“The Parable of the Gracious Father and His Two Lost Sons”

Scripture – Luke 15:11-32

Sermon preached by the Rev. Dr. Gregory Knox Jones

Sunday, October 20, 2024

 

This fall we are taking a look at the parables of Jesus and today’s tale is a favorite of many. Interestingly, scholars debate what to call it.

Most of the parables of Jesus have agreed upon titles – The Sower and the Seeds, the Good Samaritan, The Laborers in the Vineyard, and so on. Not so, with today’s parable.

Many of us were taught that the name of this parable is The Parable of the Prodigal Son. However, most New Testament scholars point out the inadequacy of that title. The parable is not only about the prodigal. There are two sons in this story. Thus, some call it The Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother, others call it the Parable of the Two Sons. However, those titles are also deficient because this story is not only about the two brothers, but also their father.

Why is this such a popular parable? Perhaps it is because the family dynamics are so familiar that many of us can imagine it unfolding in our family or the next door neighbor’s family. One son does what he is supposed to do and makes something of his life. The younger brother – to put it mildly – is a handful. He always bucked the conventional and often landed in the principal’s office. He was a constant source of anxiety for his parents. There was always the hope that he would grow up and get his act together. In some families it happened. In others, it did not.

However, in our parable, the older brother is not held up as a shining model to follow. He, too, has serious issues. So, in my mind, the best title for today’s parable is: The Parable of the Gracious Father and His Two Lost Sons.”

The action begins quickly. A man has two sons and the younger one asks his father for his inheritance. He sees not reason to wait for some future date; he wants to get his hands on the money now. Inexplicably, the father grants his wish. The younger son gathers his stuff and heads for a distant region. Before Jesus utters another word, we have the feeling that this is not going to end well, and sure enough, the younger son squanders it all.

I suspect he fell prey to those pop-up ads that constantly tempt us to believe we can enjoy whatever we desire today. Why wait? Savor now, pay later.

Whether it is immaturity or just plain foolishness, the younger son fails to recognize the security and stability of his home. Like most of us, he became accustomed to all that he had. He took for granted that food would always be on the table, warm clothes would be hanging in the closet, a comfortable bed would be available at night, and family would be nearby.

Last Monday, on our flight back from Scotland, we were supposed to land at the Philadelphia airport by five o’clock. However, our flight from Glasgow to Heathrow was delayed and we missed our connection. That sent us to the customer service line where we waited for two hours and twenty-one minutes. But who’s counting? When it was finally our turn, we were told that there were no more flights on any airline to Philadelphia that day. We asked if we could fly into BWI and scored the last two seats. We had to scurry through the airport to make the connection that would put us in around nine o’clock Monday night. We planned to catch a train from there to Wilmington, but Graeme and Julie Wilson – good souls that they are – insisted on driving to BWI and collecting us.

By the time we got home it was nearly midnight, and I grumbled about being up for 23 straight hours. The next day, as I was staggering to adjust to the Eastern Time Zone, I happened to read something that reminded me that it took Columbus two months to cross the Atlantic. That two by four silenced my whining.

It is easy to fall into that mode of taking things for granted, isn’t it? But sometimes, something happens, and you wake up. After the recent hurricane, you can bet that the folks in Asheville, North Carolina, no longer take clean water or electricity for granted.

The younger brother not only took the comforts of life for granted, he was seduced by that voice that beckoned him to respond to his impulses rather than sound judgment. There is something appealing about striking out on your own and charting your own course. But it does not always turn out the way we imagine. Especially if charting your own course is actually indulging yourself today with little thought for tomorrow.

When our parable says that the younger brother took off for a distant region, it does not simply mean he wanted to see more of the world. It meant that he yearned to cut himself free from the way of living, thinking, and behaving that had been handed down to him. He bucked the values of his family, his community, and his faith to follow his dreams.

Of course, his dreams were propelled by his physical desires. He was not embarking on a spiritual quest; he was driven by his biological urges. He was not pursuing a call to a meaningful life; he was allowing his libido to grab the steering wheel.

The defiant son wandered far from home and initially imagined he had discovered what he was seeking – loads of friends and a life of pleasure. But once he burned through all of his shekels, he found himself friendless and hungry. He was amusing to others only as long as he was picking up the tab. Once the money dried up, the good times came to an abrupt halt.

As one colleague put it, he did not realize that his fun times had “an expiration date (and he) did not account for calamity as a byproduct. While indulging in excesses, he never anticipated the sort of hunger that drives one to envy what the pigs are eating.”1

Pig slop is an amazing motivator! It was the two by four he needed to wake up and the parable captures the moment in just a handful of words, saying: “But when he came to his senses.” I can relate to those words. Can you? Have you ever found yourself heading in the wrong direction, but at some point, you came to your senses?

Thankfully, the younger son made a course correction before it was too late. And once he straightened out his mental faculties, he knew precisely what to do. Acknowledge his mistake and head for home. Trek back to a father who was caring enough not to allow him to starve. The theological term for this turning from the misguided way to the wise way is repentance.

So the young son headed for home hoping his father will forgive him for blowing his inheritance. He was probably bracing himself for the words he had coming to him: “I hope you’ve learned your lesson!”

However, it turned out that he did not really know his father. His father was not angry. He was worried sick that he had lost his son forever. He was not simply forgiving; he was over the moon to see his son coming home. The text says that while the son was still far off, the father saw him returning. Was that just a coincidence? Or was that father peering out with binoculars day after day hoping against all logic to catch a glimpse of his son coming home?

