The Prodigals

The title of this series is “To My Friend Who Left the Faith.” While the next four weeks will address questions, issues, and doubts raised by those who are apprehensive of Christianity, we must first look inward before we can honestly speak to those outside of the faith. When we encounter individuals who have abandoned their childhood faith or are experiencing a “deconstruction,” what’s our first impulse? Are we excited about the possibility of their return? Do we show love to them as they consider their way forward, or do we turn up our noses like the elder brother in this parable?

Bearden, the author who wrote “To My Friend Who Left the Faith” writes, “We call this story the Parable of the Prodigal Son, but we should really call it the Parable of the Prodigal Sons. You see, it’s possible to be a prodigal without ever leaving home. Just look at the elder brother, with all his vanity and lack of grace.”

We’ve heard the story of the prodigal countless times. Some of you have probably been all three characters at one point in your life. So far, for me, I probably could say I have been both sons at one point in my life. I pray that neither of my two would become either one of the sons so that I don’t have to be the father of the story and end up becoming all three characters.

When I read this story, it still tears me up inside. It is because of the love of the father in this story. I know God is faithful, and His love is wild, unpredictable, and sometimes unfair. Let’s be honest with ourselves, if we recognize ourselves as the prodigal, what are we expecting when we arrive home?

We are not expecting to see the father run down a dirt road with tears in his eyes, welcoming us back. We are not expecting a party or celebration for our return. We are not expecting any affection whatsoever.

What we are expecting is scolding. We are expecting some hesitancy. Some doubt. Some type of punishment for our sins. Again, if we are being honest, we expect some blood for repentance. That’s the typical mindset of a lot Christians when they think of God as judge.

Let’s move our attention to the goody two shoes, the older brother. There are two sides when we look at the older brother. First is the theological perspective of self-righteousness, arrogance, and unholy spite. The other perspective to me is that he is the responsible one, the one who stayed behind to help, the one getting things done. I like people who are responsible and take the initiative to get things done.

It reminds me of Mary and Martha’s story in chapter 10. Martha was busy serving Jesus and the guests while her sister was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening. Now both have their place, but in my opinion, Martha was being a good host, so she was being hospitable. But Jesus saw Mary as being the one more hospitable by sitting and listening to his teachings. But I digress.

Back to the older brother. You know he had to be upset for weeks after his brother’s welcoming home party. His anger festered. He probably held a grudge against his younger brother and didn’t respect his father anymore. He became lost and estranged right in the presence of his father. He needed love from his father like his younger brother just received. He needs to be taught how to love.

Many lifelong Christians need to be taught how to love again. The challenge that many good people have and why the proverb goes “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” is that we think we are good, good enough to be righteous. When we think we are righteous, then it leads us to believe God should be loyal to us, and us only. Let me remind you that “your righteousness is filthy rags” according to Isaiah 64:6.

What is your concept or understanding of happiness, being normal, or being good? Have we constructed what it means to have a good life from television? We talk about people who are fake, which is ironic because, at times, real people are actively trying to live like fake people. Trying to find that happiness just like the younger prodigal brother was doing.

We may find that the father’s love in this story is a bit much, maybe a little reckless. Because it is.

But the real Prodigal in this story is the father. Over-the-top, undignified, and hair-raising in his love?

Look at the picture on the front of the bulletin. This is a sculpture at Duke Divinity’s cafeteria, and it fascinated me when I first saw the faces of all three individuals. The younger son looked shocked and was overwhelmed by the reaction of his father. The father’s face showed the pain and anguish of a lost son. The older brother looked as if he was disgusted with the whole situation.

A stand-in for God, the Father provides a vision of restoration. The son will receive new clothes, a lavish feast, and even a place to sleep. More importantly, he will receive his dad again. He is forgiven.

If you notice in verse 20, we see the father watching and waiting for his son to come home. God waits long-sufferingly for many of us to come to our senses, and when we do, he is there like a loving father welcoming us home.

Just as vital, is the figure standing to the right of the father and son. Here looms the elder brother—the brother who chose to remain beside his father despite his sibling running away with half the farm.

While the father in the sculpture bends down to accept his son, the elder brother stands tall. The elder brother folds his arms in judgment. This sculpture captures a crucial element of the parable. Are we excited about the lost being found? Are we having parties when people get saved?

We, and I say we because I am still learning, don’t really know how to react to God’s love and active pursuit of the prodigals. If God loves the lost like we see in Luke 15, then we should too. Are we actively going out to reach the lost, the hurting, and the broken? Or do we treat these individuals like caricatures that we talk and debate about but never show real love to?

In his book, Bearden addresses a friend who left the faith. At one point in the story, he laments his “elder brother” attitude. He writes, “In the past, I’ve spoken to you without first letting you know that I heard you. Or, even worse, I avoided you because I didn’t want to hear you. I only wanted you to hear me. I want to care about you more than I care about walking away from a discussion feeling like I bested you. You are not a goal, an intellectual exercise, or a face. You are my friend” (38). Have you ever been guilty of this same mistake?

“Jesus hung out with sinners—those on the fringes and those who used their power to suppress the poor. He called them to repentance and showed them their place in the Kingdom of God. The teachers of the law hated to see Jesus feasting with these outcasts because, to the Jewish people, feasts represented the joy and celebration that came at the end of time. Jesus made a bold statement: these individuals have a place at my table.”

If God the Father can forgive us as sinners, he surely can forgive someone else. That is the beauty of God’s love. We cannot let anything keep us from forgiving others. If you are refusing to forgive people, you are missing a wonderful opportunity to experience joy and share it with others. Make your joy grow. Forgive somebody who has hurt you.

I want to make this parable plain to you. All the indulgences of the prodigal will not shut him out of heaven, for he came repenting to his father: but all the virtues of the elder brother will not let him into heaven, for he cherished pride in his heart, and taunted his father for overlooking his worth.

We must see that the Savior calls the lost and not the self-righteous to repentance even though the self-righteous need to repent just as much, if not more.a