March 6, 2016

The parable of the prodigal son

We can imagine how we will journey through life. We have great hopes. We plan to accomplish great things. We look forward to new ways of coming together as God's people. Then reality sets in. The difficult barrier is often not very far away. Our greatest obstacles to overcome are the people near to us. Another way to say this is that our greatest test is often in our own families.

Who remembers what it is like to grow up with brothers or sisters? We love them. They test us. They will never let us get away with anything. This is probably good for us. We can put on a practiced false face with everyone around us. Our close family keeps us honest. We might get caught up in our own success (or our failures). Our family won't let us stay too long in the clouds or in the mud. They will love us when we need it and take us down when we think too much of ourselves. Sometimes the test isn't for our ego. We have to live close to people who we didn't choose - who know how to get under our skin.

This is not our first reaction to the parable of the prodigal son. We love to remember how much he is loved. The father accepts him no matter what he has done. We want to remember how God loves us the same way. This is not why we are told this parable. The religious authorities saw who Jesus was welcoming. They were scandalized that he would socialize with tax collectors and sinners. (The fact that tax collectors were mentioned separately from sinners shows that they thought of them as even more sinful!) They were grumbling, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them!"

The parable is all about God's outrageous generosity. We know this and we are grateful to know it. The parable continues. What about the elder son? He cannot accept his younger brother. He sees him as wasteful and lazy. He sees him as someone who has disrespected his father. He is a little resentful that the younger son seems to be rewarded, while he has gotten no reward for hard work and loyalty. Can you see his point?

If we have ever had a family member who has spent too much money, or gone off and lost himself in wasteful living, how would we feel about welcoming them back? If someone is only lazy and selfish, we might acknowledge him or her but keep them at arms length. If they become addicts or worse, we might feel justified in throwing them out for good. In situations of abuse, that might be the only response.

Yet the father welcomes him back. We know this is how God loves. How can we love the same way? Suddenly, this parable isn't about how much we are loved. Jesus is challenging us to ask, "How much will we love?"

God does not call us merely to experience abundant blessing. God calls us and God sends us. God asks that we give what we have received. God asks that we take our good news into the world and give it away. We are saved in order to be messengers of salvation. We are loved and invited to show love.

It is not enough to marvel at God's miracles. Perhaps the greater miracle is that we are commissioned to join in the work of God. We are like the ancient Israelites. We have entered the Promised Land - so no more manna! Everything we need is all around us, so it's up to us to go get it. We're not conquering Canaan - our mission is to bless and not destroy. We who have been reconciled with God are now ambassadors of reconciliation. We have been forgiven so we have the power to forgive.

If we have trouble forgiving our near brother - perhaps it is an insight into where we need to continue to be reconciled. Consider the older brother. He will probably inherit the larger portion of his father's estate - for he will be responsible to care for his parents in his old age. Maybe the younger brother was a favorite, maybe even a little spoiled. How much has the older brother always resented the younger? Maybe the younger brother went away to get out from under the control of the older. Maybe he was merely foolish and not a party animal. Maybe his older brother had always judged him. We all know that there is more to the story of a family than what we see on the outside.

There's more to our story too. We may rejoice at the generous love of the father. We may understand the reluctance of the older brother. I suspect that each one of us has a sort of younger brother in our lives - perhaps not a biological sibling, but a person in our lives who seems to take and take. Maybe this is where our society looks down on the undeserving poor, or illegal immigrants - anyone who seems to need without earning a reward.

This is the meaning of the parable. Of course God loves. Do we love the same way? When we find that we can't, what is our justification. We might appeal to economic or moral reasons. We may have excellent justification. The story is about love. Can we find the justification to begin there? Despite all our good excuses, what keeps us from rejoicing at God’s outrageous love?