Rumor has it, I'm now middle -aged. Oh my goodness.
Yep, yep, Friday I turned 45. This is thrilling.
I promise you, as soon, like right at that day,
I saw extra gray hairs sprouting out the sides
of my head. They were there, fully formed, fully
grown, okay? Just out of nowhere. So, yes, oh
my goodness. Now, besides, you know, my hip hurting
and kind of wondering if I need new glasses,
everything else, is that... I have to also realize
though that my sister is always grateful that
I'm the older one. So wherever it is that I'm
at, she can always say she's just a little bit
younger. Here's the thing with this though is
that you know the older sibling younger sibling
thing and you always have to have this kind of
back and forth and you know the older sibling
is always like I can never get away with anything
and the younger sibling is I have no idea what
you're talking about our parents love us so Yeah,
yeah, yeah, you can tell who's the older sibling
and then there's the younger one I swear the
younger sibling always spoiled, right? Right?
Younger siblings always, well, I see her looking
at you. Yeah. So, now, that's the thing with
this, is that this feeling of what it is that
different siblings see in this parable, in many
ways, it almost reveals more about us than it
does about what Jesus is trying to say. And that's
the thing about being an older sibling, is that
when we look at this story, it's kind of difficult.
Because you kind of wonder, Was the older sibling
really all that wrong? But, you know, the thing
about a parable, though, is that a parable, it's
not meant to be an actual story. It's not literal.
It's not direct. It's meant to get across a point,
a message. So when we're looking at this, is
that it's trying to see what image Jesus is trying
to communicate. But as we see that, we might
have to pause and say, the feelings that we have
as we read this story, maybe they're more relevant
to what Jesus was trying to get across in the
first place. We see all the characters that are
in here. Where should we start? And I think that
we should go ahead and start where Jesus did.
And we need to take a look at the younger son.
Because let's just be honest, younger siblings
are always starting trouble. Right? Right? All
the older kids, right? It's always the younger
one. And for all of you, like only children,
you're definitely a younger child. Okay? I'm
just saying. You definitely were spoiled. Definitely
were spoiled. But, you know, when we see this
part is that we don't just see someone who's
older sibling, younger sibling, but rather we
see someone who is completely disconnected with
love and compassion for his father. See, that's
one of the things that's so strange here is that
in our story, the younger son actually wants
the father dead. What do I mean by that? Well,
notice on here is what does he do in going to
the father? I want my inheritance. But let me
ask you, do you normally get an inheritance when
the parents are actually still with you? No.
It's a strange story. It's meant to be a strange
story. This is not typical. But the son isn't
really interested in his father. or being with
him, all he wants is what he feels is coming
his way. What am I going to be getting? And so
in looking at this, is that he realizes that
there's no respect. There's no actual relationship
there. Now, this young man wants to go out and
live however he wishes. So he demands that, and
the father gives it to him. Now this should already
be a strange story. Why would he go ahead and
do that? Well, he goes ahead and takes a third
of what he has. Because remember, first born
child gets a double portion, and then the other
children get their own allotment. So he divides
it into thirds, and the double portion would
go to the oldest, and then the third portion
goes to the younger son. So he's getting a third
of land, property, deeds, possessions, money.
all these things. Does he really want to take
care of them? No. He liquidates as quickly and
as fast as he can because he wants to go and
he wants to be done here. He wants to go and
live however he wishes. And this reminds us that
we need to make sure we understand what prodigal
really means. Prodigal does not mean the wanderer.
Okay, like we used to have a joke whenever I
was like going off to China and I was overseas
and my mom was like, well, okay, I guess there's
the prodigal son. And I'm like, do we know what
prodigal actually means? Because prodigal is
actually a sotos in the Greek. So it's a for
not and sotos from sozo meaning save or preserve.
