Part of the
genius of Jesus’ stories is the way there are always turning points. There are decisions that get made that make
all the difference in the story. That’s
especially true of the story of the prodigal son, too. Each character makes choices that change the
entire course of events, not just in his life, but in the life of the others.
It’s starts with the younger
son. The younger son makes the choice
to ask for his share of the inheritance and leave. What if he had not done that?
What if the younger son had thought, “I’d like to do this, but if I do
my dad’ll kill me. I’d better keep my
mouth shut and do what I’m told.”
At first, it might seem like that
would’ve made things better. We’d like
to think that if he’d stayed, the family would’ve stayed united and been
happy. Maybe not, though. The younger son would still have had the
desire to leave. He’d still have wanted
to see what was out there, to see if he could make it on his own. Maybe he’d have come to resent his life at
home. Maybe he’d have started causing
trouble, not just for himself, but for his brother and his father, too. Maybe he’d have felt so stifled that he’d
have hated his whole family. Maybe his
time at home would’ve made everyone miserable.
Or, maybe he’d have taken off anyway.
Maybe he’d have struck out on his own, with or without money, to see
what the rest of the world was like.
He was at a turning point, and he
made his choice. He asked for the
money, got it, and went out to see the world.
It was a choice that did not just affect him. It broke up the whole family.
The father was at a turning point,
too. He had to make a choice. It had to be a hard choice. When his son came up and asked for his share
of the inheritance, the father could’ve said, “What? Are you crazy? I’m not
giving you anything. You’ll get your
share of the inheritance, assuming I actually give you some, when I’m dead and
not before. Now get out of here and get
back to work!”
As I think about it, that’s
probably what I would’ve said, if I was the father. It’s not what the father says here, though. He must have been tempted to. After all, he obviously knew his son pretty
well. He probably knew what would
happen to his son if he had money. It’d
be a lot safer for his son if he kept him at home. It would not be denying him something. It’d be protecting him.
It’d be protecting the whole family.
They’d stay together, and stay united in love. It’d be for the younger son’s own good to not give him anything
and keep him home.
Still, the father says yes. We don’t know why. Maybe the younger son had been in trouble his whole life, and the
father had been bailing him out. Maybe
he knew that sometimes you have to let people make their own decisions and make
their own mistakes. After all, if the
younger son went out on his own, his father would not be around to save him any
more. He’d have to sink or swim on his
own. Maybe he knew that the only way
the younger son would grow up is if he had to deal with the consequences of his
actions.
Whatever the reason, he did
it. He gave his son the money, and the
son left. Again, that was a turning
point. It was a choice that affected
the whole family.
Well, sure enough, the younger son
got into trouble. He ran out of money,
the economy went bad, there were no government programs for him to get on, and
he was in a tough spot. He got a job,
but it was a lousy job, feeding pigs.
Now, I grew up on a farm, and I’ve fed some pigs in my time. It’s not a great job for anybody. Now remember that Jesus was talking to
Jewish people. For religious reasons,
they were not supposed to have anything to do with pigs. This would’ve been about the worst possible
job the younger son could’ve gotten.
So, the younger son reached another
turning point, and had to make another choice.
Here he was. He’d made this big
show about how he was ready to strike out on his own. Nobody was going to tell him what to do. He was ready to make his own decisions. He could take care of himself. Now, here he was, a complete and total
failure. He’d made a mess of his
life. Everything his father had given
him was gone. He had nothing left. He was barely able to survive.
He thought, well, maybe I could go
back home. But could he? Think of how embarrassing that would be for
him, to have to admit what a failure he was.
He had to be kind of scared, too.
What kind of reception would he get when he got home? How would his father react when he told him
what had happened? Would his father
even take him back? Would his father
disown him, tell him he was no longer fit to be called his son? Would his father tell him, “Hey, you made
your choice. I gave you everything you
were entitled to and you threw it away.
The gravy train is over. You
made your bed, now you can lie in it. I
don’t have anything for you. Get out of
here.”
Well, he made his choice. He was going to go home. He rehearsed what he’d say to his
father. He’d admit it all. He’d admit how wrong he’d been, he’d admit
what a failure he was, and he’d beg for mercy.
He would not even ask to be called a son again, just ask that his father
give him a job.
He heads for home. His father sees him coming from a long way
off. I wonder, did the father know what
had happened? We’re not told of any
communication between them, but it seems like parents always know, right? Besides, as we said before, he knew his son
well enough to know what would probably happen.
So, we’re at another turning
point. The father had to make a
choice. What do I do? Do I take him back? Has he learned his lesson? What if he’s the same the same know-it-all
he was before? Am I just going to be
bailing him out one more time, enabling him again?
Well, the way Jesus tells it, it
was no choice at all. The father did
not even think about it. He not only
took his son back, he welcomed him back.
He did not even listen to the son’s prepared speech. He ordered fancy clothes for his son and
threw a party for him. He’d worry about
giving him a lecture later. This was a
time to celebrate! The family was back
together!
And now, just when we think we’ve
reached the happy ending, we’ve reached yet another turning point. The older son comes into the picture. He’d have known what had happened before, of
course. He’d have known all about what
his brother did. He’d have known all
about what his father did, too. Did the
older son worry about his brother? Did
he think “good riddance”? Maybe he’d
been covering for his brother for years, doing his brother’s work as well as
his own. He may have been upset with
his father for dividing the property, too.
You can say, well, the older son was still going to get his share, but
his share might’ve been bigger if they’d kept it all together. The estate might have grown. There might’ve been interest accumulated.
Think about it. Here the older son was, playing by the
rules, doing what he was supposed to do, helping his father, waiting patiently
for it to be his turn to inherit the property.
His idiot brother takes half the property, wastes it, comes sniveling
back, and his father throws a party for him!
The older son is at a turning
point. He has to make a choice,
too. He has to choose whether to
forgive his brother and welcome him back, or whether to feel angry and
resentful. As with all the other
choices, his choice was going to affect the whole family. If he chose to forgive, they could be one
happy, united family again. If he chose
to be angry and resentful, the family would stay divided and broken.
He chose to be angry and
resentful. His father came out to talk
to him. His father explained to him why
the father made the choice he did. His
father tried to get him to change his mind.
And there the story ends. We don’t know whether the older son changed
his mind or not. We don’t know if the
family was reunited or stayed divided and broken. Jesus leaves the story unresolved.
Which is the way our own lives
go. Each of us has unresolved stories
in our lives. Each one of us comes to
those same turning points. We’ve had
them in the past and we’ll have them in the future. Some of us may have them now.
It’s not just in our family lives, either. It can be any kind of relationship. It can be something that’s happened recently, or it can be
something that’s been going on for a long time.
We come to turning points in our
lives every day, and we make choices every day. Every day, each of us chooses to unite with others or to stay
separate from them. We choose to act in
ways that will form strong, loving relationships, or we choose to act in ways
that will keep us divided and apart.
Just like with this story, our
endings are unresolved. We all come to
turning points. When we do, let’s
remember this story and pray for the wisdom and courage to make the right
choices.
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