Parable of the Prodigal Elder Son
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Beautiful story many times we have meditated upon. We may not feel anything new from this parable.
The prodigal son's decision to leave the father's house and to immerse himself into a life of rebellion, clearly illustrates the nature of sin. Every sin is an abuse of human freedom. When we sin, we defy God who loves us unconditionally.
The father did not go in search of the younger son. The son had to make the decision himself to come back. If the father had gone in search of him, no doubt he would have resented it. The son had to make the decision himself, “I will arise and go to my father” (Luke 15:18). That is a decision we all have to make, to leave the illusions of happiness that the world offers us and go to our Father. If we follow the illusions of false happiness with which the world tries to seduce us we will end up the pigs in the pigpen. This image of the younger son which the parable offers us is shocking but it is symbol of the mess we could get ourselves into by blindly following the selfishness of the world.
Saints have a past and sinners have a future. When the prodigal son came to his senses with the pigs and decided to return to his father he did not expect his father to treat him again as his son. So he made up his mind that he would ask to become one of his servants. He could not imagine that his father would want him back as his son again. He had a warped understanding of his father’s forgiveness. We have a warped understanding of God’s mercy for us. We make the mistake of thinking that God is like us and so we cannot understand God’s mercy. God made us in his image and likeness and ever since then we are making God in our image and likeness.
Fr. Jack McArdle tells a story about God’s forgiveness. Imagine when you die and Jesus comes to meet you and shows you a video of your entire life. On the video you see all the good things you did. But there are also a number of blanks on the tape. You ask why there are such blanks on the tape of your life. Jesus tells you these were the times when you sinned and asked for God’s mercy. When God forgives he completely blanks out our sins and does not remember.
Mostly we meditate upon the younger son. Let us today think about the mentality of the Older Son. We are not sinners but we are reluctant to participate in the celebration our father is giving to the prodigal sons and daughters, because we think that it is not fair and it is not justice.
Like the Pharisees, he is self-righteous, incapable of love, and therefore, incapable of forgiving anyone. His mind is dark and calculating. It is quite possible that his anger is rooted in the fact that he too would like to leave the father's house and live a life of sin. His life may be pure and noble, but his heart is attached to things that he would like to do, but does not do them because of his vanity and superiority complex.
The elder son, despite the fact that he was with his father all those years, was shocked that his father threw the party. He still didn’t know or understand his father’s heart; maybe the servants understood his father better. The elder son never felt accepted, appreciated or loved by his father. That was his problem. So his resentment towards his younger brother was really pointing to a deeper wound; he did not feel loved. The older son had no real relationship with his father. He was distant and aloof. He was like the Pharisees and scribes who complained about Jesus’ ministry to sinners in Luke 15:2. For years he had done the right thing but with the wrong attitude. “Lo these many years I have served you” (v 29). The elder son didn’t recognize his brother as his brother, “this son of yours” (v30). The elder son has been called the prodigal who stayed at home. He is also lost but his lost-ness is more difficult to see. So the parable is about a loving father and two prodigal sons or two lost sons! We are all like the elder son in the sense that none of us yet knows our Father’s heart as we are called to.
Just like the Pharisees, the older son was obedient, faithful, hard-working…and judgmental. He looked down his nose at anyone who didn’t measure up—even, and maybe especially, his younger brother. Just like the Pharisees, he mistakenly thought that the Father loved him because of his hard work and obedience, and therefore could not possibly love anyone who was disobedient and sinful. Just like the Pharisees, the older son thought it was proper to hate the sin and hate the sinner.
If this parable was set in the 21st century, the older son and the Pharisees would be people who go to church every Sunday; who put generous donations in the basket each week; who don’t go to Las Vegas and squander money on immoral living…and who also hate the sin and hate the sinner.
The key lesson in this week’s gospel reading is that God Almighty—represented by the loving father—hates sin, yes, but loves the sinner. Whenever a sinner repents and seeks forgiveness, God rejoices.
Ironically, both sons are slaves. One became a slave and wanted to be one, while the other acted like a slave. They thought that the key to acceptance by the father was to act as a slave. The father never pointed out the faults of the prodigal but the elder did in saying that he has spent his money on harlots. According to Hebrew custom, the oldest son had the "birthright" and was given a double portion.
The older son may very well have felt that "It’s not fair!" for the younger son to be welcomed back as a son. As a servant, okay; but not as a son. Under Hebrew Law, the older son was now responsible for providing for his destitute younger brother until the younger brother could get back on his feet financially. The father would not re-divide the liquid assets; but Hebrew Law required those that have goods to care for those that have not (Deuteronomy 15:7-11).
The most beautiful line for me in the parable is what the father says to the elder son, “all I have is yours”. Our heavenly Father says to us, “All I have is yours”. This is a most beautiful promise and invitation. We were not told at the end of the parable whether or not the elder son went in to the party. After reading this parable we also have a choice to make, will we stay outside or will we go in to enjoy the Father’s party.
