Luke 15: 11-31:
11 And He said, “A man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his [d]wealth between them. 13 And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. 14 Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. 15 So he went and [e]hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the [f]pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. 17 But when he came to [g]his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and [h]in your sight; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’ 20 So he got up and came to [i]his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and [j]embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; 23 and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. 29 But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never [k]neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; 30 but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your [l]wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you [m]have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”
-------------------------Undoubtedly, hands down, this is the most impactful parable that Jesus shared during his ministry on Earth. It's a story of family, and it perfectly syncs up with the outrageousness of the gospel. Jesus spent so much time teaching his followers that he'd come to fulfill the Law, therefore their penchant for obsessing over technicalities certainly now had no place in their lives. The parable of the prodigal son served as the zenith for obliterating the stronghold the Law still had over them.
When I was a teen, the challenge of the latest board game was how I spent the majority of my time with friends, and this was especially true around the holidays. Determining a winner within a board game is only possible whilst following the rules to the tee. Oftentimes, a minor technicality could turn the tide during the last few minutes of the game. All games are like this. That's why we have referees and officiating personnel who oversee the entire gaming process.
Later on in my life, I found myself caught up in travails that I was ashamed of, and it was then that those in authority over me used technicalities to punish me. And during that process, they took it upon themselves to demonize me as they reviewed what they understood of my life as it pertained to their expectations. Oh, how I longed for compassion at that point! But, it was simply not in their vocabulary.
If we could see forward into the narrative of the prodigal son, I believe we'd find a boy who continued to be somewhat intrinsically rebellious and haughty, even after his father's earlier display of extraordinary generosity and care. And similarly, the older brother likely continued to be a somewhat perturbed prick. Because of this truth relative to how people tend to continue forward within their fallen character, this is why we write people off / delete them from our lives in lieu of continuing forward in obligation to them. We simply find it easier to penalize them on a technicality, and in turn, punish them as they deserve.
Plus, it's rewarding in a sick and twisted kind of way, to watch people who are different than us suffer. Even if at times it's our own children.
But this is not how our Heavenly Father operates because he can do what we cannot. See our hearts. Our motivations. Where our allegiances truly lie. Plus, he takes the long view as the vineyard-keeper. Look at Luke 13: 6-9:
6 And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. 7 And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree [d]without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; 9 and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’”
In other words, he saying, here's my idle son. He's taking up a space, only to leech off of everyone else's resources. Nevertheless, I have hope for him still. It's the possibility of him coming around that far outweighs my disappointment in him today.
May we as Christians consider everyone around us as we've been considered by our Heavenly Father, and henceforth be reminded daily of the monumental grace that's been willingly bestowed on us. In essence, may we choose to take the long view with people, resisting the urge to demonize, doing so in return as we consider fully what we've been given, forever hopeful that we'll see those buds sprout forth within our neighbors, signaling the inevitable fruit of the spirit. (Galatians 5: 22-23)
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