It’s
tough to be an Elder Brother
Today's
parable is known by a number of differing names. Most often it is called the parable of the
Prodigal Son; in calling it that, we place the emphasis upon the younger child
who squanders away the father's wealth and then steals his way home, hoping to
be reunited with the family.
Sometimes,
however, this parable is referred to as the parable of the Forgiving Father; it
is, after all, the forgiveness which the father offers that makes this story
noteworthy.
I
am still waiting for someone to refer to this parable in a way which focuses on
the Elder Brother. As of yet, I haven't
heard any such title. So I am still
waiting, hoping that such a title will emerge, and thus some acknowledgment Jesus
tells this parable in order to make a point for the elder brothers (and
sisters) in the world.
Look
back at the text. This morning we read
the first three verses of Luke 15. They set
the stage. Jesus isn’t coming up with
pithy little stories; he is telling a parable to the Pharisees and
scribes. You will note that verses 4
through 10 are skipped. Had we read
those, you would have seen the pattern. Jesus
tells not one but three parables, each coalescing around a theme. (Parable of the lost sheep; parable of the
lost coin) That theme is the joy which comes
when that which is lost is found. “Joy”
that is for the one who claims title for the lost; but the Pharisees and
scribes seem not to share this joy. They
are more concerned with preserving a sense of what is just and right and
proper.
It
does matter – from which perspective we view the story. With whom are we able to identify? How do we see ourselves in this story? It matters who we consider the prime
character; as a result we will draw differing conclusions from the parable.
Let’s
look first at that most popular perspective. The prodigal son ignores social custom and
asks his father for his share of the estate.
After he gets it, he goes off to a far country and spends the
money. It is important to note that it
isn’t his squandering alone which results in his troubles. There is a famine which comes upon the
land. The young man ends up working as a
laborer, and begins to contemplate eating the scraps he was supposed to feed the
pigs.
The
young man comes to himself and decides to head home. He turns his life around and chooses now
(having made a series of bad choices earlier) to do the right thing.
The
decision to read this passage in the season of Lent nudges if not forces us to
see the parable as an invitation to see some part of the prodigal in
ourselves. What do we have here if not
an acknowledgement of transgression? Viewing
this parable from the perspective of the prodigal calls upon us to examine our
actions and our motives and wonder how a new and different direction might turn
out.
There
may be a few prodigal children among us.
There may be a few of you who have gone through a period of renouncing
and rejecting all the things which you now gather in this place to affirm. Maybe.
But most likely his story isn’t our story. Most likely, our lives follow the pattern of
the elder brother, the one that never left home in the first place.
Both
sons have reason to be grateful for a forgiving father. Whether our transgressions are great (as in
the case of the younger son), or relatively minor (as in the case of the elder)
– we can see the advantages of a father who overlooks our failings and loves us
without condition.
In
telling the story, Jesus reminds us that this is God’s prime trait. Go home and do a search of the phrase, “For
God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” The forgiving father, in this parable, sees
his sons and loves them. Forgiveness is
easy for him. It is his nature.
Jesus
tells us that this is the attitude God has toward us and this is the motivation
which allows God to welcome back the wayward child. And we can all be grateful for this – without
it, how would we ever hope to have the courage to stand before God?
But
God’s nature isn’t the reason Jesus tells the parable. He shares this story in order to make a
point. And the audience for his point is
the Pharisees and scribes who were grumbling about Jesus’ forgiving attitude
toward “sinners.” Jesus tells this
parable in order to say something to the elder brothers. He wants those who have been minding the
store and staying at their posts to begin to look differently at those who have
stepped outside the ring and maybe even ceased to be concerned with the wishes
and desires of the Father.
That
is why I would like to hear this story told with a keen eye to the elder
brother. He is the one who must learn to
see and then emulate the father’s forgiveness.
He is the one who needs to experience the change of heart. Until that happens, there will be no true
celebration for the son who has returned.
I
said it earlier; I will say it again. We
are, for the most part, the elder brother.
While there may be a few prodigals among us, most of us are among the
children who may have fussed and bickered a bit, but remained pretty close to
the heart and home. We are the one who
has tended the family farm, and probably even fed the calf so it would be
fatten up at just the right time. And we are so easily overlooked.
This
parable is difficult for us. And we tend
to want to see it as a story about someone else. But it is really a story about us – and about
our ability to do the day in and day out tasks associated with having things
ready for our wayward brothers to return, and our gracious father to forgive.
Amen.
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