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| "The Return of the Prodigal Son" Rembrandt (c. 1661-69) |
So, okay. We all know the parable Jesus
preaches in the Gospel lesson appointed for Lent 4, Year C in the Revised
Common Lectionary (Luke 15: 1-3; 11b-32). It’s been lovingly called “The Parable
of the Prodigal Son,” and I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s the most famous
of Jesus’ parables because it’s the most relatable.
Yeah, for good or ill, we all have families. And for good or ill, just
about every family with more than one kid has a kid who gets more attention
from Mom and Dad than the others. And there’s always that one kid who ends up
looking after an aging parent, doing the shopping, driving Mom to the doctor’s,
or cutting Dad’s lawn when Dad gets too old to do it and buying his Depends for him.
When Mom and Dad go home to their Heavenly
Rewards, leaving the estate equally divided between faithful you, your
dead-beat brother, and your junkie slut sister—I won’t be surprised if you feel
a little bit slighted and resentful. Just like that older brother in the
parable. You did all the work, darn it! Why should they share in the
profits..?! It’s just not fair!!!
Because we include verses 1-3 in this
reading text, we assume that Jesus is casting the perpetual “bad guys,” the
scribes and Pharisees, in the role of older brother. They resent that Jesus
should honor a bunch of sinners, traitors, whores, etc. with his presence
and his charitable gospel. But Jesus sums it all up in verse 10 by saying:
“Just so I tell you, there is joy in the
presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Pretty much speaks for itself, doesn’t it?
But what’s so cool about this particular
parable, I think, is that it works on many levels. Any one of us could play any
of the three major characters in this story. You may, indeed be the faithful
one who has played by the rules all your life and goes a little whack-o when
you see someone you think is “undeserving” being shown mercy or compassion. We’ve
all felt jealousy or the injury of being overlooked and under-appreciated. It’s
not that easy to tell yourself that the good fortune of another is no threat to
your sense of self-worth or dignity. Elections have been won by playing on
people’s sense of wounded entitlement. But God asks more from us. God asks
older brothers to look with the Father’s eyes.
Looking with the Father’s eyes may not be an
easy trick if you happen to be playing the role of Prodigal Son. Maybe you’ve
been in this part yourself. Maybe you’re in recovery, you’ve gone to jail, or
you’ve been bankrupt, divorced, fired, expelled, or screwed up in the infinite
number of ways human beings screw up. Or maybe you just haven’t been to church
for a really long time, and you’re afraid people will judge you and ask where
you’ve been when you slink your backsliding butt back in through the church doors.
Maybe you know you haven’t pulled your share of the load, and you’re ashamed to
face the folks you think have done. Maybe you wonder if arms will still be
opened to you.
And maybe you’re playing the role of the
Dad in this story. Ya think? Yes, you may be saying, “Wait, Old Religious Guy,
isn’t the Father supposed to represent God? I would never presume to cast myself in this role.” Oh no? If we’re
honest, we all either are, will be, or in some way cast ourselves in the role
of a parent. Personally, I never mind when folks in Northeast Philly address me
as “Father,” because a pastor, like a parent, is a person who has complete
responsibility for something over which they ultimately have no control.
Although I have no biological kids of my own, I still feel a little sting when
one of my Confirmation kids affirms his or her baptism in a solemn liturgy and
then disappears out the church door, never to be seen again.
Like the dad in this parable, we all have
the potential to feel the pain of someone we care for who goes and runs their
life into the crapper. We know what it’s like to be looking toward that foreign
land, scanning the horizon, in the hopes that an angry, addicted, confused, or
obsessed child might one day make his or her way back into our lives and our
hearts.
We all play the dad role. We all feel the
pain, and we face the challenge to pray and hope and welcome and rejoice for a
restored relationship. May God grant us the courage to come to ourselves, ask
forgiveness, and accept the forgiveness that’s granted. May we be willing to
put compassion for others above our selfishness. May we learn to love through
the hurt of our humanness.
God’s peace be with you. Thanks for visiting
me this week.
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