# John MacArthur's "Tale of Two Sons"



## Semper Fidelis (May 21, 2006)

*John MacArthur\'s \"Tale of Two Sons\"*

John MacArthur makes all of his messages available via Podcast. I've been extremely edified by his treatment of the passage on The Prodigal Son. Recommend you check out his podcast here while it's still available for free download:
http://www.gty.org/index.php?section=podcast

He's got some great insights I've never considered before. That parable is incredibly rich in some themes that are drawn out when you understand some of the cultural background.

MacArthur also makes transcripts of his sermons available here:

http://www.gty.org/broadcast.php?section=pastbroadcast

The shocking nature of Grace is really drawn out in the shame that the Father bears before a culture that would have expected the Prodigal son to not only repent but make full restitution (works) before he could hope to be reconciled to the father. The son would be expected to wait in town for days before he summoned by his father during which time he would be shamed by the townspeople.

So many things are culturally "wrong" with the story. 
-The father runs which would have caused him to bare his legs.
- He runs to the son from a far distance sparing his son the ignomy of shame awaiting him in town.
- He bears the shame of people who would be cross thinking "how can he meet the boy without making him grovel..."
- He falls on the son with kisses and restores him as a son _before_ the son says a word
- He puts his best robe and signet ring on the boy which is the inheritance that the older brother is due to receive upon the father's death.

It is just dripping with Grace. I was overwhelmed listening to it.

[Edited on 5-21-2006 by SemperFideles]


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## Semper Fidelis (May 21, 2006)

I neglected to mention that the series runs from 15-24 May on the broadcast calendar link.

The three transcripts are:
http://www.gty.org/resources.php?section=transcripts&aid=230914
http://www.gty.org/resources.php?section=transcripts&aid=230916
http://www.gty.org/resources.php?section=transcripts&aid=230913


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## Ivan (May 21, 2006)

I've heard some of the broadcasts on our local Christian radio station, WVCY, but not the complete sermons. His programs come on when I'm leaving for work and it takes me only eight minutes to get to work, so I don't hear the complete message. I'm thankful for the links, Rich. I shall use them and share them with my fellow ministers.

Yes, what I did hear of Mac's message was compelling. It gave me food for thought. It certainly moved me. I am the prodigal!


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## Ivan (May 28, 2006)

> _Originally posted by joshua_
> I listened to these while at work this Lord's Day. I think my fellow guards thought me crazy when I had to excuse myself to regain composure.
> 
> Psalm 32:2
> ...



Amen, my brother in Christ.


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## Larry Hughes (May 28, 2006)

Rich,

Yes a brother and I heard these weeks ago. MacArthur at his best and matured, packed full of grace and in proper order. Highly recommended!!! He slays a lot of error on the P. sons "repentance" being the prime of the story...rather the Father's mercy inspite of the PS's contrived repentance.

l


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## turmeric (May 28, 2006)

One question; if the prodigal gets the robe & ring which will be the elder brother's, what does the elder brother get?


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## Semper Fidelis (May 28, 2006)

> _Originally posted by turmeric_
> One question; if the prodigal gets the robe & ring which will be the elder brother's, what does the elder brother get?


That was an interesting point that I don't think MacArthur fully developed from the parable.

According to the culture, even though the inheritance had been divided, it was still the father's right to use the inheritance any way he saw fit. The eldest son in the parable shows he has no love for the Father either but has merely been a "slave" (the son's word) waiting for the day that the Father will die. He deserves his inheritance no more than the younger and should be repenting the same way but he's convinced he's "done his duty." He upbraids his own Father for the grace He shows to His son.

As the elder brother is pictured as the Pharisee in the story I see Christ as saying this to the Pharisees:

"You have the inheritance rights of the eldest son but these tax collectors and sinners who you despise will inherit it. You should be repenting along with them and you hate your Father for the Grace He is lavishing on sinners through His Son...."


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## turmeric (May 28, 2006)

Thanks, that's wonderful and evangelistic in the best way.


