Recklessness is not often considered a positive attribute. One who is reckless does not seem to care about the consequences of their actions; one who throws caution to the wind seems to have no care for the future and how their actions affect others. The Gospel text for today speaks of a son who spends his inheritance recklessly. Many would call him “the prodigal son”. In truth, this text which happens to have been heard on “Father’s Day”, is about a reckless and prodigal father, reckless with His love and forgiveness for not just one but two wayward sons. It is a parable about dying and living again by the love of that father who loves and seeks and restores.
Luke 15 opens by telling us that there were tax collectors and other sinners drawing near to Jesus. Jesus had not rejected them and so the Pharisees grumbled about this. So, Jesus told them this parable… Except that He didn’t just tell one parable, He told 4 of them in quick succession, the parable for today is actually the third of the four following the parable of the lost and found coin which followed the parable of the lost and found sheep.
Well in the parable, there was a man who was apparently wealthy. He had two sons and the younger son asked for his inheritance early. This is basically saying, “Dad, I need some money, I wish you were dead, I can’t wait, so give it to me now, because I am done with you.” The Father did not have to give it to him, he could have rejected his son right there in response to his son’s rejection of him, yet he did not. Instead, he divided his property between his two sons. The younger son not only rejected his father, but then rejected his country by journeying to another country far away where he squandered his property in reckless living. Penniless and broke a famine then strikes. He is fortunate enough to get employed, however his employment is with a pig farmer working with the pigs, in their pens, in their muck and feces which to the Jews would have been the ultimate in shame, filth, degradation, and unclean faithlessness. He is so hungry that he even covets the food of the pigs! Yet no one gave him anything! He was about as low as he could get! Starving and alone in a far away country we hear in vs. 17, “He finally came to himself”. He begins talking to himself, realizing, finally, the extent of his sin and that he has made his own trouble. He thinks back to better days, days of luxury as a son in his father’s house where he was not starving, and he remembers the servants and slaves. He remembers that they always had enough bread. He remembers his father’s generosity and thinks to himself, “Yet, here I am from hunger, dying!” Near death, in anguish, he is finally contrite and repentant and resolves to get up and go to his father admit his sin and beg not to be received as a son for knew he did not deserve it. He knew he was no longer worthy, but perhaps, just maybe he could be treated as a servant and at least have a full stomach.
Here in the Greek text we have a marvelous flow of words that we miss in English. Verse 17 when the son realizes he is dying from hunger actually ends with the word “dying” “apollumai”. The very next word is “anastos”. This is a word of resurrection. “Rising up”. The son from his dying in his repentance, rises up.
The son arose and traveled back toward his father, but while he is far off, before he sees his father, his father sees him. Was this chance? Did his father just happen to be looking out that way at the right time? No, the father had been watching the roads, watching, waiting, praying. So, the father, knowing the very act of returning home is repentance from his son, had compassion for him. The Greek is that his guts were turned outward for him, he hurt on behalf of his son. The father ran to the son, embraced him and kissed him. Meanwhile the son tried to express his repentance; to confess his sin to his father, but the father is already calling the servants to restore this son not to servant’s clothes but to full sonship represented by the best robe, the ring, and shoes. Then to end the son’s fast the father proclaims a feast because as the father declared: “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”
The other son who had not left the country was in the field working heard the sound of celebration, was curious as to why. When told it was because his brother had returned, he became angry and he pouted. No doubt he had anticipated the possibility that his brother would return and feared that his father might be gracious to he who was so unworthy. The brother felt it wasn’t fair and refused to go in to the celebration. The father noticed that his other son was not there, and the father who was reckless with his love in running to the younger son now also goes out in love to the older son wanting to reconcile him not only to his own brother but to himself. This older son vents his frustration: he never gets his own parties, that he has always worked hard, but now this other son who not only hasn’t contributed anything to the family but actually has stolen from the family and been shameful with the family’s property, consorting with prostitutes, is now welcomed back with the fattened calf and given full rights again. “Where is your love and gratitude to me?” implies this brother. The father said to him, “son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead and is alive, he was lost and is found.” In other words, this son has had the benefit of His father’s grace all along and had forgotten the benefits of living in that household. Momentarily though he was in body living with the father, he was in mind also rebelling against and rejecting his father’s love trusting instead in his works.
