DAY SIXTY:
The Prodigal Son
Chapter 15 begins, "Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, 'This man receives sinners and eats with them.'" Jesus didn't respond to their charges with a reasoned discourse but rather with a series of parables about "lost" things: a shepherd goes out to look for his lost sheep; a woman goes to great lengths to find her lost coin; and a father welcomes back his lost son.
In this last parable Jesus told the story of a father who had two sons. One day the youngest asked his father to give him his share of the estate early, so that he can go out and enjoy it now. He is in effect wishing that his father were already dead. This is an absolutely outrageous request! The father had every right to throw his impudent son out on his rear. But, amazingly, the father agrees. The Law of Moses specified that the eldest son receive a double portion. In this case, with two sons, the estate was divided into thirds. The elder received two-thirds and the younger one-third. The father would not have that kind of cash lying around so he had to sell some livestock and maybe even some land. But he got the money together and with a heavy heart bade his son farewell.
Next stop: a far country! He went wild and found out how quickly he could blow through his father's hard-earned money. He was flat broke in a foreign land when a depression struck the far country. He had no money and no prospects for a job. He sank so low that he agreed to herd some hogs. The pay: all the bitter carob husks, the same food he fed the swine, that he could eat. He was absolutely miserable. He came to his senses and realized what he had thrown away. His father took good care of his servants. He knew that he didn't deserve anything from his father, but he also knew his father was a generous man and just might take him back as a servant. He looked toward home and then headed out. The trip back felt a whole lot longer than the trip out. He left full of excitement but is returning in disgrace. He doesn't know if his father will make him a servant. If he does, he knows he'll have to endure whatever his older brother dishes up. Nonetheless he's on his way home, rehearsing his speech over and over and over: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."
Home was within sight! He longed for his father and was ashamed of what he had done. What awaited him? He'd find out soon. The father saw his son on the horizon and ran out to meet him! This is exceptional, because it was not proper for a mature man to run. It wasn't dignified. But the father didn't care about dignity. He hiked up his robes and ran to embrace his son! The son launched into his well-practiced speech: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son." That's as far as he got. His father called out to the servants to get a robe and sandals for his son. Then he told them to put a ring on his son's finger. This was the family signet ring, used to authenticate documents. He was giving the checkbook back to his son who had blown through one-third of his estate! Then he told the servants to slaughter that calf he'd been fattening up and get the grill going. Call the neighbors! We're having a party! "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."
The older son stayed and worked with his father and the servants. His little brother wasn't much help when he was around, but his absence made more more for everyone else. Day after day he dutifully rose before dawn and worked until after sunset. He never gave his father any problems. Now he comes back from the fields after a hard day's work and hears music and singing! Then he smells the unmistakable aroma of beef roasting on a spit. Nobody told him there was going to be a party! He asked one of the servants what was going on. "Your brother is back! Your father was so happy that he ordered this feast- he even told us to cook up the fatted calf. All the neighbors are here. I'll go and tell your father that you're here."
The older brother was furious! That little weasel came back after nearly impoverishing us. And Dad is throwing him a party the likes of which this town has never seen. It was all too much for him. He refused to go into the party. He didn't want to see his slimly baby brother, and he didn't want to see his father either.
The father came out to check on his older son. His refusal to join the party was a slap in his face, but the father ignored it. He pleaded with his son to come in and see his brother. Years of bottled-up resentment poured out and he spoke disrespectfully to his father. "Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!" The father's response is so beautiful: "Son,you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found."
This is where the story ends. Jesus didn't say whether the older brother came to the party, or whether he reconciled with his brother and father. Each listener must come to his or her own conclusion.
Tim Keller points out that there are TWO lost brothers in this parable. The younger son, who left his father's side to pursue worldly pleasures, was clearly lost. All his hopes and dreams turned to ashes and he reaped the consequences of his sin. But what about the older brother? Even though he didn't go anywhere, he was just as lost. He sat at the same dinner table with his father every night, but did he share his heart or listen to his father share his heart? He went through life thinking that his good behavior and faithful service entitled him to his father's love and acceptance. He disdained his wayward brother and resented his refusal to join him in keeping up with all of the responsibilities of the household. It's easy to see that the younger brother represented those tax collectors, prostitutes and other sinners that gathered around Jesus. They were lost. Their Heavenly Father is looking for them and all the angels in heaven rejoice when one of them comes home. The older brother is a picture of the Pharisees and the scribes. They were the church people of their day. They were proud of their piety and devotion. They stayed close to the Father but didn't really give themselves to Him. They were so close, yet so far, from God.
We see the sinners all around us, the people who forsake God and look for meaning in life elsewhere. Like the younger son they reap the consequences. Yet God loves them and calls to them to come home. Where is home? Jesus' sheepfold, His church, where He watches over all of His sheep. Some of us have been in the sheepfold all of our lives, like the older brother. We've been good and obedient. It's easy for us to despise the younger brothers in our world and resent God's lavish generosity to them. We've deferred our hopes and desires so that we can serve God, and we've never had a fatted calf either. Yet we're always with God, and all His blessings are ours. We just don't receive them. This parable gave Jesus' listeners a lot to think about, and it is worth our consideration today.
I found a real treasure, a blast from my past, which I'd like to share with with you. Isaac Airfreight was a trio that performed Christian skit comedy in the 1970s and 80s. I went to see them in Canton when I was in college. This was ripped from a vinyl album and you can hear the pops and crackles. Those of you who are younger than 50 might not get all of the humor, but it's still enjoyable. I present the story of "Prodigal Joe."
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