To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons.”

Luke 15: 11 (NLT)

When we begin this part of the story, it is all too easy to jump to the end without considering what Jesus’ words must have sounded to his first audience.

The intrigue was undoubtedly building as Jesus began his third parable. Although a lost sheep and a lost coin had great value, either would pale in comparison to a parent’s love for a child, right? So imagine the pain the father heard in the following words – “The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them” (Luke 15:12).

I remember hearing Chip Ingram say something like this, “Your children are the single greatest source of joy in your life and they can also present the deepest pain.”

Even in our culture today, these words spoken by a son to his father would sting, but it would be nearly unthinkable for a Jewish family in the first century. He was not asking for an advance on his allowance or the keys to the car. By asking for his inheritance, the younger son was essentially saying he wished his father was dead so he could get what is “due” him.

The younger son was making a selfish choice, but the father allowed him to choose and honored his decision by “dividing his property between them.”

As parents, we know both the joy of raising children and the challenges that sons and daughters present as well. Let’s also remember what kinds of children we were as well.

Finally, let’s think about the choices we will make today. Do our choices bring joy or pain to those closest to us?