The parable of the Prodigal Sons is a story of a father and his two sons; one "good", the other not so "good".
There are a lot of qualifications needed there.
First of all, we need to understand what "good" is. Jesus said it best, "there is none good but God."Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19.
Second, not one of us is a "good" child. We are prodigals in our own way.
When it comes to being "good", all of us - no matter how "good" - fluctuate between the "goodness" of the older, more mature, more dutiful (tending toward self-righteousness) son and "not so good" younger, less mature, less dutiful (tending toward selfish or self-centeredness) son. I think each of us can recall the various times in our lives when we have acted as either boy (or girl as the case may be).
The funny thing is, God allows us to traverse these two roads in life. Sometimes they intersect, sometimes they merge. Often times we don't see when we cross over from one to the other. Many times we don't know which child is the self-centered one or the self-righteous one. Frankly, it doesn't really matter. The father is looking out for both. And remembering that fact, sometimes God even allows us to be the Prodigals' father.
This is probably the one of the most difficult posts I have written. In looking at my life, I have found myself in the guise of all three main characters.
In our churches we have older, more mature brothers and sisters. We also have younger, less mature brothers and sisters. The terms older and younger are completely relative. Sometimes a young person or believer is more mature than an older saint. Sometimes an older saint, happy with his or her "fire insurance" of salvation, feels he doesn't have to "do" anything else than show up for service on Sunday mornings and stop in at Sunday school for a cup of coffee. In contrast, the "new" believer, whatever their age, is so on fire for God and His Kingdom, that he seems almost out of control. The new eyes that God has given them has opened up a brand new and exciting universe of Divine possibilities that the "more mature" believer may only give lip-service to.
The "mature" believer, steeped in church and Christianity since their childhood, may believe they are sure and steady about their life and their personal relationship with God. They never "drank, chewed or went out with girls who did". It is an almost idyllic life. They go to Christian doctors and send their kids to Christian schools. They "protect" their children from "bad" influences of the outside world. It's not that these lifestyles are necessarily bad, but you have to wonder what they're missing by getting dirty hanging out with non-Christians. Jesus was very direct in telling His disciples (us) that they had to "go into all the world" to preach His Gospel. We are to come to the aid of the needy or distressed. We Christians are to be a balm to the broken. And so much more so when the need or distressed or broken is an unbeliever who has never come into contact with a Christ-follower. There's a life to be transformed and brought into the Kingdom. We are to be about our Father's business.
The "new" believer, especially the previously un-churched person, doesn't know the ropes. He or she doesn't know that you're not supposed to hoot and holler when people come to Christ; you're just supposed to politely applaud. The un-churched person chooses not to pray out loud because he or she believes that their prayers won't be eloquent enough. Yet their tears and sobs and gritty words crying out to the Savior are what moves God's heart. They have come from the pig-sty and they are eternally grateful that a loving God and Father sought them and chased them down and loved them for who they are.
There has to be a balance between these two opposite ends of the human spectrum. Someone needs to bring both sides into the same room and hold their hands. Not for a "kumbaya" moment, but for a moment of reconciliation. The mature Christian needs the immature Christian to remind him of where God brought them from or through. He or she is there to show them that God's Grace and Mercy are always there to experience. His mercy and grace and faithfulness are to be "new every morning" (Lamentations 3:23). The immature needs the mature to assure him that God is a Rock that we can depend on. No matter what life's storms happen to be, God is faithful and loving to His children. Yes there is one momentous time of reconciliation when the lost is Saved, but there's also an ongoing reconciliation between the Saved and unsaved.
This is the job of the father. The father is the one to come alongside each person, first individually, then corporately. The father is the "traffic cop" of the reconciliation. This is the Truth of the Gospel. We need to be reconciled to God first, then we need to be reconciled with one another.
Aside from a parable of self-centered vs self-righteous lives and lifestyles, this is also a parable highlighting pride vs humility. You could also make the case for false-pride vs false-humility.
