son, the elder brother, worked hard waiting for one day to receive an inheritance that he felt was out to him. But the younger son, he did not have patience. He wanted it all now. He in effect said, Dad, I don't care if you live or die. Give me what's coming to me now? And he asked for his cut, and then he left town. Imagine the heartbreak of his father, totally rejected and abandoned by his son. Buddy would not force him to stay, and as the son demanded, he gave him his share of the estate. Of course, this was a terrible decision for this young man. It looked like a lot of fun at first to go and live up in a place called the far Country. But his way of life, all the partying, all the drinking, all the womanizing, it finally caught up with him and he went to the bottom. You know, sin is like that. It can seem pleasurable at first. In fact, the Bible says there is pleasure in sin for a season. But you know sin will take you farther than you want to go, and keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you far more than you want to pay. We think, if there are no rules, then we can really live it up. But when there are no rules, when we throw our lives away, there is such loss. And that's what this young man experienced. He found out for himself what an uncontrolled life is really like. It was truly prodigal, but though he turned away from his father. In his heart of hearts, when he came to the end of himself, he knew that there was one hope, and only one hope, and that was to return to the father, to go back home to humble himself. He came to himself and he owned his own sin, and he's repentant in heart, and he wants to go home. When I read this story, I'm reminded of the grace and the heart of God to receive us when we truly confess our sins and seek God's love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Did you notice in this story, as the son began his way back home to his father, that his father wasn't surprised He had not given up or shut out his son permanently. No, Apparently this man was looking for his child for it says in Luke fifteen and verse twenty. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him. What a beautiful story while he was still a long way off. It reminds me of the scripture that says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us you see, God loves you very much, and he's waiting for you to come to him. It is so inspirational to see that the father didn't wait and watch for his son to come to him. He ran to his son. In this culture, this was not the action of a dignified man. But this loving father could care less about appearances. He was rushing to restore his son. He was running to show forgiveness. The young man confessed his sin, his unworthiness, but he didn't have to say anything more. The father clothed him with his robe and made him part of the family again. This story could have ended with a very happy reunion for everyone, But as we noted, there were two sons in this household, and with all the rejoicing and feasting for the prodigal son who came back, the older son is now bitter. He had no interest in welcoming his brother back into the family. Instead, he was pouting and pitying himself, complaining all he'd done for his father. How could he receive this young son back? Where was his reward? As the Pharisees listened to this story, I'm sure they were nodding their heads in agreement with the son's anger. They too had done everything right. Why should they welcome terrible sinners into the family of God. The sad reality is this son, the elder brother, just like the Pharisees, was just as lost as the younger son. The younger son was lost way far away from the house, but this young man was lost inside the house. Both had the father all along, Both had an opportunity for a relationship, but they both missed the joy and the abundance that the Father could give them. In telling this story, Jesus was demonstrating how much God is always loving us as a caring, compassionate father. He rejoices with those who return to him and repent of their sins and receive his grace. And he's reminding all of us that is never too late for a new beginning. It's not too late for a new beginning for you today. And if you find yourself far from God, this is the time to come home to him. Jesus loves you. He died for you, he rose again, and he will give you a home and a hope in heaven if you will trust in him. Let's pray, Dear God, we thank you for your love and grace. We know that You are a father who cares for your children, and so we come to you. We trust in you, and we believe that when we return from our sins, that you will welcome us into your family through our faith in Jesus Christ. And then, no matter how far we have walked away, that is never too late to start over in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. You can download the pray dot com app and make prayer a priority in your life, just like over twenty million people have done to this date. If you enjoy this podcast, share it with someone you know and love, because by sharing this message of the Word of God, you can make an eternal difference in someone's life. And I want to encourage you to go to Jack Graham dot org. That's me At Jack Graham dot org. We have resources available to you, and we're also taking a trip two trips next year, one to Israel leaving April first, and then an Alaskan adventure and Bible study cruise in July of twenty twenty four. You can go to our website, Jack Graham dot org or Prestonwood. That's p R E s t O. N WOD dot org. Prestonwood dot org for information about the trip to Israel and the cruise to Alaska. God bless you and we look forward to joining you again the next time. This episode is sponsored by Meta Share, an innovative healthcare solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.
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