Two Brothers and Us – Luke 15

A text – Luke 15:1-3,11-32

15 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. ² And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” ³ So he told them this parable:

¹¹ Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the wealth that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. ¹³ A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living. ¹⁴ When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that region, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that region, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶ He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything. ¹⁷ But when he came to his senses he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” ’ ²⁰ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. ²¹ Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ²² But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate, ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. ²⁷ He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has got him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ ³¹ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’ ”

A reflection:

We know this story. Jesus tells it along with two shorter ones to the Pharisees and scribes who are critical of his eating and talking with tax collectors and other scorned people. Jesus, who is on earth to teach people how God really is (and how we ought to be in order to have a right relationship with God), probably wants to show the overwhelming forgiveness and acceptance of the God the Father. The sons are more complicated. We don’t really know if the younger son is truly repentant…we just know he realized he’d be better off back at home. The father is generous, even though the younger son might be manipulating him yet again. And we really can see that the character of the older son is both hard working and also resentful when his brother is forgiven and fussed over after breaking every rule in the book. This brother is much like the scribes and Pharisees, who were dedicated to their hard work and resentful at the idea that Jesus (or anyone) would squander his time and attention on people who break every rule in the book.

In this parable we are being asked to look carefully at how we feel about God being unfailingly generous to people who rebel, miss the mark, seem twisted, and prove undependable (see Friday’s lesson on Psalm 32 for more on these words for sin). If we feel resentful about God’s forgiving nature, we’d better find a way to get used to it. We will be at the heavenly banquet someday with everyone God has invited, and we don’t want to be standing in a corner, arms folded in a pout. God is generous. Let’s admit our own failings and our own redemption, and let’s not try to prevent God from being God

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for forgiving all of us who fall short of being who we should be. Give us generous hearts to be patient with those who are also falling short.  Amen.