When we are immature, we tend to be self-centered. As I look at my grandson, his world centers around his wants and his needs. Thankfully, his mom and dad are teaching him that he has to put away his toys, not just for their safekeeping, but also because the it's the FAMILY room. There are other people who use that area. We love him to death, but it's not always about him. Going through the teen years for the third time, our youngest is having to "re-learn" those facts as well. He's learning that if you want "X" you have to do "A, B & C". Each of the immature persons is learning some "good" pride in hard work and perseverance plus some good humility.
In our maturity, we can easily become self-reliant and to further on to self-righteous. "This is how I do things and you're not going to change me." Well, my wife doesn't like the way I do certain things. Am I willing to humble myself and do them her way? Maybe, just maybe, I'll discover that her way is better. The old bromide that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" is pure self-righteousness. Perhaps there are some new things to be learned. Perhaps my way of thinking is so old that it actually breaks what needs to be fixed; it further wounds instead of heals.
The parable of the Prodigal Sons is an amazing story.
The Good son stays at the family business and busts his hump to show dad how "good" he is. He's self-righteous and almost self-serving. All of the time it's a kind of "look at how good I am" attitude. He needs an attitude adjustment.
The Bad son runs off and squanders his inheritance. All he cared about was himself and his needs and desires. And then came his attitude adjustment when the money ran out and there was no one to support or love him for who he was.
And then there is the Father. I don't think I'm that far off in believing that the father was indeed grateful that the older boy stayed to work the business. That was a good thing. But sometimes in a situation like this, words are not spoken. Everyone believes that you simply live within the expectations.
In the father's mind though, there was always the desire of the return of the younger son; the prodigal. The father loved both boys equally. They were his. And when the younger returned, it was the father's loving-duty to forgive and restore the younger. It was also the father's loving-duty to remind and restore the older. Both had to be reconciled to the father. Both had to be reconciled to each other.
This parable is the story of my life. I have a younger brother. We are brothers but we were never "close" as some brothers are. For several years, my brother "ran away" from our family's business to do his own thing. He then returned. While our father was still living, there was a restoration of sorts. There was a tension between the two sides of the business. But after dad died, our diversities got the better of us. We went our own ways. I had to buy him out of his share of the business. It was hard. It still is hard. For a period of time, we didn't speak to one another...and worse.
But God's timing lovingly began the healing process. Currently we are in the reconciling process. We speak with each other on the phone as needed. We even took our octogenarian mother out with both of our families for her birthday. That was the best present she could have received.
To be honest, as the "mature" brother - and also as the Christian - I am now having to be the "father" of our story as well to the two of us.
As far as my own children are concerned, well, let's just say that I've had both types of children. My daughter was a "prodigal" although the oldest. I love her. My youngest child, a son, still lives at home. He cops an attitude to my wife and me from time to time. He has everything that he could want or desire (within reason) at his disposal. I'm always here for him. He's disciplined as needed and he's welcomed back with open arms when he gets uppity. I love him. My middle child (oldest son) is away from home right now. He's struggling with some issues that only a loving God can work through. I have to remove my hands for the time being. Like the prodigals' father, I anxiously wait for the day when I'll see him on the horizon and hike up my cloak and run to him and welcome him back into our loving arms. I love as well; not any more nor any less.
The picture above is one of my brother and me taken when I was about 3 years old and my brother about 18 months.
God's love is demonstrated in His mercy, forgiveness, long-suffering, graciousness - His attributes. God delights in not only His perfect being but in His acts upon the universe, the earth and in all His creation including mankind. Why? Everything good is a reflection of Himself.
In the end, this is a story about Truth. And Truth is more than the 4th Aspect of Living the Parables (Duty, Character and Goals that we've looked at in each of the other parables). Truth is an Attribute of God. Truth is also discerning what is right in His eyes, not mine. It is discerning what is best and most important in the propagation of God's Kingdom, not mine. Truth is knowing and understanding that each of us is a prodigal child in our own way. Some of us are self-centered, some of us are self-righteous. Often we are both. Truth is knowing and understanding that we have a loving Father who loves and cares for us. Truth is knowing and understanding that He is waiting for each of us to come to our senses, give up who we think we are and come home.
Father, thank you for welcoming each one of us back with open arms and a forgiving heart. You are what every child longs for. Amen.
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Music Video: Mercy Me - "Finally Home"
