Trinity 3 – June 11th and 12th, 2016 – Luke 15:11-32
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
This
morning’s parable, dear friends in Christ, isn’t just about the
foolish younger brother – it isn’t just the parable of the
Prodigal Son. No, in the parable we see three people, two sons and
their father – we see a family full of discord and strife. If
anything this is a parable about the father who continually has to
struggle to keep his family from imploding – who goes to any length
to try and mollify his sons. And of course, we understand that this
parable is really describing the ways in which God treats us, the
lengths He goes to for our sake. So let us dive into this parable
today and see what we learn.
The main
problem that arises in this parable is that neither son understands
their father. The younger son doesn’t get his father. The elder
son doesn’t get his father either. Both really don’t seem to
know him, and each ends up wandering away. We know about the younger
son – the one who wants his inheritance early. You know what that
is? “Dad, I want my inheritance,” is the same thing as saying,
“Why don’t you just hurry up and kick the bucket, you old geezer,
you are only good to me for money.” Kind of crass. And then we
know what the younger brother does with that money. He blows it.
Squanders it on reckless living. Parties and hookers and booze and
then he's broke – suffice it to say the kid hits rock bottom. And
this is the point we can shake our head at – oh, how horrible this
kid is, look at all that he’s done. Yeah – bad stuff – he’s
foolish, he’s hateful towards his father in demanding the
inheritance. But, people are stupid and foolish all the time. It is
when the guy is standing slopping pigs, though, that we see that he
still doesn't know who his father really is.
Listen.
But when he came to himself he said, “How
many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but
I perish here with hunger! I will arise 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 as one
of your hired servants.”
We’ll what’s wrong with that, Pastor?! It’s about time that
he comes to himself, comes to his senses – admits that he’s been
horrible. Yeah, he’s dead on about himself, he has sinned, he
isn’t worthy to be called the man’s son. But here is the
problem. He thinks his dad will treat him like a lowly servant.
This young kid is afraid, thinks that his father will be cold, and
heartless, thinks that his father will say, “You dirty rat, I
oughta.... bah! Go sleep in the barn and I’ll find some mean and
nasty chore for you to do tomorrow – you make me sick.” That’s
what the young man thinks his father will do. That’s why he’s so
afraid and nervous about heading home. That’s why he’s ready to
beg to be a servant. He doesn’t expect compassion from his father.
And he was wrong.
The elder
son, he doesn’t understand his father either. The elder, dutiful
son, is out working in the field, and he hears music and dancing, and
he calls to one of the servants and asks what is going on. He hears
that his wayward brother has returned, that his father has killed the
fattened calf, that the party is a celebration over the return of
that money wasting, worthless, no good brother of his. The elder
brother doesn’t understand his father either. He storms off into
the night. He fumes, he sulks outside. And even when his father
comes out to him, this elder brother doesn’t understand who his
father is. This elder brother goes on a rant, saying words that are
just as despicable as the younger brother’s wretched living.
“Look,
these many years I have served you, and I never once disobeyed your
command, yet you never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate
with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured
your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for
him!” What vile words. I’ve been
good, and there’s been nothing in it for me! You, you blind old
fool, you have never given me anything good! How horrible, how
heart-wrenching. The elder son, always working, thinking he’s
going to earn blessings from his father by what he himself does. He
doesn’t understand his father’s generosity, his father’s love.
I bet he never even asked the father for a goat – because this
father would have freely given one. But no – the son is embittered
– the son thinks more of his own hard work than the father’s
love. The son thinks of himself, what he’s earned and what his
brother might be sponging away, and he fails to rejoice over the
redemption of his brother.
Do
you see, dear friends, how neither son really understood who their
father was? The younger son thought his father would be cruel and
callous to him – the elder son thought his father a harsh tyrant
who never showed love and generosity, who had to be impressed with
hard work and labor – the elder son thought that he had to earn
everything on his own from his father. Both of these sons just don’t
understand who their father is, and what the father does.
Now, this
is instructive for us today, because the sons illustrate the two
terrible ways in which we Christians, we who are of God’s
Household, we who are of God’s family, can begin to misunderstand
God. How many of you have had thoughts similar to those of the
younger brother? How many of you have seen some of the wretched
things you’ve done in your life and then thought, “I’m
horrible, I have sinned – God couldn’t possibly forgive me!”
