Parable of the Prodigal Son

                                   Luke 15:11-32

There can be no doubt that verse 24 teaches that this parable applies to lost sinners who get saved by grace. God is content with this interpretation and its preaching from the pulpit.

However, this parable also raises many questions for which there can be only speculative answers. To begin with, the father had two sons with him; one of which became lost and was found again. Does this mean the Father created all humans to belong to Him, but when they become born into the world with original sin, then they become lost?

In addition, the prodigal son wasted his father's money on riotous living. This seems to teach that there exists no originality or creativity to sin. Sin must be merely an invented method for misusing the good resources that God has given us. This theory seems to be bolstered by the story of the fall of Lucifer in Ezekiel 28:12-19. Everything that God gave to Lucifer was good, including his free will. But Lucifer misused his free will to invent a rebellious system of ideas all of which, in themselves, were good. God has created absolutely everything including all thoughts, emotions, and ideas; all of them being good. Lucifer invented a false system of ideas called "excessive pride" by misusing good ideas given to him by God. Both "pride" and "excessive" are good ideas as God knows how to use them. Isaiah 14:12-17 records the result of Lucifer's rebellion.

Did God originally create all humans to be good, but original sin causes them to fall away from that goodness? In verse 24, the father says of his recovered son, "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found." The phrases "alive again" and "was lost and is found" implies the recovery of an original state.

Verses 25-32 records the fact that the father really had two wayward sons. The elder son who had stayed with the father and had been obedient to him, nevertheless had sinned against his father by his jealousy of his repentant brother, and his excessive pride in desiring to be his father's only special son. He also sinned against his father by his refusal to love and forgive. His sin was as bad in its own way as was the sin of his brother. The condition of the elder brother recalls Romans 3:23. Christians who were saved at an early age and have lived for God all their lives should remember that they were just as much saved from sin as God's wayward children were. All Christians should rejoice when lost sinners get saved.

PARABLE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

John 10:6-18

Verses 1-5 of this same chapter seems to teach that the one huge sheepfold symbolizes the entire human race. The Good Shepherd, who symbolizes Jesus, calls His own sheep out of the sheepfold and leads them to His own pastures. These verses seem to teach that Jesus separates His own sheep, symbolic of the Church, from all the other sheep, symbolic of the world, that are left in the sheepfold.

Verses 7-9 teach that only those sheep; that is, the Church who hear the voice of the Good Shepherd can be saved and can go in and out of the door which symbolizes the Savior. This seems to teach that while the Church is in the world, only the Church can hear the Good Shepherd and go out through the door to His pastures while the rest of the sheep must remain in the sheepfold.

In verse 10, the thief symbolizes the Devil who comes to destroy and kill the sheep that remain in the sheepfold; that is, those who remain in the world. The sheep who hear the Good Shepherd's voice always go through the door to His pastures and escape from the thief.

The interpretation of Jesus' statement in verse 10, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly," is quite problematic. By His use of the word "they" in the first part of His statement, did Jesus mean the entire sheepfold, or did He mean just the sheep that He leads out? If the second "they" indicates those whom Christ gives the more abundant life which is the Church, then what does the first "they" indicate? The Church possesses far more than just life. The Church possesses the abundant life of Christ Himself. Did Jesus mean by the first "they" that He would eventually give life to the entire sheepfold?

In verse 11, Jesus definitely teaches that He gave His life not just for His sheep, but for the entire sheepfold. Jesus' teaching here accords with His teaching in John 12:47. But the question remains: Does Jesus save only His sheep, or does He eventually give life to the entire sheepfold? I John 5:11-12 seems to teach that the life which Jesus gives is the same as eternal life. These verses mean perhaps that Jesus meant by His first "they" that all His believers receive His life, but that only some of His believers enjoy the more abundant life.

Verse 12 seems to refer only to the sheep that are left in the sheepfold. The word "hierling" symbolizes all false teachers and false religions. The word "wolf" symbolizes the Devil. According to verse 5, the Good Shepherd always provides protection for His sheep. This means that the sheep that the wolf catches and scatters can only refer to the unbelieving sheep left in the sheepfold.

Verse 14 can only refer to the Church which comprises Jesus' sheep.

According to John 3:16-17 and 6:51, the sheep of verse 15 can only refer to the entire sheepfold; that is, the world.

However, the word "fold" in verse 16 seems to refer only to the Church, and the rest of this verse refers to the Gentiles to whom the gospel will go, and some of them will be added to the Church.

In verses 17 and 18, Jesus prophesies about the gospel which will save His Church. Jesus assures His Church that He possesses the necessary power to endure every sin of mankind on the cross, and that He also has the power to raise Himself from the dead to justify and save His Church. He further assures His Church that mere men cannot kill Him. He will voluntarily give His life and take it again for the life of His Church.