Pity Party

Years ago, our son came home from Sunday School and when asked what the lesson was about, replied, “the Parable of the Rejected Father.” I was really puzzled. I had grown up in the church and was pretty certain I’d heard all of the parables of Jesus but this one was new. After more discussion, it turned out his lesson was on the Parable of the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15:11-32)

That exchange started a years-long path of unfolding of this familiar Scripture and teaching of Jesus. The sermon this past Sunday was another unfolding as our pastor talked about the different ways BOTH sons had been prodigals. I’d always considered the older son to just be jealous and, quite frankly, a bit justified in his indignation.

I’d also only read this within the context of the parable itself, rather than the longer discourse occurring. The beginning of the fifteenth chapter of Luke establishes the audience as consisting of “tax collectors and sinners” but also “Pharisees and teachers of the law.” It turns out that is important.

The familiar part of God’s pursuit and seeking of us is evident in the return of the younger son. The father allows the son to reject him, leave, and fall far from where he had been. The son eventually returns, humble and contrite, to find his father watching for him. The father runs to greet him and welcome the prodigal home. It is very easy to relate to the younger brother as a sinner (and tax collector which appears to be an even more heinous version of human than a sinner). The fatted calf is killed and a joyous celebration ensues.

Meantime, the older son returns from work and calls a servant to find out what is going on. When he hears the celebration is for his younger brother who has returned, he is incensed and refuses to go in to the party. His father comes out to reason with him.

So far, pretty standard stuff if you are at all familiar with the parables of Jesus.

But did you see the father’s pursuit and invitation of the older son? And the older son’s refusal to celebrate? The father explains why the party. And there the parable ends.

Which leaves you wondering: did the older son then go in and join the party? We actually had this discussion with our pastor after church. He said, “I don’t know for sure but I doubt it. The older son is the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.”

Boom. I had never read this parable with that lens: the younger son – the one traditionally thought of as the Prodigal – is the tax collectors and the sinners. The older son is the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. The older son is also a Prodigal.

God pursues not only the sinners and tax collectors, He also pursues the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. My view has always been that He rejected and excluded them. That His discipline of them was also a rejection of them from His Kingdom, rather than their refusal of the Kingdom. Apparently not!

What a relief, for I have been both types of Prodigals. And I need to remember not to underestimate “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”