The Two Sons

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]

When I hear Jesus begin a parable with, “a man had two sons…” I immediately want to divide those sons into the “right” one and the “wrong” one.  Maybe it’s my tendency to prefer absolutes: black and white, good and evil.  Maybe it’s my desire to figure out which one I do, or should, align myself with. Thankfully Jesus never paints with just black and white, he has the whole color palate to use, as he showcases in this depiction of God’s love and our humanity. 

The father in this parable represents God, so let’s focus on the sons. We are his sons – humanity - God’s creation beginning with Adam, promised as the seeds of Abraham, governed under the Mosaic law which comes to fulfillment in Christ.  As we try to figure out which son we are, let’s look more closely at the ways they are similar, and what we can learn from their examples.

The sons knew their father; they were aware of his wealth, they knew they could come to him with concerns, and they had some concept of his kindness.  Yet each, in different ways, chose to treat their father poorly.  At the beginning of the story, the younger son essentially wished death on his father so that he could inherit his wealth. 

Photo Credit: Flickr user Nicholas Raymonds

After the younger son squanders the wealth finally returns, the father celebrates his return. The celebration ignites the older son’s feelings of anger and entitlement; he is so filled with contempt at his father’s generosity that he cannot celebrate with them.  

There is uniformity when we look at the father’s treatment of his two sons.  He loved them both enough to allow them to make their own decisions, even if those decisions brought pain and dissatisfaction.  The father also actively pursued both sons.  He was waiting for the younger son to return and ran to meet him. He broke cultural norms to leave the celebration and seek out the older son; typically a host in that time would not leave his own party. And he was equally generous and offered both sons complete reconciliation.      

If both sons, at their core, are sinful and ungrateful, and if we see the father as uniformly loving and forgiving, how do we make sense of the two totally different reactions of the two sons?  The first son reaps the pain and dissatisfaction of his poor decisions and ultimately begs for compassion from his father.  In contrast, the parable ends with the second son standing outside the party stewing in bitterness and judgement.  We don’t get to see a change of heart from him, but the story has no final scene.  Jesus leaves us in this dissonance to digest this story.

We are all sinners – the Bible tells us that we are, and a careful check out our thoughts and actions over the last day or even the last hour confirm it.  We are born apart from God, unable to bridge the gap to His holiness except through the saving grace of Jesus dying on the cross.  Our God is totally holy yet He is reckless with his love and grace as he extends salvation to each and every one of us.  We are the sons and he is the father.  What will our decision be?  This is the ultimate yes or no question.  There is no middle ground here, no chance to see it in anything but absolutes.  Our Heavenly Father runs to us and extends His loving arms – what will we do?  Fall on our knees and make reconciliation or turn and walk away?

Perhaps you are nodding in agreement, confident that Christ’s forgiveness in your life that has made you right before God. Consider these questions:

·         When others seem to receive abundant blessing while you are just plugging away at life, do you feel the older son’s questions creeping in?

·         Do your thoughts, prayers and actions for those who are chasing the world mirror the Father’s, longing actively for their return to His family; or do you find yourself in the self-righteous mindset of the older son?

·         If our Heavenly Father is a prodigal God, offering forgiveness and grace recklessly and completely to all who humble themselves and ask for it – how should we as His children be transformed by this in every moment of our Earthly lives?

·         Are you as reckless with love, grace and forgiveness as your Father?

[Caleb Bupp is married to Robin, and is originally from Pittsburgh. He spends most of his time as a geneticist, but thought it might be fun to try writing this blog. He likes the Steelers, pickles, running and classic movies.]