When the father – who of course represents God – spots him, he does not wait on the porch for his son to arrive. He sprints down the road with his beautiful red robe flowing behind him to his son barefoot and in rags. He throws his arms around his son and kisses him.

The son says, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” The father’s response is to shout; not at his son, but to his servants. “Bring out the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Get the prized calf and prepare it for a celebration because my son – my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!”

The party breaks out almost immediately, but then the spotlight shifts from the celebration to the older son. He was unaware of what was happening because he had been dutifully working out in the field. However, as he approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He questioned one of the servants, “What’s going on?” And the servant replied that his brother had returned and their father was throwing a grand party.

The response of the older brother to this news? His eyes squint, his teeth clinch, and his emotions flare. He stands like a statue in the front yard and refuses to join the festivities.

Their father, who had scampered down the road to embrace his younger son, now goes out to his older son and pleads with him to join the celebration. The older brother snaps at 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 – note he does not say ‘my brother,’ but rather ‘this son of yours’ – comes back after devouring your assets on prostitutes, you kill the fatted calf for him!”

Professor Tom Long says, “What the older son lacks is a religious worldview that makes room for the possibility that God might have joy over repentant sinners as well as joy over keepers of the commandments.”2

Blogger Don McMinn tells a story about the famous 19th Century Bible scholar Matthew Henry. “One day he was attacked by a thief who stole his wallet. That evening he wrote these words in his diary: Lord, you have taught us to be thankful in all things. Today I was robbed. I am grateful for that experience for four reasons. First, I am thankful because it was the first time I have been robbed. Second, though he took my wallet, he did not take my life. Third, though he took all my money, it wasn’t very much money. Fourth, I thank you because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed.”3

Instead of giving in to fury, bitterness, and pity for himself, as the older brother did, Henry had adopted the antidote to these negative emotions. He took seriously the importance of Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians: “Give thanks in all circumstances.”

I wonder if the older brother ever overcame his hostile feelings and told his brother that he was glad he was back home. I wonder if he ever learned to enjoy another person’s success. I wonder if when he had children of his own he was able to forgive the one who constantly tried his patience. I wonder if he ever had the wisdom and the humility to say to his father, “Thank you for being so gracious and loving.”

Both sons distanced themselves from their father in their own ways. Yet the father never stopped pursuing either of them.

The parable ends with the celebration still buzzing, but there are four things to note. First, “This son of mine” becomes “This brother of yours.” The message of Jesus is that we are all children of God and should therefore treat one another as brothers and sisters.

Second, the father says that the celebration was not simply a nice thing to do, but was necessary. We had to do it because rejoicing over people who lose their way but come back home is at the heart of God.4

Third, the father affirms to the older brother that not only is his inheritance intact, but he “is fully his son and he shares completely in his life.”5

Finally, we are left asking ourselves: “In what ways do I distance myself from God? Isn’t it time to rush up the steps and into the house to join the celebration?”

 

NOTES

  1. Chris Burton, “Love Said Not So,” A Sermon for Every Sunday, March 27, 2022.
  2. Thomas G. Long, Proclaiming the Parable, (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2024), p. 324.
  3. Don McMinn, Think with Me, August 20, 2024
  4. Thomas G. Long, p. 325.
  5. Thomas G. Long, p. 324.

 

Prayers of the People

Gregory Knox Jones

 

Creator of all that is, much of the time we live as though we deserve our lives; and not only do we act as though we deserve our eyes, our ears, and our breath, but we imagine that we are entitled to good health, protection from tragedy, opportunities to prosper, fair treatment, a loving family and more. We forget that we have done nothing to earn our existence and so many blessings that come with it. We forget that it’s all a marvelous gift!

We pray that we will come to our senses while our brain cells still hum; and we will not squander our days chasing the false idols of hedonistic pleasure, momentary fame, thirst for power, and mindless materialism. May we be alert to the things that chip away at our souls so that we may return to the path that leads to a beautiful life.

Loving God, we live in a land of plenty; yet, despite our prosperity, we find that we are often dying of hunger. Late at night when all of our electronic stimulants have been powered down and we have time to think, we wonder if this is the life you hope for us. Could the restlessness inside be a longing for happiness, for meaning, for love, for peace?

Forgiving God, we are grateful that you continually seek us and are eager to sprint down the road to welcome us home even after we have bungled our opportunities and disappointed you. Rather than punishing, you love each of us as if we are your only child. You fire up the grill and pop the cork to celebrate our return. You revive our dead souls and infuse us with joy by showing us the way that leads to health and wholeness.

Gracious God, we give thanks for your love and pray that we may garner the capacity to love others with the same generous spirit you love us. May we experience the joy that flows from lifting others, for we know that when we extend aid to people who are hurting, we minister to you.

God of compassion, may we be mindful of those within our church family who are hurting – those who grieve the loss of loved ones, those who are ill, and those who are lonely. May we touch them with your love as we reach out to them with our lives.

God of all nations, this day we especially remember the suffering people of Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. Forgive us when we mute our voices and surrender to the status quo when we should speak out against oppression and the killing of innocents, especially women and children. They need our prayers and our financial aid, not more of our bombs. And may there be intense international pressure to stop the killing and to forge a path to a just and lasting peace.

We pray in the name of the Prince of Peace who taught us to pray the prayer that Christians around the world pray, saying: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.