So the one who does not preserve. Because he
doesn't just try to get the best deal he can
get for things he sells it as quick and as fast
as he can because he's ready to go and he goes
off and just Spends it all on anything and everything
he wants anything at that moment in time The
whole community now realizes how worthless he
really is. Well, he's not planning to come back
anyway But then what ends up happening when you
just spend everything without concern soon enough
you're left with nothing and then of course hard
times happen and that's one of the funny parts
is that it's like he's just going to go off and
have as much fun as he can and he's not even
considering wait I'm in a completely different
land where I don't really know people and of
course whatever friends he had found weren't
really his friends after all and there he is
dealing with the consequences and he's off Feeding
pigs and and I don't know if you quite realize
why that's so big of a detail right now Because
remember the audience listening to Jesus They
would never be caught dead anywhere near the
pigs. They're Jewish No one's gonna be raising
pigs But with that even though they have no interest
in in anything to do with the pigs because they
are so unclean He has nothing else to do He's
feeding them for what little he can get but he's
still so hungry He sees what they're going to
eat and he wants even what the pigs are about
to eat He's desperate So he starts coming up
with an idea You know the servants for my father
They do pretty well for themselves. I can't be
his son anymore But he's got to have another
job out there. There's got to be something where
At least he'd let me have a job with him. So
let me work on my speech, okay? My little elevator
speech. I'm gonna go over there and make sure
I present it all to him. And I'm gonna convince
him to hire me on. It should be okay. How terrible
was this guy? This person is as wretched of a
person as the community there could have imagined.
As Jesus sharing this parable, this is a person
you would hate. Throws everything in his father's
face. does not care anything about the community
and Instead wants to just come back and still
get something from his dad as a hired servant
He ends up coming back He doesn't even get his
entire speech out because what do we see? Does
the Father have any interest in taking on a new
servant? Oh good, I'm so glad you got over here
because I really need somebody else to go and
till the ground and take care of the sheep. That
would be wonderful. You know what's interesting
though is that that's kind of what the Pharisees
would have been expecting. They would have been
expecting that the younger son could come back
and earn his way back into the Father's graces.
But Jesus surprises them. The father just goes
running up to him, wraps his arms around him,
and says, my son is alive. My son. The person
who had disowned the father, who had run away,
and the father still loves him passionately.
And goes and makes sure that there is a feast
to celebrate, because that's the thing about
the father. The father isn't worried about all
the things in the past. The father is just grateful
his son's alive. He didn't know whatever happened
to him. But then that part of the story ends
up taking us to our second character. We end
up looking at the older son. And I have to be
honest with you, is that I've kind of been here
before. You see, I don't know, it was like 9
or 10, somewhere in there. And my dad said, hey,
I was thinking we should invite some of your
classmates to go play video games. We're going
to go find a spot. They had some slushies, little
iceys over there, you know? And you just got
to hope that nobody was trying to drink from
under the nozzle. And we were going to go play
some video games and have a great time. And I
was angry. Why was I angry? Because the guys
that my dad wanted to invite from my elementary
school were the ones who had been giving me the
hardest time. The ones that picked on me, the
ones that didn't really have any interest in
me whatsoever. And here's the thing, my dad and
I hadn't been going to that place to play video
games before then. But now we were gonna go.
Thanks a lot. I really appreciate that now granted
did I ever ask to go play video games before
this no Was I going to be able to go with them
to play video games? Absolutely Was my dad trying
his best? To mentor the next generation So they
would become better people Absolutely But there
I was Absolutely livid As I am realizing this
story, I cannot help but feel I'm like that older
son. And what's sad is that in our story is that
what's even more convicting is that the older
son doesn't really have any use for the dad.
See the thing is is that when we see the beginning
of the story and the father is dividing up everything
he has, did the older son try to come in and
negotiate or stop things from happening? No,
he just took what was being given to him. The
older son is not interested as much in the father
as much as what he's getting. And that's the
thing about this is that he sees the reward as
the effort that he put in. And I don't know,
maybe it's just like an older kid thing or maybe
it's for everybody and... Older kids just think
that, you know, we're better somehow. Right?
But what's amazing, though, is how often many
of us, as children to our parents, we somehow
think that the harder we work, the more that
we do, that somehow we're proving something to
them. And that maybe just a little bit more will
receive what we think that we're really entitled
to. But it's more than just the reward. It's
almost like the older son feels that he has the
right to decide whether his father loves his
second son. How dare you? But you know, what's
funny about this is that he's completely missing
out on the whole situation. And the father is
making sure to say this, you're always with me.
