Parable of the Prodigal Son

[R Harris]

Regarding the other son, who was upset about the feast given to the prodigal son:

What is the general perception about his state? Was he regenerate or not?

I have always taken the position that he was, given the father telling him that "son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours."

However, I heard a sermon recently that he may have been reprobate, given (1) the context preceding this parable and the parable of the lost sheep was given in response to comments from the PHARISEES; and (2) the son was related to Jesus' Matthew 7 text of "not all who say to me 'Lord, Lord'.

Certainly the son was bitter against his prodigal brother and protested his case to his father for wrong reasons; but did this make him reprobate?

What are your comments here?

 

[Herald]

A case can be made that the son who remained home was more like the Pharisees than the son who repented. The son who remained home displayed hardness of heart, a bit of narcissism and ungratefulness. All that the father had was his, just like the Pharisees.

 

[R Harris]

Ok, so do you think he was reprobate or not?

In the same sermon I mentioned in the original post, the preacher referenced Johah, who is being discussed in another thread.

But again, just because Jonah was bitter and had wrongful feelings and reactions, does not automatically consign him to reprobation.

Who on this board could not honestly say that at some point in their life, they have not been bitter against another brother for some reason?

I think it is dangerous to go overboard on pronouncements regarding some of these texts.

 

[A5pointer]

I wouldn't ask that question of the text. I don't think saved not saved is in view. It is a picture of a Loving father who keeps watch and welcomes home his disobedient son.

BTW I read a short work by an author named Brown to be very culturally instructive thus shedding much light on the parable. I would reccomend it.

 

[ServantofGod]

Would not the older son be the Pharisees? He has the advantage, being in such close proximity with the father(Pharisees knowing the OT prophesies and their great knowledge of Scripture) he should understand the father's love. But just like the Pharisees, his hardened heart was covered like a whitewashed tomb, with "obedience" to the father. So he would be reprobate?

 

[Quickened]

Hello!

I thought this would be a fine oppurtunity tp link to a sermon by John MacArthur. It really shed some light on this text

[ame="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-756083961501061566&q=john+macarthur+prodigal+son+waukesha&total=1&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0"]John MacArthur/Prodigal Son Sermon[/ame]

Also A5pointer,

I would be curious in reading that. Any more information you can provide would be great

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

BTW I read a short work by an author named Brown to be very culturally instructive thus shedding much light on the parable. I would reccomend it.

Perchance, was it, David Brown, The Elder Brother of the Prodigal Son?

 

[Barnpreacher]

The story ends with the elder brother never going into the feast (a type of salvation).

The parable depicts the two ways of living apart from Christ; rebellion-younger brother and self-righteousness-elder brother. Both rebellion and self-righteousness are pictures of men becoming their own god and their own standard.

Only one repented in the story (younger brother). You never find the elder brother repenting of his self-righteousness. Notice what the elder brother says in verse 29, "neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment..." It becomes quite clear from the context of Luke that Jesus was dealing with the publicans and sinners (younger brother) and the Pharisees (elder brother).

 

[R Harris]

Interesting points. I guess where I struggled with the elder being reprobate was the father saying "son, you are ALWAYS with me, and all I have is yours." This is a different tone than that spoken in other parables to the pharisees, where the subjects are definitely taken out to the place of darkness and weeping/gnashing teeth.

Note also that in Acts 15 and Acts 18, we do have evidence of SOME pharisees and chief priests having become believers.

I had always regarded the elder brother at being bitter at having faithfully served the Lord, but seeing the the younger had engaged in decadent living but was restored with full status as a son. I have read/witnessed this same type of bitterness in life, and that certainly happens that believers can become bitter/jealous/envious of other believers for numerous reasons.

 

[Barnpreacher]

Gill on verse 31:

And he said to him, son,… For so he was, as before observed, by creation, national adoption, and profession:

thou art ever with me; not in such a sense as Christ the Son of God was: nor can it design the gracious presence of God, or communion with him; for this man did not walk with God; and besides, this is more frequently expressed by God's being with his people, than by their being with him; nor are good men always with God, or God with them, in this sense; sometimes the phrase designs the saints being with God, or Christ, in heaven; but here it intends only attendance on public worship, in the place where the symbol of God's presence was, the temple; and the "ever" denotes the term of the legal dispensation, which in many branches of it, as circumcision, the passover, and other ordinances and statutes, is said to be for ever.

And all that I have is thine: which must be understood with a limitation; for it cannot mean, that he had all the perfections of God, as Christ the Son of God has; nor all spiritual blessings, as the adopted sons of God have; nor indeed any of them, but all the outward ordinances of the legal dispensation, which belonged to the Jews; particularly those that are enumerated in Ro 9:4 as the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, the promises, their descent from the fathers, and the Messiah's descent from them; they had him in person among them, and his personal ministry, the word and ordinances of the Gospel; and had as much as they could have, or desire to have, in an external way.

 

[Contra_Mundum]

Lk 15:3 "He spake this parable unto THEM..." Who are they? Pharasees. "unto them" is pros autous, which is more accurately in this context "against them."

Furthermore, it is arguable that he does not "finish" the parable--either because he is "cut off" by his enemies here (is this MacArthur's point? I think it is, without listening to him again). Or, he simply breaks it off, and lets them fill in the rest--they know against whom he's directing the parable.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

I agree with Bruce. It is apparently obvious to the listeners that the older brother out in the darkness refusing to come into his father's house to celebrate is the Pharisee.

I also believe that Christ left the Parable open ended for a reason. A character in a Parable is neither reprobate nor elect - they are characters in a Parable. There were some Pharisees that persecuted Christians that later became Christians.

I see this as a warning to the Pharisees (or those like them).

Incidentally, I loved MacArthur's series on this as well and have used some elements from it to point out the very powerful aspects of the Gospel with respect to undeserved inheritance on several occassions.

 

[Quickened]

Incidentally, I loved MacArthur's series on this as well and have used some elements from it to point out the very powerful aspects of the Gospel with respect to undeserved inheritance on several occassions.

Not sure if you would be interested but i did read in a letter from MacArthur that he is putting out a book on this sometime this spring. I think it was either march or April. (Dont quote me about the date)

But i think it will be a welcome addition to any believers library

 

[ServantofGod]

MacArthur's Sermons on the Prodigal Son are the absolute best I've heard thus far on the subject.

Aleister Begg also has a great sermon series on it called: "Amazing Love"