Given March 18, 2007 at Church of the Redeemer, Cairo, IL
Remember the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”? In the movie, there was the Father-of-the-Bride who said, “behind every English word, there is a Greek word.” The longer I live, the more I believe he is right!
Take the word, “economy”….To us, it means things like “the handling/flow of money”, “thrifty management”, “the prosperity of a place”, or, “an organized system or method”.[1]
But the English word “economy” comes from a Greek word “oeconomia”, meaning “household management” or “plan”.
While we are on the subject of English words that come from Greek, let’s define the word “parable”, as in today’s Gospel reading, “The Parable of the Prodigal Son” (as it’s most commonly called)….The word “parable” comes from two Greek words “para” and “bolle”, which literally mean “para = alongside” and “bolle = thrown”. So, a “parable” is a short story or lesson, which is “thrown alongside” our lives….By comparing the point of the story with our lives, we can draw a lesson from the parable itself.
Parables[2] are somewhat open ended, inviting the listener to make the comparisons themselves. If we have to explain the parable in too great a detail, it’s sort of like telling a joke that then has to be explained.[3]
So, Jesus’ parable, heard today, invites us to “throw the lesson of his teaching alongside our lives”, drawing lessons for ourselves from His teaching in the process.
We begin with an examination of the setting for the “Parable of the Prodigal Son”….
Since the beginning of chapter 15, Jesus has been addressing a group of Scribes and Pharisees, who complain that Jesus “welcomes sinners (tax collectors) and eats with them”.
In response, Jesus tells three parables, all of which have a similar theme: rejoicing at the recovery of something that was lost….the “Parable of the Lost Sheep”,[4] the “Parable of the Lost Coin”,[5] and now, today’s reading, the “Parable of the Prodigal Son”.
In today’s parable, Jesus expands on the previous two parables, and, in the process, sets the stage for the teaching that will follow….For Jesus expands on the recovery of something that is lost, in today’s case, the lost son (far more valuable than a sheep or a coin), but adds to it the story of the elder son, whose claims create blockages to a full relationship with his father. Jesus will pick up these themes by illustrating other blocks to a full spiritual life in chapter 16, with the “Parable of the Shrewd Manager”,[6] and the “Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus”.[7]
As we look more closely at today’s parable, we should begin by reflecting on the common title given to this passage of Scripture: the “Parable of the Prodigal Son”…Naturally, since the younger, wayward son is the major character in the first half of the parable, it might seem quite natural to call this parable the “Prodigal Son”. But there are two other characters, as well: The father, and the elder son. Their attitudes and actions are critical to the story, as well. No wonder, then, that some scholars call this parable the “Parable of the Prodigal Son, the Waiting Father, and the Elder Brother”.[8]
But, if we are to be able to “throw the lesson alongside our lives”, then we ought to consider all three characters, their attitudes and actions, in our application of Jesus’ teaching….
So, it is to the task of examining the three characters, and their attitudes and actions, that we now turn….
- The assertion of rights that causes alienation:
Notice how the younger son demands “his due”….According to the Jewish law of Jesus’ day, such an early distribution of the father’s estate, though not unheard of, was quite contrary to the norms of the day. The younger son seems brash, headstrong.
But notice the reaction of the elder brother: He cites years of faithful service in his father’s employ (verses 28 – 30), calling himself a “slave”.
The father, however, risks the alienation, by giving the younger son exactly what he asked for, including the ability to take what had been given him in order to move to a far country. The father also risks the alienation of the elder brother, by mounting a sumptuous feast for the wayward younger brother. - The risk of alienation is overcome:
The younger son returns to his father, determined not to press any claim for kinship, but only the relationship of a “hired hand”. A son has the possibility of being in a close, loving relationship with the father that a hired man cannot have.
But the elder son refuses to acknowledge the relationship with the younger son, referring to him, as “this son of yours”.
The father is the key to the entire situation: For it is the father who is actively looking for the son’s return, and when the reunion occurs, breaks off the younger son’s rehearsed monologue in order to immediately welcome him back into the family. It is also the father who seeks out the elder brother, reminding him that “everything (the father) has is his” (verse 31). It seems as though the older brother had forgotten that the younger son’s request for a premature distribution of the father’s estate meant an early distribution for him, as well.
How might we “throw alongside” the lessons Jesus seems to be pointing our way today?
Certainly, what is suggested here is far from an exhaustive list of the possibilities. But some of the things we might begin with, as we apply this teaching to our own lives, might include:
- We will find ourselves in one position or another throughout our lives: If we are honest with ourselves, we will have to admit that there have been times in our lives where we have “bottomed out”, as the younger son did. There are times when we have gotten to the point, physically, mentally, and/or spiritually, where we had no merit, no basis for any claim of right or privilege. We have had to rely on God’s gracious mercy, only.
By contrast, have there been times when we’ve claimed rights or privileges because of something we’ve done or believed? That surely seems to be the basis for the Pharisees’ existence: rigid keepers of the Law of Moses, inheritors of God’s promises on the basis of their superior (but accidental) birthright.
Sometimes, we shift between one position or another, often quite rapidly.
But, we can assert our rights by virtue of past actions and beliefs, and the result is the same: damage to our relationships.
The danger in both circumstances is that the alienation can become a reciprocal relationship, where the alienation is total and permanent.
By contrast, the elder son stakes a claim to many options: devotion, faithful service, etc. All of the things he seems to claim (interestingly enough) are derived from his father (though he cannot acknowledge it).
Surely, there will be times when:
· We have “bottomed out”, and have no resources of our own.
· We try to claim special status, usually because of our own efforts.
· We will be asked to defy the normal “economy” of human relations (which often mirror the attitude “an eye for an eye”), forgiving others, as we have been forgiven by God.
One final thought: God’s “ecomony”, God’s plan, mirrors the generosity of the father…surely, the father took risks in welcoming back the errant son, for the son had squandered the gifts his father had given him. It’s possible that the younger son could easily have done so again, in some form or another. But that’s the way God treats us: He is willing to take risks, to welcome us back home again.
Thanks be to God!
AMEN.
[1] From Webster’s New Unabridged Universal Dictionary
[2] As Fred B. Craddock points out in his commentary, Luke, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (pp. 107 – 111)
[3] Again, this is Craddock’s observation.
[4] Luke 15: 3 – 7
[5] Luke 15: 8 - 10
[6] Luke 16: 1 - 13
[7] Luke 16: 14 – 31
[8] As does R. Alan Culpepper in his article on Luke’s Gospel in The New Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes (Volume IX Luke, John).
