Yesterday, what a glad and happy reunion we saw, when the son completed his journey home, yet, while he was still afar, no doubt dreading the impending meeting with his father, the father ran to him. Yes, the father RAN TO HIM while he was still at a great distance. The father fully accepted his son back into the family. In fact, the father did not even let the son finish the speech he had rehearsed for days. Instead, the father clothed the son in the best robe to be found on the property, gave the son a ring (which I believe was a family signet ring, but that is an opinion only!), and placed new sandals on his youngest son's blistered and dirty feet. Then the fatted calf was slaughtered, a great celebration followed, and the family, as well as the servants on hand, began to be merry! A great reunion was had by all!
Well, almost all. Like I said yesterday, I have often wished the parable ended right here. But Jesus was not finished. He had yet another lesson to teach. So we read today that the older son was not at the celebration. In fact, he did not know that his brother had returned or that the fatted calf was slaughtered.
It happened that, presumably because everyone was so overjoyed with the prodigal son's return, no one went into the field to tell the great news to the older and more faithful brother. The brother toiled through the day and finished his work. Only in the evening, at the end of his labor, did he begin the long walk from the fields back to the family home. As the older brother neared home, he began to hear the music and dancing, the shouting and the laughter. He sent one of his servants ahead to find out the reason for all this clamor. The servant returned with the good news! I can hear the servant shouting with joy, "Rejoice, for your lost brother has returned! They have slaughtered the fatted calf, and everyone is at the party but you. Come, let us celebrate!" The servant's words here are just my conjecture, but I think this must be fairly close to what was said. I can almost see the servant tugging at the older brother's arm, trying to hurry him to the celebration, to the glad reunion.
The older brother immediately began rejoicing at the glad news....well. no. Not really.
In fact, the older brother was filled with anger. The Good Shepherd said in St. Luke Chapter 15:28, "But he was angry and would not go in." I suspect "angry" was a rather kind and subdued word for what the brother was actually feeling at that moment. In any case, he told the servant he would not even enter the home, much less join the celebration. But the father, so happy that the lost son had returned, went himself to his older son and pleaded, yes, begged his son to enter the party, to join the family in celebrating the return of the prodigal son. But the son was angry beyond comfort, even though his father wanted him so badly to join the celebration.
Here is what the older son told his father: (St. Luke Chapter 15)
29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
How I wish the parable had ended with the celebration, but the Good Shepherd had to explain another great truth to us, even though this truth is not necessarily good news. You see, the older brother can be seen as representative of many of the Lord's servants today. They have worked for the Lord for years, doing good and helping those around them. But somewhere along the way they, like the older brother, lost their joy in their service. Their Christian lives became not a source of joy and strength, but of tasks and chores, of rules and commands. They were Christians, yes, but they found little joy and happiness in their service. And they became bitter and envious.
The older son worked for his father, not because it was a good way to earn a living, not because he was helping his father sow and reap in the fields, but because he believed that he was EXPECTED to work at these tasks, but never to have joy, never to celebrate. And not only that, the older brother probably spent a lot of time watching his younger brother as the younger man worked in the fields. Maybe the brother was a little too happy, a little too light-hearted as he worked. Maybe he was too pleasant and kind to the servants, who were not part of the family. The longer the brother labored for his father, the more bitter he became. I believe he was so bitter that he NEVER ASKED his father for a feast. He never asked his father to allow him a party with his friends, and to kill the fatted calf. Why, he even told himself, my father would not even let me have a miserable, sick goat to share with my friends. He felt sorry for himself as he labored day after day, unnoticed by his father, he believed. No doubt he was bitter even before the younger son took his inheritance and left the family.
When the older brother learned that his little brother had gotten his inheritance and left the family land, I suspect that he was almost glad his little brother was gone. Did he even hope his brother would not return? But while the prodigal son was gone, the older brother still labored and toiled in bitterness. This is apparent because he never asked his father for anything, even a party with his friends. But something else was apparent, too. The older son, through means unknown, had somehow kept track of his little brother. He knew his brother had engaged in prodigal living. He also no doubt knew that his brother had squandered away his father's wealth then was penniless when famine struck that distant land. Since we know that the prodigal son nearly starved, and only saved himself by becoming a swineherd, it is clear that the older brother never lifted a finger to help his sibling.
But the father explained to his son: (St. Luke Chapter 15)
31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”
Jesus, the Good Shepherd Himself, tells us that we who labor for Him are with Him, and He is with us ALWAYS. All that He has, He has given us, including eternal life. The Good Shepherd gave us peace and joy as we serve Him and as we walk with Him, the kind of peace and joy not found in the world at large. He gave us the "fatted calf" so that we can celebrate and be happy in Him at any time. How much more should we be happy and joyous when we learn that a lost brother or sister has at last returned to the Lord, and we have the privilege to celebrate with the person, because in reality we are celebrating with Jesus.
So, in a way, I wish the parable had ended with the celebration of the prodigal son's return. On the other hand, the Good Shepherd had a bigger purpose with this parable, and I have come to see that purpose as well. In this parable we are taught both to work for Him, and to find joy in our work. We are taught that it is good to be faithful and obedient, but if we stray, we are always welcomed back with celebration. And, we are taught that we can celebrate our blessings anytime; therefore, working for the Lord should never be unpleasant and obligatory toil, but should be our way to express our love and care for our fellow Christians, for our fellow man, and for the Lord.
