The Prodigal Son
Jesus once shared a wonderful parable of the prodigal son, who had left his father's house to spend his inheritance on riotous living and began to be in need.
11He said, “A certain man had two sons. 12The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them. 13Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. 14When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need. Luke 15:11-14
He ended up finding someone who lived there, and went to work for him, taking care of pigs and even longing to eat their feed because of his poverty.
15He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. Luke 15:15-16
Having realized the foolishness of staying there, he determined to return to his father's house, ask forgiveness, and beg to become even a servant.
17But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! 18I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. 19I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’ Luke 15:17-19
However, the father who had been waiting for him to return, not only forgave him and received him again as his son, not a mere servant, threw a party for his coming home.
20“He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; 24for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate. Luke 15:20-24
The brother who had stayed with the father complained, saying it was not fair that such a one who had wasted his inheritance should receive such a party. Even more so, he bemoans that no such party had ever been given for him, the one who had stayed with his father and been a good son. But the father explains that the entire time the good brother had truly had access to all the father had, whether he knew it or not.
25“Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on. 27He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’ 28But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him. 29But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30But when this your son came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ 31“He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. Luke 15:25-31
Now it was appropriate to celebrate his brother's coming and be glad, because that "brother was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found."
32But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’” Luke 15:32
Here is our study word, "lost," showing that to perish means to be utterly cut off from one's old surroundings. The brother had left his father's house and squandered all he had on vanity, short-lasting fulfillment of passions, ending up hungering for animal feed. Such was called being lost by his father, so that he needed to be found; even more so, he had been dead but was alive again.
The word is in the second perfect participle form. The brother had done it to himself with an ongoing result. He was being dead that entire time, but had come to live again. He had now "been found." Here, the finding is done to him, not that he caused himself to be found, or found himself, but that he "was found." By whom? His father, as we see from the story.
Hearing this parable from the Lord should cause us to question our situation—have we left our Father's house, the Father in the heavens? Have we spent what He has given us—life, talents, wealth, health—on riotous living that produces no lasting fruit? Have we been left so famished in that far country of sin that we yearn for even the husks upon which the unclean feed? May we come to ourselves, having remembered the goodness of God to have created us and brought us into life at the first—truly He will receive us.
Although we are so ashamed of our sin, and desire only to be a servant in His house to enjoy His bounty and His presence, yet He will greet us as our Father, as He truly was and ever will be. We will return to our place as his child, with the angels rejoicing over our coming home
10Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.” Luke 15:10
Be assured that although you may have lost yourself—you have ruined or destroyed yourself through your own foolishness and sin—Yahweh your Father still awaits for your return. Come home and be found by Him!