Being Lost

Being Lost

Luke 15:11-32

So, there’s this story that Jesus tells his followers about a wealthy father and his two sons. His oldest son always followed the rules, respecting his dad, getting his chores done, and was content with living his life in this way. His younger son, however, experienced a great deal of discontent – and for what reason, we are not given.

One day, the younger son decides that living on this farm that his father owned was no longer good enough for him – that it was time that he struck off on his own. We are led to believe that, for whatever reason, he actually really hates his dad. This is believed because he demanded that he receive his inheritance from his father right then and there before striking off on his own. Demanding your inheritance from your parent who is very much alive is equatable to telling your parent to, “Drop dead, I want nothing to do with you. I’m taking what’s rightfully mine and I’m leaving!” The older brother’s jaw must have dropped to hear this from his brother’s mouth. Then, if his jaw hadn’t hit the floor, it certainly did when his father actually complied with the request! The younger son then took what was given to him and moved to the city.

Now, we don’t know what exactly went on in the city for the younger son or how the money was spent, only what big brother will later on speculate. Given the meaning of “prodigal,” however, we can infer that he was reckless with his money and certainly didn’t follow Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University financial course. His resources were used up around the same time that severe food shortage hit the country. Like what many others were likely experiencing, he hit some dire straights. Things got so desperate for the younger son that he hired himself out to a pig farmer to feed his animals. A Jew, debasing himself to the point of becoming unclean by being with pigs. He became so hungry that the slop he was feeding the pigs was beginning to look awfully good… then it hit him: he was never in want when he was in his father’s household – even the family servants were never in need of anything. If he could only go back home, but surely that bridge was burnt and damaged beyond repair, right?

The younger son resolves himself to return to his father, but instead of being reinstated and recognized as his son, he is determined to be content with being only a servant since he effectively removed himself from the family. The young son is practicing his speech all the way home, expecting a cold welcome. Imagine his surprise, then, when his father, seeing him crest the hill, came running out to him, embracing him and calling for a party before he can deliver his prepared speech! The fattened calf was slaughtered, a robe fetched, and the family ring placed upon his finger. The father, not caring about the insult given him or money lost, was going to celebrate his lost “prodigal” son returning home!

Big brother was not so forgiving, though. When he learns what all the commotion was about upon returning from the fields, he refuses to join in on the celebrations. If we stop and think about it, we can see why he is so mad. As a result of dad giving his younger son the inheritance early, the estate had been cut in half, which meant that the overall earning potential over the subsequent years would suffer – by taking his inheritance early, the younger brother had also lost his older brother’s potential wealth! Putting money aside, however, the older son saw this as rewarding irresponsible behavior. “I’ve done everything right, Dad! I’ve followed your instructions, always been obedient, and not once did you celebrate me for following the rules! Then my little brother comes home after wasting all of your money on God-knows-what, probably prostitutes, and you throw a massive party for him!”

“But son,” the Father says to his eldest progeny, “You’ve been with me the whole time – what’s mine is yours, always has been! All you had to do was ask!” This is where we begin to see that maybe the younger son wasn’t the only one that was lost… just the more obvious one.

How many times have you followed the rules and expected some “Universal Law of Fairness” to kick in? How many times have you been disgusted by those who messed up and didn’t follow the rules, but still seem to have everything handed to them on a silver plate? I know that this has been me on a number of occasions, even as a young child. I remember a first-grade field trip to the zoo, and the parent chaperoning my group had purchased us a treat – well, this was against the rules, and I was sure to voice this out loud! Instead of accepting the graceful act of love which was presented to me and my classmates, I decided to call her out for her nice deed! How many times have you not been able to accept a gift of grace and love given to either you or someone else because of “the rules?”

It’s easy for us to pick on the younger brother in this story. After all, it’s easy to see where he was out of line – he told his dad “I wish you were dead, now give me my money!” Blatantly out of line. We’re even finding ourselves beginning to side with big brother as the story unfolds – “He did this to you, and you’re going to throw him a party!?!?” Then the Jesus hits the listener when the father tells his son that he’s been a part of experiencing the love all along. We realize then that following the rules for the rules’ sake is dangerous because it keeps us from fully opening ourselves up to and experiencing the love that is already freely given to us.

All of our rule-following won’t save us, and we find that the case happens to be just the opposite – if we concern ourselves solely with keeping the rules / laws / regulations, then we will wind up more lost because we will have blinded ourselves to the love which God already freely gives us. Therefore, let us celebrate when others realize that love in their own lives, whether they finally realize that being a stickler to the rules as they see them are not what’s important after all or they have finally come to their senses and repent of their wasteful and selfish way of life!

Let us be a part of the party. Let us open ourselves up to the experience of God’s love no matter how “prodigal” we may be.

photo credit: lost-man.jpg found at https://bestcatholicgifts.com/the-parable-of-the-lost-coin-moral-lessons