INTERPOLATING JESUS’ PARABLE of the “PRODIGAL SON”

Let’s interpolate Jesus’ “Parable of the Prodigal Son” to illustrate to us the correct way of viewing, discerning, and executing the spiritual supernatural message of salvation contained in all of His parables about the kingdom of God/heaven that is present on earth at this time as Christ’s Bride Church. This parable initially illustrates the spiritual process of justification of the younger son.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son:

The Parable of the Lost Son. Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had .spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.

Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”‘
“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. (Luke 15:11-24) NKJV

In the first part of this parable, we have God the Son Who as creator is the Father of all human offspring and their spirits (1) has two human offspring. (2)
(1) All things were made and came into existence through Him {God the Son/Jesus Christ}; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being.   (John 1:3) AMP
(1a) For unto us a Child {Jesus Christ} is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6) NKJV
(1b) Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!   (Hebrews 12:9) NIV
(2) for in Him {God the Son/Jesus Christ} we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ (Acts 17:28) NKJV

The younger offspring – Unbeliever – decides to leave his Father’s house/kingdom – to spread his wings and give the kingdom of the world and all that it offers a good old fashioned fling. After he foolishly squandered all that he had inherited and was starving in the prosperity of the world, his Father (God the Son) arraigned situations, circumstances, events, trials, and tribulations to bring him back to his sanity and to the conclusion that his Father could provide for him beyond anything that he could for himself. (3) He is now faced with the dilemma of how to approach his Father seeking his forgiveness. By his struggle, we can determine that when he left to do his thing, he possibly was not on the best of terms with his Father. Could there have been arguing, cursing, lying, accusations, – sin on the son’s part? In fact, could it have been so severe he felt what he did was “unforgivable rebellion?” (4) As his worldly inheritance decreased to nothing, he recognized his insanity. He was convicted and condemned by his conscience/Holy Spirit and the stumbling blocks God placed in his life for his need of reconciliation with his Father. (5)
(3) But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!   ‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight;  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”‘      (Luke 15:17-19) NASU
(4) For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:23) NKJV
(5) for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.                                        (Romans 2:14-16) NKJV
(5a) And when He comes {God the Holy Spirit}, He will convict and convince the world and bring demonstration to it about sin and about righteousness (uprightness of heart and right standing with God) and about judgment:  (John 16:8) AMP
(5b) How much more surely shall the blood of Christ, Who by virtue of [His] eternal Spirit [His own preexistent divine personality] has offered Himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God, purify our consciences from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the [ever] living God? (Hebrews 9:14) AMP

But how would his Father receive him? Now enters a characteristic of his Father that is beyond human understanding. God’s GRACE i.e. His love, mercy, compassion, patience, etc. for all of His offspring who seek Him as a “vital necessity.” (6) He had been expectantly waiting for him to welcome him back with open arms and a loving and forgiving heart! The same principle as involved in the justification process in the “Parable of the Lost Sheep” and the “Parable of the Lost Coin.” The son confessed his sins to his Father and was immediately restored to his position of co-heir in the Father’s household/kingdom. (7) He had received his Father’s forgiveness/ justification. He was now a Believer in the Christian Church! As in the preceding parables of the “Lost Sheep” and the “Lost Coin,” His Father threw a great party that was beyond parties “for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry!” (Luke 15:24) NKJV (8)
(6) Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.  [Deut 4:29-30.] (Jeremiah 29:13) AMP
(7) For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. (John 3:16) AMP
(7a) And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory. (Romans 8:17) AMP
(8) For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)  NKJV
(8a) For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) AMP

This properly interpolated parable as do the preceding parables initially reveals the principle of justification – the lost sinner who was found and saved. God the Father sends God the Holy Spirit every nanosecond of each day to search and “convict and convince the world and bring demonstration to it about sin and about righteousness (uprightness of heart and right standing with God) and about judgment.” (John 16:8) AMP He creates situations, circumstances, events, trials, and tribulations and when He finds someone who is receptive to the message of the Gospel, (9) He can now use you and I and our testimonies to bring this lost sinner into the kingdom of God/heaven as an adopted Born Again Child of God. (10)
(9) Therefore thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people, And the fathers and the sons together shall fall on them. The neighbor and his friend shall perish.” (Jeremiah 6:21) NKJV
(9a) God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, “I have put a Rock in the path of the Jews, and many will stumble over him (Jesus). Those who believe in him will never be disappointed.” (Romans 9:33) TLB
(10) Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:7-8) NKJV
(10a) But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name —  [Isaiah 56:5.] Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!] (John 1:12-13) AMP

We now have to continue on with the rest of this parable to discern the worldview of the Prodigal Son’s older brother. By his Father’s/Christ’s GRACE, the wayward younger son is completely forgiven and restored. How did his older brother perceive and receive this? Was he as gracious as his Father? Did he want to join in the celebration? Just who did he think he was? Had he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and received God’s free gift of salvation – justification – and was he now involved in the process of sanctification? Did he think he was a True Believer? We must determine just who he was. Could he possibly have been a Make Believer? Is it possible that he might receive eternal condemnation for his upcoming actions? If he was saved, could he lose his salvation because of his upcoming actions?

