Prodigals

PRODIGALS

     Through the years I have increasingly come to appreciate Jesus' parable of the "Prodigal Son" or the "Waiting Father" in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15.  Not only have experienced the waiting Father's love for me when I have "come to my senses" in the far country, but I have also seen a number of people from all walks of life come into that same experience with humility and gratitude.  It is so awesome!

     But I recently have been thinking more and more about the other "prodigal son" in the parable, the one who was not "at home" with the father although having never physically left his presence.  It has been my understanding of this part of the parable as Jesus' teaching that the Jewish leadership was under God's judgment for their attitude of self-righteousness and criticism of the sinful other "prodigals" who had not lived up to their standards of loyalty to the Law of Moses.  Their bitterness toward the Father's loving welcome toward those others earned them the gentle reproof Jesus used at the end of the parable, though we are not told how that leadership responded at that moment.

     What got me to thinking about this part of the story is the possible purpose of Jesus as brought forth by N.T. Wright in some of his writings.  The letter to the Hebrews seems to imply that the early believers conceived of Jesus as purposefully presenting Himself as taking the place of the Jewish religious practices -- belief in angels, Temple, Sacrifice, High Priest and so on.  In other words, he was Himself the personification of the Presence of God in this world without respect to location or cultic practices.  If Jesus, as seems highly possible, was presenting Himself as the replacement of the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, perhaps we would be justified in looking at the end of the parable as one more instance of His gentle insistence that there was a better way to live than that of religious prejudice.

     So I have thought of some of the things that the Elder Brother Prodigal evidenced in his attitudes.  What things stand out?  First of course, would have to be his high opinion of himself and his low opinion of his younger brother -- "All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. . . . But . . . this son of yours . . . has squandered your property with prostitutes. . . ."  He obviously thought he deserved something from his father that his younger brother did not.

     Next we can see that he was pretty ticked at his father for not recognizing his obviously more deserving loyalty.  "Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.  But when this on of yours . . . comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!"  These words of reproach show his disregard for his father's generosity and his own responsibility for never asking the father for anything.  His self-reliance and self-sufficiency condemned his dad for over-looking the possibility of rewarding him in a way befitting his own importance.  There's a word for that -- pride!

     That's probably enough exploration of the elder prodigal's attitude.  It's quite enough to humble me, at least!  I think I have been in the positions of both brothers at some times in my life.

     But if Jesus was presenting Himself as a contrast to the elder son, how would he differ?  I have been meditating on a few things that Jesus has been trying to tell me about Himself through the years. Please forgive me, but I have been using what someone has called "sanctified imagination" in this exercise.  Please feel free to disagree with me at any point.  Here goes.

      Jesus as our Elder Brother would not only be working in the Father's fields, but would probably have gone out looking for his younger brother.  Finding him in the last place he could have imagined, a hog wallow, would have been degrading to the lowest point for an observant Jewish male.  Helping the younger brother to "come to his senses" may have taken some gentle persuasion and, perhaps, even going to his employer with the offer to pay his way out of the muck so he could be free to go home.

     Another alternative might have found the elder brother joing his father in his daily waiting time as the two of them would peer into the distance along the lane leading to their home, watching for the dusty approach of the one they hoped to see.  He would not neglect his loving duties of course, but he would support the hopes of his father for the recovering on the one who had deserted them in any way he could.

     I imagine that when the father ran (awesome picture, what?) toward the dirty, gaunt figure coming down the road, Jesus would have been right there with him, maybe even getting there first to hug his brother in gracious forgiveness.  But he would have deferred to his father as the one most worthy of respect grabbed his boy and lifted him off the ground in a loving embrace that would not be denied.

     When the father told the servants to go get the robe, the shoes, the ring, Jesus may have asked for water, washcloth and towel to start cleaning his welcomed brother home to the place he had already prepared for him.

     I can almost hear Jesus chime in when father called for the fattened calf to be killed and prepared, yelling, "Let's have a party!  Junior's home!"

     And at the end, where the parable describes the father's gentle reproof to the religious leaders, I think there's a new scene -- one where the father looks at both younger and elder sons and exclaims something like this:  "Look at my boys!  Aren't they an awesome pair?  I couldn't be prouder to have them home together!"

     Now I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to that celebration!  Thank You, Elder Brother Jesus.  I am humbled by Your mercy, grace and love.

Just me, Darrell