Lent IV --- 10 March 2013

The Gospel is Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 -  the parable of the Prodigal Son

'...let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!'

• The parable of “the prodigal son”... It's mis-named. By calling it “the prodigal son” the emphasis is put on the younger son who has made a mess of his life and now repents. I'll leave it to you to decide whether he repents from a change of heart or from an empty stomach.
• Considering who the older son is shown and considering who Jesus was speaking the parable to, focusing on the older son, who has been “working like a slave for you” and wants his father to remember it, would not be good news to the hearers.
• That leaves the father in the story. Some people who read this passage think he's crazy.
• First, he goes along with the younger boy's hair-brained and very disrespectful scheme to take his inheritance NOW, treating his father as if he were dead already. Then he waits and watches for the bum in case he should come back. When that wastrel does show himself, the father runs to him (something no mature man worthy of respect would do in Jesus' time), welcomes him back with open arms, restores him to his place in the family, and throws a great party with music, dancing, and the best food. He even argues with his more sensible and loyal older son, to have him take joy in his brother's return.
• If we look at this parable from the viewpoint of either of the sons, it is highly unfair, impractical, and painful. Loyalty is not rewarded and disrespect is brushed off. If we look at this parable from our own view point, it is scandalous. This is not how a father acts nor is it how a son acts toward his father.
• In truth, we should be jarred by what goes on in the parable. It goes against common wisdom and human decency!
• That's because it is not a guidebook for family behaviour or etiquette or legal inheritance. It is not a story of fair play and proper sharing. It is not a story for children. It is a parable of GRACE.
• The story is shocking because it isn't what we expect. We don't expect the younger son to be restored without some sort of probation period, maybe serving as a field hand until he works his way back to the father's favour. We don't expect the elder son to be left out of the loop in deciding the fate of his brother.
• We certainly don't expect the father to be so generous. He won't listen to his son's entire excuse or pleading! He won't even acknowledge that his older son is more loyal, more hardworking, or maybe just plain better. He does say "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours” even as he almost begs his son to rejoice that his brother is alive and home.
• As I said, this is a parable of grace and grace is exactly what we never expect.
• Grace is always surprising. It will always come in unexpected ways in unexpected places, doing unexpected things. We may be shocked and we may be scandalized, but that's God for you. As we heard from Isaiah last week, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8)
• This message of grace would be good news to the tax collectors and “sinners” who listened to Jesus. It would be infuriating to the righteous people who heard the message and were scandalized that This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.
• Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God to just those people. His message was about a God whose love surpasses all typical or usual expressions known to humanity. That love is celebrated by those who really hear it in the gospel of Jesus, which we see in the scene of celebration at the homecoming of the younger son. But the expression of God's love also evokes resentment in those who assume that they know all about God and God's love and claim to know who is worthy of it, and who is not, seen in the elder son’s refusal to join in the celebration.
• This story -so well known to us- is one of unfairness and inequity, without a doubt. It is a story of grace. If we find ourselves “squirmy” when thinking this story through, if we find ourselves wondering how God could ever work this way, then grace is at work in us. If we find ourselves grateful for God's grace given to us in surprising ways at surprising times for the benefit of surprising people, like ourselves, then grace remains at work in us. If we know ourselves to be forgiven in the face of all we've been and are, grace is truly present.
• In the light of this parable, I want to close with a quote from the South African Bishop, Desmond Tutu: You may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are quite low.
• (Thanks be to God.)