RTWW 7: The Prodigal Sons (Part 2)

Scripture: Luke 15:1-2, 12-32

(Full scripture from part 1 applies)

Reflection

Welcome back to RTWW. Feel free to leave comments throughout! Today we’ll look at the father’s response to his son, and the older brother as well.

Picking up from last week, the son is on his way returning to the father. The son was all prepared to say his speech and try and explain what he’ll do - explain how he plans to reconcile himself with the father. The father, however, has different plans. The father himself is prodigal, prodigal meaning “recklessly extravagant.” The father is prodigal in his love, picking up his tunic, girding his loins and running to his son. This is not behaviour typical of a well respected patriarch in those times, if you were to think about it this is behaviour more typical of a mother, not a father. The father, like our God, had been prepared for this moment. He was awaiting the return of his son, and when it eventually happened, he responded not with punishment or chastisement, he didn’t even hear the younger son’s plan to reconcile himself. God has always had a plan and a story of redemption from the start. If we recall back to RTWW: Righteousness, we talk about the covenant God made with Abraham. We see that if we broke the covenant, God would be the one to pay. The story of redemption was there before the beginning, God had always planned to redeem the son and bring him back into the family.

After I sin, I often catch myself acting like the younger son. I catch myself planning how I will negotiate with God, telling him I’ll do xyz to make up for my sin. I have a mindset that I must DO to be loved, failing to understand the very nature of God’s love. Even reading the parable, I find it hard to translate it to my real life. I see just how much love the father lavished on the son, the best robe, the ring, the sandals, the meat (meat was a lot rarer back in those days, just think about how often you have a whole roast pig, it’s something of that class). The best robe was the fathers robe, the fathers ring, the fathers sandals. When I see that, I truly don’t believe that’s how God treats and plans to treat me. I think that if I were in that situation, I would just get a hug and a “welcome home.” I find it difficult to comprehend why and how God could love me so much. Yet God has already demonstrated his great love for us! “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8.” This lavish love is already shown by slaying of the ultimate sacrifice: Christ the lamb. My work is not to await for God to show his love, but to see and accept the love he has already shown.

Now when we get to the older brother, although the symptoms are different, the illness is the same. Both brothers failed to love the giver, they only sought after the gift. The response to his father wasn’t one of celebration or love, he was not emotionally moved at all by the fathers great joy. Or should I say, his emotional move was one of anger and hatred. The older son was so upset at the fathers display of love for the younger son. But why?

I can relate far too well with the elder brother. I think about my life, which was practically all spent serving God and the church. Serving in children's ministry first in the choir, then doing AV, then in leading, then volunteering at summer camps, then when I moved up to the high school fellowship I lead on the committee, when I got to university I FCL’ed and Exec’ed as well, and in the summers I would return back home and lead the university small groups. Beyond that, in my school life I would always try and be the best example of a christian, I would watch my words, I would talk about church, I would try and start conversation about religion, I wouldn’t date non-christian (or christian) girls and [try] not to get involved with them either. Back at home I would try and be the best child, doing the most chores, spending the most time with my parents. I would turn everything else down if I had to go to church for anything, skipping out on socials, events, hangouts, etc etc. I tried to cultivate and set myself up as the perfect christian.

I’m sure the older son did the same things I did, and so I believe what made the older son upset were these two things: The expectation of such amazing treatment by the father, and the jealousy and desire to get your desires fulfilled. I can just imagine how the older son felt, he had worked so hard his entire life, stayed by the father, and the prodigal younger son comes back and the father accepts him just like that. With no punishment? Look at my younger brother, disrespecting my father, squandering all his money. Forcing him to tear his life apart. You don’t deserve to be back here. I wish you never came back, it would be better off if you were dead. Then I could continue to enjoy my life. I’m sure he soon began to think “Then what were all the years spent with my father for? Why did I do all that when Icould go out and live like my brother, and return home to a grand celebration as well? I want to know what it’s like to live lavishly, to lose myself to my pleasures, and even more, to come back to a reception like this? Why didn’t I???. ” And now it becomes so painfully obviously that the elder son never cared for the father, else he would be rejoicing and sharing in the fathers joy. The elder son had always thought about his will and fulfilling his desires, never about truly serving the father.

I know exactly how this feels. The feeling of thinking you love the giver, but really you’re just anticipating the gifts. So when someone else receives what you think belongs to you, in my case whether it be with jobs, relationships, or even just happiness in the Lord, it angers me and makes me act just like the older brother. I’ve found myself crying out to God in the same way as him, “God, how can he get this job and I don’t? God how long have I been serving you. God, why did you bless their relationship when it’s clear I’m in a better place then them? God, have you forgotten how much of my life I’ve given up for you? God, how can they be so happy enjoying you? Why is this new christian feeling this way? God, have you forgotten about me?”

Until I learn to love the giver and not the gifts, I will continue to wrestle with these questions and emotions. Yet even in the fathers response to the elder son, we continue to see such deep love. Rather then disowning the elder son for walking out of the biggest celebration of the fathers love, the father responds with the exact same tenderness and care that he showed to the younger. “Everything I have is yours.” The older son was just like the younger, just that he was slower to the punch. They had both spent their entire lives under the father, both dissatisfied and waiting for more, except the younger was the first to tell the father that he wanted more. They both failed to recognize just how good their time spent under the father was, that the father was the source of all joy. As I continue to struggle through this issue, a few passages come to mind. One is the latter half of matthew 6. The other is from 1 corinthians 3:21-23 “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile. 21 So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.”

All things are ours! ALl things. God doesn’t mean this in a material way, saying that I can have anything my heart desires. But he’s saying it like this, that all our heart will desire is him. And we have it all. We have all we need. And we have all that is. Because Christ is all.

Discuss/reflect:

1. In what ways are you like the older brother, and in what ways are you like the younger?

2. How do you respond to God’s demonstration of his love?

3. Like the older son, what things are we expecting God to bring to us?

4. What does having Christ mean to you? Is it yet all thing?