The Prodigal Son and His Elder Brother, Part 2

The prodigal son is one of the most famous characters in Jesus' parables. He is, in many ways, like a lot of younger siblings: perhaps a little spoiled, has a sense of entitlement, doesn't like rules, and doesn't respect authority. He does perhaps the worst thing he can to his father outside of actually killing him: he says he wishes his father were dead so he could have his inheritance. If you have children, imagine them coming to you and saying they can't wait for you to die so they can get your stuff. It's a powerful expression of greed and a lack of love to say that, but that's just what this son does.

The father, who, of course, represents God, doesn't disown his son as he has the right to do, doesn't yell at him, doesn't try to change his mind, and doesn't even mention his disappointment or the shame it's caused him. God does that with us. He won't force us to stay with Him or love Him. If we wish to go our own way to try to make it on our own in the world with the gifts He's given us, He'll let us go.

Instead of using his inheritance to settle down, buy some land, get married, and start a family, the younger son spends it selfishly on parties and women. We don't know how long he was able to survive or how wild he really was, but he led a Dionysian lifestyle until he ran out of funds. We don't know if he thought about his father and brother during this time at all, but he never returned to them. He was partying and focused on himself.

Eventually, though, he was forced to stop when he ran out of money. He was dirt broke and apparently hadn't acquired much in the way of marketable skills, either, because the best job he could find was feeding pigs. The job paid so little that he was jealous of what he was feeding the pigs. Finally, he comes to the end of himself. His pride is broken. He realizes how far he's fallen and how in need he is of something better.

That is when he starts thinking of the father. The interesting point is that he didn't think of how much he missed and loved his father. He didn't think of how badly he had wronged his father and needed to make things right. He thought of food. He remembered that his father's servants had plenty of food and that was his motivation for returning. Even when he was doing the right thing, he was only able to do it for selfish motives.

That's how we treat God a lot of the time. There's a story of a professor who gave notoriously difficult tests. One time, he began the class after the exam with this statement, "God thanked me the other day for the test I gave you. He said He hadn't heard from many of you in years." God knows that, without Him, the world is too powerful for us, that we will come to the end of ourselves, and that that is what we need to turn to Him.

The story gets even more interesting. The son tries to offer himself to the father as a hired hand. He was finally willing to serve, even if it was only for his own benefit. The father, though, sees him from afar. How was he able to see him? The father was looking for him, hoping he would come back. He runs to his son, overcome with joy. He had to have noticed the son's needs, seen his bare feet, looked at his gaunt and haggard body, smelled the stench of pigs on him. His son was doubtless absolutely filthy and disgusting. The father didn't care. He falls on his neck and kisses him.

The son then starts his speech of repentance, but the father doesn't even seem to hear him. Through this, the father has ignored how fallen his son has become, ignored the pain of his own loss through the years, even ignored the repentance of his son. All that mattered was that the prodigal son had returned. There was no demand made of what his son had been up to; no chastisement or punishment for blowing the inheritance on wild parties and prostitutes; no waiting for an apology or groveling; no sense of disgust at what his son had become and how far he had fallen; and no requirement to pay back what he had spent. There was only love and joy.

No matter what any of you have done, no matter how far you have fallen, there is God waiting for you, eagerly hoping you turn to Him. He is waiting to embrace you, even in your worst state. He won't make you pay Him back for all the wrong you've done, you couldn't even if you tried. He won't yell at you for what you've done or make you feel like a horrible person. He doesn't even want you to make yourself feel like a horrible person.

When the father cuts him off, he starts seeing to the needs of the younger son. He brings a robe to cover him and a ring so he can buy and sell in the family's name and sandals for his bare feet. These things far exceeded the son's needs and expectations and welcomed him back wholeheartedly into the father's house. The father feeds the son with a feast, inviting all his neighbors. The father isn't concerned at all about what the feast is costing him or what his son had cost him. There is only the fact that the son has returned.

For many people reading that story, they think salvation is free and restoration to Christ is a gift. To an extent, that is true. It is free for us. But the other side is the high cost to God. When the father welcomed his son back, he made him an heir again. He gave him the rights to sign contracts in the family's name again. He made his resources his son's resources, too. That was after all he had given his son.

For God, the cost was much greater. It was the life of Jesus, His Son, tortured and beaten and killed for us.

There are those who have the attitude of, "I know I'm wrong, but I'll just get saved later. If salvation is free and it doesn't matter what I've done, then why lose my freedom earlier than I have to?" Others, who have become Christians, think, "I'm forgiven no matter what I do and God already knows what I will do, so I'll just do what I want and repent later." Neither viewpoint is one of love for God and respect for the cost of our salvation. It is saying that God doesn't matter, nor what He gave up to pay for our sins, only that we are safe from hell. It would be like the son coming back, being welcomed into the family, then immediately asking for money so he could go back and live his old lifestyle a bit more. He'd be spitting on his father's mercy and kindness.

Yes, once we give our lives to Christ, we are forgiven no matter what we do, but it is because that forgiveness was so expensive that we should strive to need as little of it as possible once we're saved. We're never going to be perfect and we're not saved through our works, but we honor God and show Him love by honoring the sacrifice He made for us. We turn from being prodigal sons into loving sons...

Or into elder brothers, which we will look at tomorrow.