I remember listening to this story in catechism classes as a child. Scenes like Rembrandt's famous painting came to mind as I recalled how this prodigal son came back, sorry and contrite, to be received by the father. The entire emphasis seemed to be so much on the son, and how we should be like him and were encouraged to emulate his spirit.
Then one day, I let scriptures mess with religious thinking by reading the whole thing carefully for myself. I am always so amazed by how a different picture emerges when we read it slowly without allowing what we were taught by religion to get in the way. Follow me if you will, and let's go through this carefully for ourselves:
Luke 15: 11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.
The younger son asks for the inheritance. A man can only give an inheritance when he is dead and gone, so the young man is really insulting his father very gravely, telling him he'd rather he was dead and the son could have his money. Still, the father relented readily, did not quarrel with his son, but instead divided HIS LIVELIHOOD - not spare cash the man had but his very bread and butter.
13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.
The younger son takes it all, goes off to a far country. He wanted to have nothing to do with his family. He didn't just spend the money on something silly nearby. He wanted his father to not know anything about the life he wanted to live. In effect, it wasn't just that he wasted money, but in fact, in spite of his father's kindness, he wanted to live a life contrary to what his father might have wished for. It was a willful and rebellious act.
14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
I don't expect for one moment that he had planned to go broke but simply did not have wisdom. This left him in a very bad state. Few things could be less conceivable for a Jew than to be left feeding pigs.
You see, it took him reaching absolute rock bottom. Any less, if he was feeding sheep, if he wasn't that badly off, perhaps not starving completely, he might not have changed his mind. It was not because he was sorry about a moral wrong that he had committed; it was only for his stomach's sake, that he would not starve to death. He recalled how much more his father's servants had to eat. Okay, the only credit I'd give him is this: he realized his own dire position and that he needed his father.
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’
Now this selfish hungry man starts to connive a plan to save himself. He thinks his father will be angry with him so he makes a plan to go back to be one of the father's servants. He thinks he can at least earn a slice of bread from Pa to feed himself. Remember, this was a famine, so no one had much to spare and his choices very were limited.
20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
So Plan A of this selfish son now kicks into action - he goes back hoping to slobber and snivel his way back to survival as a servant. What he didn't know was that throughout this whole episode, his father was scanning the horizon daily, looking out for the day when he might see his son, hoping against hope that he would return. That's why his father saw him while he was a great way off.
Rembrandt got it wrong. The father did not hug him in the house. He ran a good distance, and fell on his neck. Mind you, sonny boy here didn't exactly smell of roses, more of swine. And he did not even get a chance to kneel, grovel or snivel before him. Scripture says the father fell on his neck so unless the son was very tall, he would still have been standing up.
As a kid I always had the idea that this part here was a full apology that took place, almost like with a priest in the confessional. The truth is, the son starts on his script and only gets past half of what he had planned - he never got to tell of his idea of becoming a servant. No, the father did not even listen to this. He wasn't interested in getting an apology or an account of his wealth. Like for us, God doesn't really care what state we return to Him in or what we say or do. He only cares that we come back to him on our own free will.
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
The father was more interested in restoring his son. He wanted to put clothes over the sorry state the son was in, to cover his shame. He could not wait to restore the son to authority with his ring. I can almost imagine him yelling in excitement at his servants, "Quick - get him some clothes, get shoes for him!!!".
Like the father, God's forgiveness was already completed on the Cross. God doesn't even have to forgive anymore. Jesus paid the price when he said "It is FINISHED!" He now eagerly awaits those lost to return, which is why Jesus said:
Luke 15:10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (NKJV)
In the light of Jesus' sacrifice for our sins, the only thing that matters now is that we show up and call on Him. We show up, realize that we need Him, and He will run to restore us.
23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. The father's words to the servants tells us his heart. They weren't celebrating because:
- his son was sorry for what he had done and has had a change of heart, asking for forgiveness (really, all he wanted was to not starve to death)
- his son who was a sinner now no longer sins
No. the father was overjoyed for only one reason - the son he thought he had lost was found. The same son he ached nights over thinking he might be dead was, in fact, alive and here with him.As I think about this, my mind is brought to every of the vilest, most evil people imaginable on earth. From Hitler to Stalin, from Osama Bin Laden to each suicide bomber, each rapist and murderer. God only longs for the day when they realize they are really in the rock bottom and need Him. As it were, He scans the horizon each day awaiting another to return. It hurts Him that any of these are lost, for scripture says:
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (NKJV)
Without Jesus, we're like any of those people mentioned, for we all too have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).
God's greatest joy now is not to hear us grovel and snivel, not to wait to hear us confess each and every sin. Like the son, we're all selfish too - we didn't come to the Lord because of how sorry we were to have wronged Him or anything like that. I'll bet many of us came because of the "fire insurance". However, He only wants one thing, that we show up in His presence. All else does not matter.
Isn't the heart of the Father so great? Truly amazing grace.
If you haven't already, just show up and enjoy Extreme Love. Thank God that He sent His Son Jesus to die on the Cross for your sins and call Him your God and Saviour, and go look for some Christians to talk to. Or send me a comment!
