Anyway, she says that when Jesus told parables, the Jews of that day would have understood that the end of the story was the most critical point of the teaching.
Many Christians focus on the son who took his father's money and left. That's not them, of course. There's always someone else whose sin is worse that we can point to. It takes our attention off ourselves.
Yet look how happy the father is to see his son come home. This is not the image of a punishing God. Far from it. This Father wants the best for his children, good and bad. There’s no remembrance of sin, even before the son admits his mistakes.
The parable concludes with the Father’s interaction with the prodigal’s older brother. Certainly, a rebellious brother does not deserve a feast. If the older son had his way, the undeserving brother should have been put in the servant’s quarters just as the prodigal thought, and treated as a lesser person in the household.
There was no joy in the return of his brother. No love. No peace, only anger. No fruits of the Spirit. Do we see any of that today?
As shamefully as the older brother acts, the Father treats him tenderly. The Father does not reprimand the ‘obedient’ son. He does not react to his unloving, i.e., sinful response. All that is the Father’s is the son’s. And look, there I’ve done it again. I focused on the older son at the end of the parable. The true lesson is seen in the Father’s response, even to the self-righteous older son. The Father is tender. Open. Loving. Non-judgment. Non-condemning. Not weighing one sin against another.
Rejoicing that God’s grace is without limits and overlooks every kind of sin, is outrageous. When I treat members of my own Christian family in less than loving and joyful ways, no matter what they've done, I reject the invitation to join the feast. Good God, folks, there’s a banquet going on right now! Sit down at the table and eat – with your brother and sister!
Peace, PWM
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