Both sons were in a sense lost, one more obviously than the other, both had to be sought out and restored by the father. The younger son had rebelled in body and spirit, the older had also rebelled in body and spirit by remaining outside the house, angry and jealous of his returned brother, yet both are sought out to be reconciled by the gracious loving father and are restored.
This parable of the father with the reckless and abundant love is really telling the story of God and His love for the world but especially for members of His church, those who are His sons and daughters.
Though this parable can be expanded to include God’s love for the world, this really can and should be applied to us and our dynamic of living together here on earth in the church as we have been repentant and returned to the Lord in faith. In many ways Jesus is pointing out two things, one is a rebuke of those who think that sinners shouldn’t be received back into the Church. This is hypocrisy at its worst, because nobody is not a sinner except Jesus Christ. Therefore, if God’s kingdom were so exclusive as to exclude sinners none would be saved. Therefore, this is a reminder that even life-long church members are sinners and in constant need of grace and mercy. However, many interpret this text and even the ministry of Jesus incorrectly saying that Jesus received sinners and therefore He was ok and is ok with people continuing in their sins so that grace may abound. This too is incorrect. Jesus came to heal sinners from their infirmities, to take the dead and dying in their sin and unbelief and raise them to life, by changing and restoring them so that sinners might be freed from their old sins and habits of wallowing in the mud, muck, filth, and feces of sin, not to return to that filth but to be cleansed and turned from sin to His glory and for their good.
Even before we realized our sin, while we were yet dead in our trespasses and sin, wallowing in the muck of our own filth, we, who by our rebellion and sin, basically had told our creator and father, that we had no use for Him. Yet, our heavenly Father sent Jesus His Son from heaven to a far land to rescue us reckless and prodigal children. So, the Son of God, the good and perfect Son, came to earth, to save sons and daughters who like Adam and Eve were in desperate need of rescue, spiritually starving, and dead. Jesus was sent to rescue and live with the unclean, the filthy piggish people, the ungrateful idolatrous harlots, to live a perfect life while showing a perfect love, even going to the cross to make payment for our sin by His sacrificial death. For this dying world, He suffered and died on the cross taking the punishment and rejection that we deserved. Jesus Christ rose from the dead and has been received by the Father as a full payment for our sin. All this so that our Heavenly Father who has sent forth His Word, may restore His people by causing them to die to sin, repenting as the Law kills our old flesh, washing the filth of our sin, so that we may be “anastos” that is, be raised up in Jesus Christ.
He runs to us and covers us in royal robes in Holy Baptism as we have Christ’s righteousness put upon us. He is forgiving us even while we are yet confessing our sins restoring us to Himself and then He welcomes us to the feast where we celebrate the victory which Jesus Christ has accomplished for us in the Sacrament of the Altar. Here we receive the forgiveness of our sins, the bread of life aplenty where we are filled so that we never go spiritually hungry. And we, likewise, desire for others around us to turn and live by repentance pointing ever and always to the love of the father, who restores from death to life by His only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Then the heavenly host rejoices because all those in the banquet feast were lost but now have been found and rescued in and through the love of God our Father. Rejoice. Rejoice for yourselves. Rejoice for each other. Give thanks and praise to our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. We were dead in our trespasses and sins but have now been made alive in Christ. Let us ever look to the cross and see the place where by faith we are saved. May we never forget that while we were yet sinners God sent His Son to die for us to reconcile us to Himself. Let us rejoice in His Grace and His reckless love for us shown in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
Pr. Aaron Kangas