All the men of the city were to stone the rebellious son. Why? I suggest three reasons . . .

Motivation. With communities being small in Bible times, the men of the city would know the son in question. They would know his family. Therefore, it would be so difficult to stone him, and they would go home resolved to do whatever it took to make sure their own sons didn’t follow the same path of rebellion.

Evaluation. Participating in the stoning would cause the men in the community to ask themselves if there was something they could have done to turn him from his rebellious ways.

Proclamation. The stoning proclaimed to the community that rebellion was neither a “stage” nor an inevitable part of growing up. It was simply not to be tolerated.

If you’ve either been, or raised, a rebellious child, I call your attention to another rebellious son - the Prodigal Son of Luke 15. When this rebellious son returned, his father ran out to meet him not with rocks in his hand, but with a robe for his son. Why? Did God change His mind somewhere between Deuteronomy and Luke about the severity of rebellion?

No. The punishment for rebellion is always death (Romans 6:23). But because a third Son - not the rebellious son, not the Prodigal Son, but the perfect Son - became sin and took my place on the Cross, I am forgiven completely.