The Prodigal Son
Luke 15:1-3, 11-35
4th Sunday in Lent, C 2010
Zion Lutheran Church
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Pastor Jonathon Bakker
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord, Jesus Christ, amen. The Holy Scripture for our consideration this day is the Gospel reading from St. Luke.
Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them." So He spoke this parable to them, “A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." ' And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry. Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.' But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.' And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.' "
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, some people are never satisfied. It matters not whether they completely understand what upsets them – it is enough that they are angry. The Pharisees and scribes in the Gospel reading are upset that sinners and tax collectors were drawn to Jesus. The older brother in the parable Jesus told is angry because the younger brother receives such wonderful treatment from their father.
Surely, we have all felt this way at some time or another. Whether it is a parent, a teacher, or an employer; we all desire to please them. Nothing satisfies quite like earning their praise, especially in front of our peers. For the same reason, nothing frustrates us quite like watching that coveted attention going toward another. When my brother did a better job on the dishes than I did, I was upset. When my sister had better grades on her report card than I had, I was jealous. When a coworker was selected for a special task by the supervisor that I wanted, I secretly hoped they would fail.
Sometimes, my wishes would come true. My brother would drop a dish and break it. My sister would get a ‘B’. My coworker would make a mistake. Then the roles would be reversed – I would receive the praise they desired, at least until I made a mistake of my own.
I am not a parent, but I understand that there can be no favorites among your children. I will never forget the smug feeling I had when I asked my mother which of her three children she loved most. She said that she loved me most, which was only natural according to my thinking. My sister and brother learned the truth, however, when they each went to ask her the same question. I’m sure you can imagine my surprise and frustration to learn that my mother said the same thing to my sister and brother that she had said to me! How could she love them as much as she loved me?
Jealousy is definitely a main ingredient for dissatisfaction, but it is not the only thing that leaves people unhappy. Some people are never satisfied no matter what they have. Whether it is money, beauty, power, fame, or love, they can never find contentment. The young son in Jesus’ parable illustrates this well. His dissatisfaction with his life reached its limit, he thought, until he asked his father for what was to be his inheritance. Whether he meant to say it or not, the action revealed to his father that he loved himself above everything else. The father, who loved both his sons, was heartbroken, but did not say no, and so the young son, thinking his discontentment was over, soon left home for bigger and better things. What he did not realize was that money could not buy him happiness, and that his hunger for all of the things he thought would fulfill him soon swallowed up his inheritance.
Whatever the hunger is that makes someone dissatisfied; it is never satiated by feeding on the things it desires. Whether we crave praise, approval, and glory – like the older brother; or money, power, and fame – like the younger brother; receiving those things only serves to make us long for more. This is what happens when we think we know what is best for us – either we act like the grass is greener on the other side of the fence and go searching for it; or else we lead quiet lives of desperation and begrudge others we think are taking away what should rightfully be ours.
Contentment in the parable has nothing to do with taking care of what the sons thought they needed; true contentment was all about their relationship with their father. It is the same for us. Think about it – the younger son knew his father loved him very much, otherwise he would never have asked for his inheritance. He did not realize, however, how his father looked after him and gave him more than what he needed. He discovered the hard way, when he left home and lost everything, just how much his father did for him. When he returned home, full of shame and remorse, he also discovered how his father loved him. Running out to greet his son when he first saw him in the distance, the father spared nothing in celebrating the return of his younger son. The son finally realized that being content in his father’s house had nothing to do with the things he thought he needed, and everything to do with being home in his father’s house.
The older brother was different – he did everything his father asked of him, and he believed that his hard work should earn him the place of honor between him and his brother. When he saw his brother’s audacity, however, and then saw his father give half of the family wealth to his brother, it only served to feed his jealousy that his father did not love him as much as he loved his brother. There was no way, he believed, that his father would have given him anything like what was given to his brother, and so he gave up hope, and did not bother to ask for anything. He did not learn of his father’s great love for him until his younger brother returned. He hoped that he would finally be vindicated, that his brother would be disowned, and that he would finally receive the recognition he desired. His father’s reaction to his younger brother’s return, however, crushed his hopes and caused his jealousy to boil over into anger. He refused to join in the celebration, and lashed out at his father when he sought him out to come to the feast. ‘All these years I have been serving you, and not once have I gone against your word. Yet, you never even gave me a young goat that my friends and I might eat it and have a party. However, as soon as this other son of yours came home, who has wasted his entire inheritance on prostitutes and fast living, you killed the fatted calf for a feast in his honor!’
The father responded, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.’ You wanted to kill a goat for a feast with your friends? You thought that all this time you were working for me? You are my son; whatever is mine is yours. We are celebrating as we should, because your brother who was dead is alive again. The older son thought he was more of a slave than a son, but his father rebuked him and reminded him of his own inheritance.
Both of the dissatisfied sons in this parable learned the hard way how much their father truly loves them. They also learned the hard way that their hope and contentment rest not in fulfilling their self-centered desires, but upon the relationship their father has established with them. It is no different for us.
How often have we wanted recognition from God for the good things we believe we are doing for him? How often have we wandered from the path God intended for us? How often have we felt totally justified in our self-centered beliefs and feelings toward God, others, and ourselves? Yet God does not hold these things against us. Far from it.
The parable hardly does justice to what God would accomplish in Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, but it does give us a glimpse into the heart of God the Father. Not only is he good and gracious to us; through the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our brother in the flesh, he has also become our Father in heaven. We are not his slaves; we are his children. We do not expect a wage from him; he is preparing our inheritance. All that he is and all that he has is ours.
There is great joy and celebration in heaven over one sinner who repents, but there is also great joy and celebration in Christ’s church on earth for all of God’s family –whether they have newly repented or been here all their life. Our Father rejoices that we are his children and he has sacrificed the greatest Lamb of all to save us from our sin and to give us the greatest feast in the world. In his body and blood we eat and drink his riches, his innocence, his power, and his love. Satisfaction has nothing to do with us but everything to do with Christ. We need not wonder whether there is something better somewhere else and we need not wonder whether our Lord loves or approves of us. No matter how far we run, he will run to meet us. No matter how stubborn we are, he will not let us forget that we are his children. From the beginning to the end, God loves us, God makes us his children, and God gives us the greatest inheritance of all; eternal life.
To Christ alone be all the glory, forever and ever, amen.
The Peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, our Lord, amen.
