Reflections from Boston: Luke 15:11-32

Luke 15:11-32 (NRSV)

Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up 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 like one of your hired hands.”’So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

“Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”

One of the definitions of “prodigal” is “extravagant.”  Wasteful even.  (From it we get the word, prodigious, which means "extraordinary in size). 

The tendency has been to look at this parable from Jesus as saying that it is the younger son who is lost, is lost because he has spent his money extravagantly and wastefully.  But is it the younger son who is truly prodigal?

Or is it the father who lavishes love so extravagantly on this son – this son who seems to throw everything away?  Is it he who is prodigal?  

The older son would probably think so.  This son has admittedly been working hard.  He's the one who stayed.  He's the one who never asked for anything.  What does this son think about the idea of throwing a party for his wastrel, younger brother?  Remember that this story follows after the story of the lost sheep in Luke.  Why do you think these two stories go together?  Is it as strange to throw a party for a spendthrift son as it is to leave 99 sheep unprotected to go look for a lone lost one?

What does this story tell us about God’s love for us?  And what would you say to the older son? 

We don’t know the end of the story.  We don’t know if the older brother goes into the party or stays out.  Look at some of the language of how the older son sees himself in relation to his father.  He uses words like “slave” and calls his brother “this son of yours” rather than my brother.  Does the father who loves lavishly strike you as someone who treats his older son like a slave?  It doesn't seem so, and yet, can we understand why the older son might have thought so?

There's a tendency when we hear this story to immediately feel connected to one or the other of the characters.  Who we see ourselves as or who we empathize with in the context of this story, is likely to influence how we see God's love and the Kingdom of God in general.

It is likely to influence who we see as lost and who we see as found.

It's likely to influence what we see as righteous and what we see as sin.

How do you imagine the story ends?  

God of lavish and extravagant love...lead me to love just as widely, just as deeply and just as lavishly as you do.  Amen.