Scripture: Luke 15: 11-32 Nigel Bunce
The Prodigal Son is not the most interesting character in Jesus’ parable. That place goes to the older brother, who is justifiably angry at what happened. But the most interesting character of all — the boys’ mother — doesn’t even feature.
Three parables about lost and found
Superficially, they are similar. Loss of something valuable, and rejoicing at its recovery. A shepherd lost one sheep from his flock of 100. A widow lost one of ten silver coins.
The parable of the Prodigal Son speaks to something even more precious . A lost family member.
A traditional interpretation
What I call the Sunday School interpretation of the lost son simply makes the parallel with the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.
The father represents God. The younger son represents folks like us. We leave for a figurative far-off land. There, we don’t give God a thought. But one day we realize our spiritual bankruptcy. So we turn back to God. Who welcomes us back as our loving father.
It’s all nice and cuddly. However, there’s no role for the older brother.
The boys’ relationship is the crux of the story
The older son is a dutiful first-born. He busts his buns working on the family farm. The younger son is spoiled and pampered. He gets away with not pulling his weight.
So Younger Son asks his father, “I’d like to have my share of my inheritance now. Then I can do something with it and not have to wait for you to die?” Dad agrees. “No more Lowville for me,” he says, “I’m off to New York.” And off he goes to make his fortune.
Older Son feels pretty sore about this. He’s still at home, working on the farm. Up at 5 a.m. to milk the cows. When his brother is just staggering off to bed, after a night of drinking, gambling, and women. Of course, all that carousing messed up his dream of becoming a Broadway actor.
A shameful necessity
We’re not Jewish. So it’s hard for us to imagine how shameful it would be for the Prodigal Son to take a job tending pigs. He’d be ritually unclean, like the pigs. People would shun him. So he decides to goes back home. However, the best he can hope for is a menial job on his father’s estate.
But when he arrives, his father is simply happy that his son returned safely. He forgets the shame that his son brought on the family. He arranges a great party.
The older brother’s anger
Now Older Son is really ticked off. It’s yet another example of how Dad plays favourites with Younger Son.
It’s worse when Dad soft soaps Older Son. Telling him he’s always had the security of home and hearth, and anyway, he’ll still get his share of the inheritance. For all he knows, Dad will change his will and cut Younger Son in again.
In most sermons about this parable, Older Brother gets criticized for being petty and small-minded. If he gets mentioned at all. But from his point of view, life is unfair. However, there are similar threads in the parables of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin.
What about all that rejoicing in heaven?
Jesus tells us that there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over all those who were not sinners in the first place. Really? Will God really value and reward the old reprobate who broke all the Commandments about lying, adultery, theft etc, but repented on his deathbed?
More than all the people who tried to live righteous lives? Is that fair? Doesn’t trying to be a good disciple and coming to church at St. George’s every week count for anything?
Yes, life can be unfair
I have spoken before about Psalm 73. It speaks directly to the problem of unfairness in life. The psalmist writes, “I see the ungodly in such prosperity. They have no torments but are lusty and strong. They fall into no misfortune like other folk …”
However, the psalmist recognizes something else. It is not up to him to right the wrongs of the world, even when life seems unfair. In the context of today’s Scripture, it’s God’s decision whether to welcome reformed old reprobates. Not our.
At the end of the psalm, the psalmist sets aside his sense of grievance about life’s unfairness. He praises God for the blessings that he has.
The older son couldn’t hear the message
Dad tried to say this to Older Son in the parable of the Prodigal Son. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hear it.
Because, when the Older Brother held on to his jealousy, it was he who gets hurt. In the metaphor of the parable, he missed the party. One of our Confession prayers speaks about “the hurts we cannot let go.” That’s how Older Son felt. And it corroded his soul.
A male-oriented parable
However, I am struck by how male-oriented the parable is. All the characters men. They behave in very masculine ways. As a male, it’s easy for me to identify with them. Younger Son wants to make his mark in the world. Older Son sulks when Dad fetes the returning prodigal.
Dad is surely very male when he says, “Let’s have a party! Kill the fatted calf!” It made me wonder about someone the parable doesn’t mention. The two boys’ mother. And how she might have reacted.
A modern analogy
Because it reminded me of a newspaper story. It happened years ago, but I’ve never forgotten it. An Indigenous woman disappeared on Vancouver’s east-side. She had gone to find fame and fortune in the Big City.
However, she brought shame on her family by becoming a prostitute. Just like the Prodigal Son shamed himself and his family by becoming a swineherd.. The girl’s mother said that all she wanted was for her daughter to return home. What an incredible admission to make publicly.
Unlike the father in the parable, the mother didn’t need to kill a fatted calf or throw a great big party. It only mattered for her daughter to be safe. She wanted her daughter back. And that would be enough.
Which brings me back to the Sunday School explanation of the parable. If the father represents God, he offers his “Welcome home” in a very masculine way. But God is Mother to us as well as Father.
Mothering God welcomes her prodigal children home differently. With tears of joy streaming down her face. So today I’d like us to introduce the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Mother and Father …” Amen.