ACTING LIKE THE BROTHER
THEME: IT IS DIFFICULT TO CELEBRATE WITH THE PRODIGAL.
TEXT: LUKE 15:11-32
Timothy Johns was the typically successful sales man in the community. He had great people skills and a super personality. He worked for the local insurance agency for the last 20 years. He started when he was 20 years old, and has been the leading salesman for the last 19 years. He is affluent, good looking, and has friends throughout the town. This is why the elders of the local church of Christ made him a deacon. The people had church loved him. He would bring new people to the congregation on a monthly basis. No one knew for sure of how many people he influenced that became Christians but someone guessed close to 100 hundred. He was engaged in the mission work of the congregation heavily. He had the best attitude about church in the world. He loved the church, the people, and the elders. Everyone knew that the next time the congregation appointed some more elders, Timothy was going to be one for sure.
The only person that was more popular than Timothy was his wife. Jane was beautiful with a capital “b”. She was involved in the children’s ministry and taught one of the 3 grade classes. She was raising three beautiful children. She was a quiet and loving woman. She would not be the life of the party, that was Timothy’s role, but she was everyone’s friend. She would write cards, make presents, and send food to anyone in the congregation that needed help. The only problem people had with the Johns was a little envy. The family seemed so perfect. And it was.
This is why everyone was shocked the day that they heard Timothy left Jane. The women wondered why. The men thought he was foolish or insane. She seemed like the perfect wife. As rumors flew around town there were completing stories. Some said they were fighting, some said there was an affair, and some said he was too stressed from work. No one really knew for two weeks. See Timothy left town. Jane was worried sick. All she had was a letter he left her one day when he went to work. She never even read it until that evening because he always wrote love letters to her and left them on the kitchen table. She thought he was working late, so she sat down to read the letter.
This is not working out, I need to move out. Please understand that I need to experience the world. I am 40 years now, I have taken some of our money, I have left enough for you and the children to be happy. If we never see each other again, thank you for being my wife.
Jane’s eyes started to drain tears. What, how could he, what was going on? She never saw this happening.
She knew nothing for another two weeks, but then the story started to come in. Timothy called: He was in Las Vegas. He was cold and distant. How are the kids he asked. Jane did not know how to response. Hurt she said. Confused she cried. Why did you leave she asked. I just had too was he response and he hung up the phone.
About a month or so later, the credit card bills started to come in. Jane looked at them. The bunny ranch in Vegas she thought, she heard of that on T.V. It was a place of prostitution. Huge bills from the Casinos. It did not take Jane long to realize that Timothy was having sex and going to strip clubs and gambling.
After another three months passed, Timothy called again. This time Jane was angry and confronted him on his actions. She said “You are sleeping with harlots and gambling all our money away.” What are you doing and what has happened to you. He confessed. I have a problem with sex, I cannot stop, I am addicted to this. I am sorry but this is what I want to do. I just cannot stop myself he said. He hung up the phone and Jane started to cry. She was so hurt. It disgusted her to think about her husband with these women. She went to the bathroom and threw up over and over again.
Jane went into a deep depression. For the next three months she could not pull herself from her bed. Finally after 9 more mouths she made the choice to move on with her life. Timothy had not called. She stopped seeing the Credit Card bills. He stilled that he was gone for good. Until one Monday afternoon. The kids were in the front yard playing on their bikes. She noticed a man walking down the country road. He heart leaped inside her. It was like she say a ghost. But she knew that walk a mile away. His head was down and his face was sad. Jane jumped out of her seat, ran down the road as fast as she could. She grab Timothy with all of her might. Timothy just started to mumble. I am sorry, I am sorry. She only heard sorry because she was kissing his face over and over again. Her husband was back, he was home. She yelled to the children to go get him his clothes, to bring him a drink. Their father was home now. Her husband was home.
That evening Jane got on the phone. She was going to throw the biggest party in the world in honor of her husband. She invited the whole church. She invited all of her family. All the neighbors were invited. She forgave Timothy completely and embraced him. The same man that left her, slept with other women, hundreds of them, spent the family’s money on gambling and prostitutes. She was going to celebrate his return.
Would you have went the next day? Would you go to this man’s party? Would you go to this man’s party that mistreated his wife and children? Would you go as the church family? How do you know he repented? It is the next day. Would it be right to go? This man cheated on his wife with hundreds of women. His wife might be naïve but you are not. You want to test him first. See if he truly repented. You were not going to just forgive and forget. He is scum for what he did to his family.
If you feel this way, I guess you would have never gone to another party either. Jesus talks about in Luke 15:11-32 “And He said, "A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, ’Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ And he divided his wealth between them. "And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. "Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be in need. "And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. "And he was longing to fill his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. "But when he came to his senses, he said, ’How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! ’I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men."’ "And he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him. And the son said to him, ’Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ "But the father said to his slaves, ’Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ And they began to be merry. "Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. "And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things might be. "And he said to him, ’Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ "But he became angry, and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began entreating him. "But he answered and said to his father, ’Look! For so many years I have been serving you, and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a kid, that I might be merry with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ "And he said to him, ’My child, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. ’But we had to be merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’"
In this story we all like to pretend that we would be like the father. We will lavish grace on the son. But in real life we would be angry with the son, we in the church would want a letter of repentance before we would go to the party or use him in service. We want real proof before giving grace. This type of lavish grace is too far out there for us. If we were the neighbors would be go and celebrate the return of the bad little boy. We would feel bad about going to Timothy’s party. He does not deserve grace for what he did. He needs to pay for his sins.
Fred Craddock tells a true life story of this situation. