In 15:25-32 we have a sad picture, a picture of those in religion. The elder son in this parable portrays the Pharisees and scribes. In 15:3 we see that the Lord spoke these parables to the Pharisees and scribes in the presence of the tax collectors and sinners. The religious ones must have been unhappy, but the tax collectors and typical sinners must have been filled with rejoicing. They may have said, “Praise the Lord that now I am happy! Outwardly I am justified, and inwardly I am satisfied.” The Pharisees and scribes, however, complained that the situation portrayed in these parables was not fair. We thank the Lord that, in His mercy, we are not Pharisees. We are repentant sinners who have learned how to be happy and merry in the Lord through God’s rich salvation.
In the four gospels only in chapter fifteen of Luke do we have the picture concerning God’s salvation worked out by the Divine Trinity. According to this picture, first, the Son came to accomplish redemption on the cross; second, the Spirit enters into us to enlighten us and find us; and eventually the Father waits for us, ready to receive us, justify us, seal us, empower us, and satisfy us to make us those who happily enjoy Him in Christ through the Spirit. This is a picture of full salvation.
While the Lord Jesus was on the way from Galilee to Jerusalem, He had a suitable environment and an excellent opportunity to present a picture of God’s salvation so that repentant sinners may know how blessed they are and that the religious ones may see how foolish they are. In Luke 15 we see that the sinners are blessed, whereas the dissenting religious ones remain in their foolishness.
Praise the Lord that we have received Christ as our righteousness, the Spirit as the seal, salvation as the separating and strengthening power, and Christ as our inner life and life supply! Now we are no longer in the wilderness and no longer in the “house” of the self—now we are in the Father’s house, the church.
The word “church” is not mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. But in at least two parables there are hints pointing to the church. In the parable of the good Samaritan recorded in chapter ten, the “inn” signifies the church. In the parable of the loving father recorded in chapter fifteen, the father’s house signifies the church. While we are on our journey, the church is an inn where we may stay temporarily. But in another sense the church is not an inn; the church is a house, both our house and the house of our Father.
The parable of the loving father indicates that sinners should not be saved far away from the church. Those who are saved apart from the church and remain outside the church may not be remaining fruits. But those who are saved in the church and stay in the church are remaining fruit.
Sometimes the parable of the father and the returned prodigal is presented in such a way that the son is portrayed as kneeling before the father. This is not accurate. There is no indication in this chapter that the son ever knelt before the father. Instead, Luke presents the father embracing the son and kissing him affectionately.
The parable of the loving father is exceedingly rich. Have you ever realized that the church is included in this parable? Here we see the church as the Father’s house to which we may come and in which we may stay.
In these messages we have emphasized the fact that everything in the Gospel of Luke from chapter four onward is related to the jubilee either directly or indirectly. This is true of the parables in chapter fifteen. The enjoyment experienced by the returned prodigal son was actually the enjoyment of the jubilee. The ring on his hand signifying the sealing Spirit points to the recovery of the birthright, the recovery of the right to enjoy the Triune God. Both the ring and the sandals are signs of a free man. A free man is one released from bondage, released from slavery and captivity. On the negative side, the prodigal is released from bondage; on the positive side, he begins to enjoy the riches of the Father’s inheritance. When we put these matters together, we have a picture of the real jubilee.