Let’s continue to interpolate Jesus’ “Parable of the Prodigal Son” to illustrate to us the correct way of viewing, discerning, and executing the spiritual supernatural message of salvation contained in all of His parables about the kingdom of God/heaven that is present on earth at this time. This portion of this parable illustrates the spiritual process of a faulty, corrupt, and counterfeit sanctification. (11)
(11) But I will do it to cut out the ground from under the feet of those who boast that they are doing God’s work in just the same way we are. God never sent those men at all; they are “phonies” who have fooled you into thinking they are Christ’s apostles. Yet I am not surprised! Satan can change himself into an angel of light, so it is no wonder his servants can do it too, and seem like godly ministers. In the end they will get every bit of punishment their wicked deeds deserve. (2 Corinthians 11:12-15) TLB

CONTINUED

“Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’
“But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
“And he {Jesus} said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'” (Luke 15:25-32) NKJV

Each Born Again Saint has at least two areas of work/service in Jesus Christ that was foreknown and foreordained by God. (1) The first area of work is to learn to live a peaceful and humble life in one’s community that reflects Jesus Christ in one’s life through one’s faith, worship, and service to God. (2) The second area of work is to bear lasting fruit for Christ – the winning and discipling of lost souls/sinners into the kingdom of God/heaven. (3) Let’s determine by the worldview and actions of the oldest son as to just what is his reward and final destination because of his faith, mindset, and works. Does he have the same secular humanistic profane mindset as the god of this world – Satan and the kingdom of this worldview or does he have a spiritual supernatural kingdom of God/heaven Biblical Christian Worldview? (4)  
(1) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10) NKJV
(2) Finally, brethren, farewell (rejoice)! Be strengthened (perfected, completed, made what you ought to be); be encouraged and consoled and comforted; be of the same [agreeable] mind one with another; live in peace, and [then] the God of love [Who is the Source of affection, goodwill, love, and benevolence toward men] and the Author and Promoter of peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11) AMP
(2a) Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: (Hebrews 12:14) NKJV
(2b) Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. (Philippians 2:3) NKJV
(2c) Let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his elevation [as a Christian, called to the true riches and to be an heir of God]. (James 1:9) AMP
(3) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.   (Proverbs 11:30) NKJV
(4) What is the use (profit), my brethren, for anyone to profess to have faith if he has no [good] works [to show for it]? Can [such] faith save [his soul]?                  (James 2:14) AMP
(4a) So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead). (James 2:17) AMP

We now come to the process of sanctification and Jesus Christ’s teachings that determines the older son’s ongoing faith and works for God. The older son considers himself to be a rock solid main stay in his Father’s household/kingdom. If he had accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior, the interpolation of the “Parable of the Lost Sheep” and the “Parable of the Lost Coin” reveals there was a great party for him. Why does he not know this? Why does he not appreciate the same for his brother? The question becomes was he ever truly “Born Again?”

When he discovered that his brother had been received back, fully forgiven of his transgressions, and restored to his position of heir in his Father’s household/kingdom as a “Born Again” adopted Child of God, (5) he went ballistic demanding of his Father that he reward him with the “fixings for a party” for what he considered his selfless and whole hearted serving in his Father’s household/kingdom. His profane secular humanistic worldview reveals his self-righteousness, wrath, bitterness, anger, frustration, and hatred in that he did not understand nor agree with his Father’s/Christ’s GRACE towards his brother nor could he forgive his brother! He does not understand his eternal position and reward if he stands firm in holiness and righteousness with his Father. (6) He does not understand the great joy and celebration there is in heaven when one sinner repents and receives the free gift of salvation. (7)
(5) and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:17) NKJV
(6) “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. (Luke 15:31) NKJV
(7) Even so, I tell you, there is joy among and in the presence of the angels of God over one [especially] wicked person who repents (changes his mind for the better, heartily amending his ways, with abhorrence of his past sins). (Matthew 6:14-15) AMP

The older son’s stony heart and lack of guidance from God the Holy Spirit indicates a convert’s lack of a new heart of flesh and leading from the Holy Spirit (8) which becomes clear in his profane secular humanistic worldview which we now can recognize as we proceed to reveal him as a Make Believer within The Christian Church. His Father tried to share with him his grace towards his brother but the oldest son could not nor would not accept it! The things that were happening did not fit “HIS gospel message” with its profane secular humanistic worldview. He had committed blasphemy against his Father – Jesus Christ the Son of Man and God the Holy Spirit. Will he recognize what he did and be convicted of his sin and seek forgiveness? (9)
(8) A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them. (Ezekiel 36:26-27) AMP
(9) The Unpardonable Sin. “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. ((Mark 3:28-30)) NKJV
(9a) LET ALL who are under the yoke as bond servants esteem their own [personal] masters worthy of honor and fullest respect, so that the name of God and the teaching [about Him] may not be brought into disrepute and blasphemed.                    (1 Timothy 6:1) AMP

The last verses of this parable reiterates Jesus’ spiritual supernatural interpolation of the first part of this parable of the “Prodigal Son” in this chapter about the great joy and celebration over one condemned sinner – the younger son who repented and received salvation – justification. The older son’s Father also shares with him his standing with Him if he will just humble himself as he participates in the processes of sanctification and eternal glorification. “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'” (Luke 15:31-32) NKJV Let’s follow the Older Son to see what he does with this God foreknown and preplanned situation in his life.