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Beautiful story many times we have meditated upon. We may not feel anything new from this parable.
The prodigal son's decision to leave the father's house and to immerse himself into a life of rebellion, clearly illustrates the nature of sin. Every sin is an abuse of human freedom. When we sin, we defy God who loves us unconditionally.
The father did not go in search of the younger son. The son had to make the decision himself to come back. If the father had gone in search of him, no doubt he would have resented it. The son had to make the decision himself, “I will arise and go to my father” (Luke 15:18). That is a decision we all have to make, to leave the illusions of happiness that the world offers us and go to our Father. If we follow the illusions of false happiness with which the world tries to seduce us we will end up the pigs in the pigpen. This image of the younger son which the parable offers us is shocking but it is symbol of the mess we could get ourselves into by blindly following the selfishness of the world.
Saints have a past and sinners have a future. When the prodigal son came to his senses with the pigs and decided to return to his father he did not expect his father to treat him again as his son. So he made up his mind that he would ask to become one of his servants. He could not imagine that his father would want him back as his son again. He had a warped understanding of his father’s forgiveness. We have a warped understanding of God’s mercy for us. We make the mistake of thinking that God is like us and so we cannot understand God’s mercy. God made us in his image and likeness and ever since then we are making God in our image and likeness.
Fr. Jack McArdle tells a story about God’s forgiveness. Imagine when you die and Jesus comes to meet you and shows you a video of your entire life. On the video you see all the good things you did. But there are also a number of blanks on the tape. You ask why there are such blanks on the tape of your life. Jesus tells you these were the times when you sinned and asked for God’s mercy. When God forgives he completely blanks out our sins and does not remember.
Mostly we meditate upon the younger son. Let us today think about the mentality of the Older Son. We are not sinners but we are reluctant to participate in the celebration our father is giving to the prodigal sons and daughters, because we think that it is not fair and it is not justice.
Like the Pharisees, he is self-righteous, incapable of love, and therefore, incapable of forgiving anyone. His mind is dark and calculating. It is quite possible that his anger is rooted in the fact that he too would like to leave the father's house and live a life of sin. His life may be pure and noble, but his heart is attached to things that he would like to do, but does not do them because of his vanity and superiority complex.
The elder son, despite the fact that he was with his father all those years, was shocked that his father threw the party. He still didn’t know or understand his father’s heart; maybe the servants understood his father better. The elder son never felt accepted, appreciated or loved by his father. That was his problem. So his resentment towards his younger brother was really pointing to a deeper wound; he did not feel loved. The older son had no real relationship with his father. He was distant and aloof. He was like the Pharisees and scribes who complained about Jesus’ ministry to sinners in Luke 15:2. For years he had done the right thing but with the wrong attitude. “Lo these many years I have served you” (v 29). The elder son didn’t recognize his brother as his brother, “this son of yours” (v30). The elder son has been called the prodigal who stayed at home. He is also lost but his lost-ness is more difficult to see. So the parable is about a loving father and two prodigal sons or two lost sons! We are all like the elder son in the sense that none of us yet knows our Father’s heart as we are called to.
Just like the Pharisees, the older son was obedient, faithful, hard-working…and judgmental. He looked down his nose at anyone who didn’t measure up—even, and maybe especially, his younger brother. Just like the Pharisees, he mistakenly thought that the Father loved him because of his hard work and obedience, and therefore could not possibly love anyone who was disobedient and sinful. Just like the Pharisees, the older son thought it was proper to hate the sin and hate the sinner.
If this parable was set in the 21st century, the older son and the Pharisees would be people who go to church every Sunday; who put generous donations in the basket each week; who don’t go to Las Vegas and squander money on immoral living…and who also hate the sin and hate the sinner.
The key lesson in this week’s gospel reading is that God Almighty—represented by the loving father—hates sin, yes, but loves the sinner. Whenever a sinner repents and seeks forgiveness, God rejoices.
Ironically, both sons are slaves. One became a slave and wanted to be one, while the other acted like a slave. They thought that the key to acceptance by the father was to act as a slave. The father never pointed out the faults of the prodigal but the elder did in saying that he has spent his money on harlots. According to Hebrew custom, the oldest son had the "birthright" and was given a double portion.
The older son may very well have felt that "It’s not fair!" for the younger son to be welcomed back as a son. As a servant, okay; but not as a son. Under Hebrew Law, the older son was now responsible for providing for his destitute younger brother until the younger brother could get back on his feet financially. The father would not re-divide the liquid assets; but Hebrew Law required those that have goods to care for those that have not (Deuteronomy 15:7-11).
The most beautiful line for me in the parable is what the father says to the elder son, “all I have is yours”. Our heavenly Father says to us, “All I have is yours”. This is a most beautiful promise and invitation. We were not told at the end of the parable whether or not the elder son went in to the party. After reading this parable we also have a choice to make, will we stay outside or will we go in to enjoy the Father’s party.
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