Did you notice he started with that? He doesn't
start with everything I own is yours. Because
it is Everything now because it's been divided
up will now be the oldest sons But he doesn't
start with that He starts off and saying you
were always with me Because that was the actual
blessing Is to still be with the father And the
son completely missed it See the father He wasn't
really focused on whether or not one of the sons
had hurt him. He was just so happy that that
son was alive. But the truth is that it's the
same thing with the older son. Is that there
he is realizing that that older son is so angry
that he's missing out on what he's received as
well. And that he doesn't really care as much
about him. See, that's the thing. The older son
could totally join in on the celebration. He
could probably invite his friends too, but what's
the actual issue? He's mad at the reason why
they're having the party. How dare you do this
for that guy? And this is where Jesus is meeting
the teachers of the law. He knows that they know
that He's welcoming. The outsiders the Gentiles
the fallen away Jews Samaritans They know that
he's welcoming the people who don't deserve this
at all and they are angry Did God ever take the
blessing away From the Jewish community or from
the teachers of the law no But he wanted to open
it up for everyone else And that's where we truly
find the key figure. Our third person, the father.
Because no matter what his children are doing,
every response that the father has had has been
loving. His son wants whatever he has coming
to him, he gives it to him. His son comes back
just hoping for a place to be and he welcomes
his back as a son. The older one is so distracted
by his anger and jealousy and frustration that
he ignores even respecting his father and his
decisions and doesn't even pick up on how much
the father had blessed him. But the father still
wants him to come to the party. How often is
it that we see our children that are so upset
and making life difficult and yet we still want
them there? Instead of looking for the son to
prove himself, the father was already full of
love and compassion. Instead of being focused
on whether or not he'd been hurt, he's just grateful
for life to come to this young man. And even
knowing how the older son has disrespected him,
he still loves him too. But isn't that the thing
that we see in our world today? We see the ways
in which people have acted cocky, conceited,
entitled. We see the times in which they have
wasted their life, made a mess of things, and
they need to get what's coming to them. Or even
more than that, If you're not already a part
of our group, how dare you take something from
us? We don't realize how blessed we are in our
world, in our community, our nation, where we
are. But we're continually saying that if a blessing
goes to somebody else, that that means that somehow
we're deprived. Instead of realizing just how
much God blesses us, through the world around
us as He reveals Himself to us all. Because the
more that we see and experience grace and nurturing,
the more that God's name is praised. Because
that's the thing, is that the grace and the nurture
were given to both sons. Because both of them
needed love and forgiveness. Neither one of them
was ever realizing how much they needed the Father's
love. But it was only the Father's love that
could truly restore either one of them. See,
that's the thing. The Father was never looking
to reject either one of them. It wasn't, oh,
you know what? You're really the good son. You're
the one who really needs all of my attention
and my love. Or even, oh, you're the rebel, man.
You know what? You're cool. I'm going to love
you. I don't know that boring older son. Just
kind of go over and do your own thing. This is
really a man who has room in his life for all
of them. And that's the thing that we end up
realizing is that in a world where all of us
need the father, is the problem is that we've
all been the prodigal. We've all been the prodigal
who at some point has wasted what we've been
given. There have been times where we've wasted
the time, the energy, whatever it is that God
has blessed us with on things that don't matter.
And yet He still keeps welcoming us back and
showing us what does matter. But we've also had
the times when we've acted like the older one.
And somehow figuring out why it is that we've
earned what we've got, and how dare anyone else
receive the same. And so in these moments is
that we realize though, that we've all been at
a place where we should be grateful. Because
we, everything that we've been given was only
because of grace. Because did either of those
two sons ever truly start with nothing? They
always started as children of the Father. And
that's the thing where we are today. As we're
in the season of Lent, and as we pause from the
things that we take for granted, where we take
a step back and say, is this really something
that I was always entitled to? Or is it really
something where I'm grateful to God and asking
how he's blessing me? Is that instead to realize
that that's the same thing for the rest of our
world? There is no one in this world, here or
anywhere, that God does not wish to bless with
his grace and his mercy. So as we pause long
enough to realize that what we have received
is also for others to receive as well, may we
be willing to let go of that anger. Long enough
to realize that the party that God is throwing
for them is a party that we get to take part
in as well. Because we all get to share in gratitude
for ourselves, but also for our fellow human
beings. who are now a part of the kingdom of
God by His grace. Someday, that party will be
epic, with or without the video games. Thanks
be to God.