A man who had two sons - Luke 15:11

This week I am sharing some thoughts about the parable of the prodigal son. In particular I am exploring what it tells us about the role of Christian community in welcoming people home to a relationship with God.

‘There was a man who had two sons.” - Luke 15:11

This quote introduces one of Jesus’ most famous parables. Sometimes called the story of the Prodigal Son, I prefer to think of it as being about the extravagant father. If only this story remained of Jesus’ teachings he would still be seen as a wise spiritual leader who transformed our understanding of God and the human relationship with God. Lets take a look at the parable in some detail.

Then Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.”

The story begins with the younger son wanting his inheritance NOW. He is not willing to wait until his father is dead. He has no concern for what need his father may have for this wealth during his lifetime, he has no concern for his elder brother and he shows no love for his father.

So he divided his property between them.

One would expect the father to be insulted by such a request and to say “absolutely not.” But this father is different. He in extraordinarily generous and gives his son freedom to do as he wishes.

A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything.

The son is a complete failure. During his time away he has wasted his inheritance and fallen to the bottom of the social ladder. He now has nothing.

But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’ ” So he set off and went to his father.

The son has reached such a low point that he “came to himself.” He realizes the mistake he has made and is ready to go home. He does not go home a hero, but rather, humbled. There is still no indication here that he truly cares about his father. Yes, he plans a speech in which he acknowledges his guilt, but his motivation appears to be a desire for some bread and security.

But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.

The father’s motivation is clear. He is filled with compassion. He runs to his son who had insulted him and wasted his money. One should note that in the Middle East during this time period a wealthy man would never run. That was undignified. Yet this father’s extravagant love for his son compels him to such a warm greeting.

Then the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

The son is unable to say his entire prepared speech because the father is more interested in welcoming him home then listening to a confession. What matters to the father is the well being of his son. And by having the servants put a ring on his finger he is making it clear that he is still his son. Even though the son treated the father as dead, even though the son denied his relationship with his father, the father has always considered him his child.

This could have been the end of the parable. It is in fact all that most people know about it. The point is clear. God loves us like this extravagant father. God is waiting for us to return. When we have walked away from God’s love, at the first sign of our desire to return to a relationship with God, God comes to us.

This is a strong and powerful message. It is at the heart of Christianity, that God is anxious to forgive us and return us to our place as children of God. Many struggling souls have found solace in this story and found the courage to renew their relationship with God because of it.

But Jesus did not end the parable at this point. There is more, and the more is not about the one who has left God, but about those of who remain in relationship with the Father.

And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began to celebrate.

Suddenly it is not just between the father and the son, there is an entire community to welcome the son home. When the son left, he left not just his father, but a community made up of the entire household, including his father’s servants. The return home of the son is a time of celebration for everyone. Well, almost everyone.

‘Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what was going on. He replied, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.” Then he became angry and refused to go in.

The elder brother is angry, and refuses to celebrate the return of the younger son. He is the “good son”. He represents those who have remained faithful to God and worked hard for the church. Let’s hear his side of the story.

His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!”

Most of us can sympathize with the elder brother. Here he has been “good” and worked hard while his brother, at least from the elder son’s perspective, was having fun. Also, since his brother already got his inheritance, where is the money for the party coming from? Shouldn’t the one who has stayed, been faithful, and worked hard be the one to receive the rewards?

I took a course in seminary on bringing biblical humor to life and we were assigned as groups to take some passage from scripture and act out an alternative approach to understanding it. One of the groups had a trial scene before a judge where the elder brother is trying to have the judge declare his father legally incompetent to handle his monetary affairs because he gave his younger brother so much of his estate and is now giving him more - even though there is every reason to believe that it too will be wasted.

But that is not Jesus’ point of view.

Then the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”

From the father’s perspective, from God’s perspective, a son has found his way home, so of course we celebrate. By including the story of the elder son in his parable Jesus is making an important point. Those who consider themselves to be followers of Jesus, those who would be his disciples, are the servants of God. It is their job to celebrate the return. It is the servants who bring the robe and the ring. It is the servants who put on a feast and party with music and dancing. God forgives and accepts the child who has strayed and is ready to return, but it is the members of church community, who are responsible for the celebration. They are the ones who put flesh on the extravagant love of God. The return to God is a return to a community, and it is up to the community to provide the welcome home celebration.

Think about this - when a new person walks through the door of a church, does the entire congregation celebrate as if a brother was dead and has come to life? Is there rejoicing that someone who was lost has been found? Or is the reaction a little like the elder son who resents this person coming into “my” church? Or even worse, does no one notice or care?

Half of the parable of the Extravagant Father is about the church community and how the community is to respond to a fellow child of God who is attempting to return to a relationship with God. If Christ’s primary message of God’s extravagant love is summed up in first half of this parable, then the second half of the parable sums up his message to the community of his followers - love one another (especially those who have just come home).

This is the responsibility of the community of faith - to welcome people home. It is the church's primary responsibility. It is the reason for the church’s existence - to welcome people home to God and support one another is staying in relationship with God.