It’s the last part that’s the problem – there’s nothing wrong
with seeing your sin or knowing that you are wretched. In fact, it’s
something that we need to do. The problem comes in when guilt and
fear makes us think that our sin is too big for God to handle, too
big for God to forgive, when we think our sin is bigger than Christ
Crucified. The problem is when we end up approaching God doubting
that He will forgive or even become afraid to approach God. Just as
the younger son forgot that his father is merciful, we are tempted to
forget that God is merciful to us. That is one of the dangers, one
of the traps we can fall into.
And
then there is the trap that the elder brother falls into. The elder
brother starts looking at everything in terms of the “good”
things he does. Look at all I’ve done for my father, I deserve
better in life. I’m such a good, dutiful son, why doesn’t he
treat me better! Are there times when you can end up treating God
this way as well? If you’ve ever thought, if you’ve ever said,
“Well, I’m a “good” Christian” you have. The temptation
here is to approach God on the basis of what you’ve done – look
at me God, see how much I’ve done for you! You owe me. How
wretched and sad – treating God as though he were a petty tyrant, a
miserable god whom you need to bribe to get anywhere. And yet – is
that not how we sometimes can end up dealing with God? Why did you
let this happen to me – I’m a good person, I don’t deserve
this! Can we even sometimes brag about ourselves to God? These are
two errors we can fall into, two dangers Christ warns us of. We can
in our guilt over sin forget God’s mercy – we can in our
arrogance forget our need for God’s mercy. We can forget that this
is who God is – the God who shows mercy.
Look
at the father in the story – there is something remarkable that he
does with each of his sons which we might overlook. First, with the
younger – But while he was still a long
way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced
him. Now,
with the elder – His father came out to
him and entreated him. Did you notice
what the father does – what type of person he is? In both cases
the father goes out to his wayward child. The father seeks out the
son. The father’s love to his younger son pre-empts that son’s
plea to work as a servant – the younger son merely confesses his
sin and is welcomed back into his father’s house. Welcome back
son, and know that I love you. Likewise, the father’s love seeks
out the stubborn elder brother and turns his eyes off of his own
works – Son, you are always with me, and
all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad,
for this your brother was dead and is alive; he was lost and is
found. I
don't have to give you a goat, all that I have is yours already.
Now, come on, let's go eat and rejoice, because my joy and mercy is
yours as well. In both cases, the father
tenderly goes to his wayward sons, goes out to them, and strives to
bring them back into the home.
But
there's one more thing to consider about the Father here. In both
cases, what the Father does is… well, the world would have viewed
it shamefully, looked down upon the Father for doing it. Good,
upstanding men didn’t run – back in the day, you wore robes, if
you were running you had to hike up your skirt – and you just
didn’t do that in public. Nor would you leave your own party to
deal with a pouting son – that older son should be coming back to
you! What would the guests say? You're the Father, how dare you
lower yourself to placate that pouter. Let him starve, teach him a
lesson! But in both cases, the Father, in His zeal suffers shame and
scorn to comfort his children.
Dear friends, hear this
and know who your Heavenly Father is. Your heavenly Father is the
One who continually comes, who continually reaches out to you to show
you mercy. Whenever you fall into error, be it great shame and vice,
be it wretched pride and arrogance, your heavenly Father always
desires that you be forgiven and restored, brought back into the
family, brought back into the household, brought to the feast. God
desires you here in His house, receiving His forgiveness, that
forgiveness which He provides for you through His Son, Jesus Christ
our Lord. God is not too proud to redeem you – God’s good and
true Son Jesus Christ endures the shame of the cross and death to see
that we are restored to the family. He rises to see that the feast
of everlasting life will go on without end. And this is the call
that goes out every week – return to God’s house, be forgiven.
Return and rejoice in the Father’s mercy. Get a foretaste of the
feast to come and know that the Father indeed loves you. This is who
God is – the One who has mercy upon you, the One who desires to
restore you continually, the One who wants you always to remain with
Him, to be with Him in His house and in His worship, the One who
says, “all that is mine is yours.” God’s Word will always
seek to show you mercy – and for that, we who have wandered and
gone astray many times are right to give Him all thanks and praise.
To God alone be all glory. In the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit + Amen.
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