The Parable of The Prodigal Son is and will always be one of my favorite parables. At different times in my life, I have found myself in the shoes of both the bitter and envious older brother, and in the beaten and worn out sandals of the prodigal son. How great is it to be a faithful servant to the Good Shepherd, but how great it is to know that if we fall short, we are always welcomed back by Him, and thus we SHOULD always welcome back our brothers and sisters in the Lord, when they have strayed but then return.
May God Bless You
Well, almost all. Like I said yesterday, I have often wished the parable ended right here. But Jesus was not finished. He had yet another lesson to teach. So we read today that the older son was not at the celebration. In fact, he did not know that his brother had returned or that the fatted calf was slaughtered.
It happened that, presumably because everyone was so overjoyed with the prodigal son's return, no one went into the field to tell the great news to the older and more faithful brother. The brother toiled through the day and finished his work. Only in the evening, at the end of his labor, did he begin the long walk from the fields back to the family home. As the older brother neared home, he began to hear the music and dancing, the shouting and the laughter. He sent one of his servants ahead to find out the reason for all this clamor. The servant returned with the good news! I can hear the servant shouting with joy, "Rejoice, for your lost brother has returned! They have slaughtered the fatted calf, and everyone is at the party but you. Come, let us celebrate!" The servant's words here are just my conjecture, but I think this must be fairly close to what was said. I can almost see the servant tugging at the older brother's arm, trying to hurry him to the celebration, to the glad reunion.
The older brother immediately began rejoicing at the glad news....well. no. Not really.
In fact, the older brother was filled with anger. The Good Shepherd said in St. Luke Chapter 15:28, "But he was angry and would not go in." I suspect "angry" was a rather kind and subdued word for what the brother was actually feeling at that moment. In any case, he told the servant he would not even enter the home, much less join the celebration. But the father, so happy that the lost son had returned, went himself to his older son and pleaded, yes, begged his son to enter the party, to join the family in celebrating the return of the prodigal son. But the son was angry beyond comfort, even though his father wanted him so badly to join the celebration.
Here is what the older son told his father: (St. Luke Chapter 15)
29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
How I wish the parable had ended with the celebration, but the Good Shepherd had to explain another great truth to us, even though this truth is not necessarily good news. You see, the older brother can be seen as representative of many of the Lord's servants today. They have worked for the Lord for years, doing good and helping those around them. But somewhere along the way they, like the older brother, lost their joy in their service. Their Christian lives became not a source of joy and strength, but of tasks and chores, of rules and commands. They were Christians, yes, but they found little joy and happiness in their service. And they became bitter and envious.
The older son worked for his father, not because it was a good way to earn a living, not because he was helping his father sow and reap in the fields, but because he believed that he was EXPECTED to work at these tasks, but never to have joy, never to celebrate. And not only that, the older brother probably spent a lot of time watching his younger brother as the younger man worked in the fields. Maybe the brother was a little too happy, a little too light-hearted as he worked. Maybe he was too pleasant and kind to the servants, who were not part of the family. The longer the brother labored for his father, the more bitter he became. I believe he was so bitter that he NEVER ASKED his father for a feast. He never asked his father to allow him a party with his friends, and to kill the fatted calf. Why, he even told himself, my father would not even let me have a miserable, sick goat to share with my friends. He felt sorry for himself as he labored day after day, unnoticed by his father, he believed. No doubt he was bitter even before the younger son took his inheritance and left the family.
When the older brother learned that his little brother had gotten his inheritance and left the family land, I suspect that he was almost glad his little brother was gone. Did he even hope his brother would not return? But while the prodigal son was gone, the older brother still labored and toiled in bitterness. This is apparent because he never asked his father for anything, even a party with his friends. But something else was apparent, too. The older son, through means unknown, had somehow kept track of his little brother. He knew his brother had engaged in prodigal living. He also no doubt knew that his brother had squandered away his father's wealth then was penniless when famine struck that distant land. Since we know that the prodigal son nearly starved, and only saved himself by becoming a swineherd, it is clear that the older brother never lifted a finger to help his sibling.
But the father explained to his son: (St. Luke Chapter 15)
31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”
Jesus, the Good Shepherd Himself, tells us that we who labor for Him are with Him, and He is with us ALWAYS. All that He has, He has given us, including eternal life. The Good Shepherd gave us peace and joy as we serve Him and as we walk with Him, the kind of peace and joy not found in the world at large. He gave us the "fatted calf" so that we can celebrate and be happy in Him at any time. How much more should we be happy and joyous when we learn that a lost brother or sister has at last returned to the Lord, and we have the privilege to celebrate with the person, because in reality we are celebrating with Jesus.
So, in a way, I wish the parable had ended with the celebration of the prodigal son's return. On the other hand, the Good Shepherd had a bigger purpose with this parable, and I have come to see that purpose as well. In this parable we are taught both to work for Him, and to find joy in our work. We are taught that it is good to be faithful and obedient, but if we stray, we are always welcomed back with celebration. And, we are taught that we can celebrate our blessings anytime; therefore, working for the Lord should never be unpleasant and obligatory toil, but should be our way to express our love and care for our fellow Christians, for our fellow man, and for the Lord.
The Parable of The Prodigal Son is and will always be one of my favorite parables. At different times in my life, I have found myself in the shoes of both the bitter and envious older brother, and in the beaten and worn out sandals of the prodigal son. How great is it to be a faithful servant to the Good Shepherd, but how great it is to know that if we fall short, we are always welcomed back by Him, and thus we SHOULD always welcome back our brothers and sisters in the Lord, when they have strayed but then return.
May God Bless You
No comments:
Post a Comment