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## Larry Hughes (May 29, 2006)

Meg,

I've also read expositions that speak of a point of this parable as Jesus purposefully not finishing it. That is leaving it unresolved for a reason concerning the elder son or Pharisee if you will, we might liken him to the religious or pharisee within us all. The point is not that he, the elder son, will not receive the father's blessing but rather if he continues to insist on justice, merit and reward in his religious 'bean counting' he will be left outside of grace for the two are at complete odds with each other. For at the end of the day it is naked grace and mercy not religious virtue. 

This sets forth the parables real center, the grace and mercy of God. It has been said that it along with a number of parables are grossly mistitled because the title, "The Prodigal Son", tends to taint our reading of it before we even begin. The title is not really part of the original text and such titles tend to, in any reading of any piece, flavor our rendering and reading of it. When in fact the lesser issue hear in the parable is neither the younger or elder son but the utter grace and mercy of the father and hence God and Christ. Or as Jesus tells the pharisees, "You search the scriptures and think that by them (prescriptions) you have life, but it are these that continually bear witness of Me (as Christ not example)." There is a way in reading and "expositing" scriptures, as the diligent Scribes and Pharisees did that in spite of great effort and knowledge misses everything. Also such titles as "The Prodigal Son" poisons our rendering of it by setting up our focus before we even read the first word.

Thus, the leaving the elder son by Jesus in this parable in "suspense" leaves one with an item to consider; "if you insist on merit and credit you will not enter the kingdom". It rings, if you will, of what Paul says in Romans against the Jews that the Promise is by faith and not by works or Law for if it is of Law then the Promise is void for the Law, its true purpose, brings wrath, ergo it by grace that the Promise may stand. The parable seems to be a living picture given by Christ of that very thing left in suspense. That is resolution is left out for the purpose of thought.

It is also interesting that upon the compliant of the elder son that the father has not given him a calf to feast with his friends that the father does not say, "That's right." But rather says, "All that is mine IS yours." Again seemingly showing that the elder sons problem is that HE is actively, in his religious bean counting and merit mongering, self inflicting the refusal of immeasurable grace. The fault lies in his self imposed religious prison for the father says ALL that I have IS yours. Thus, if he, the elder son continues in this, he will find himself outside of the kingdom...BY HIS OWN DESIRE AND HAND and not the fathers.

The point and center of the parable is not the prodigle son as the modern title imposes upon the text, nor even the elder son - we can all identify with both of them - rather the absolute utter free and unconditional grace of the father in utter spite of vice on one hand (the prodigal) and virtue on the other hand (the elder son). Thus, Christianity is not a move from vice to virtue but from virtue to grace.

Blessings,

Ldh

[Edited on 5-29-2006 by Larry Hughes]


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## Don Kistler (Jun 9, 2006)

A lot of these ideas can be found in the book "The Cross and the Prodigal," published some years ago by Concordia Press, and written by Kenneth Bailey. It's quite good.


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## Semper Fidelis (Jun 9, 2006)

Thank you Dr. Kistler. MacArthur admitted to pouring over many commentaries and writings on these texts. I think the observations are quite good.

One thing that I believe MacArthur might have developed more, if he was not dispensational, was the Covenantal inheritance issue. His studies reveal that the eldest son would have received the double portion early on as the father divided his estate before he had died. Jewish custom, however, still allowed the father to do anything he wished with the estate portion that had not been sold off (the double portion of the eldest son who had not sold off his portion to get money as the younger had).

MacArthur points out that when the younger son returns to the father, the father lavishes him with love and forgiveness. Shocking enough. More shocking is that the father places the best robe and his ring on the son. Essentially, the father is placing the younger in charge of the whole estate. Whose estate was that going to be? The elders' portion!

The father, when gently rebuking the elder for his lack of love, is telling the elder that everything belongs to him. The parable ends hanging though. I think the unmistakable idea is that the elder needs to repent and love his father (as he only shows hatred of him) if he is ever going to inherit it. It's as if the father is saying: "Everything I have belongs to you...for now...your younger brother is in charge of all now while I live and he may inherit all if you don't likewise repent and love me."

In other words, the Pharisees are still in the Kingdom as the elder children and stand to inherit its blessings but if they don't repent then their portion will be given to others.


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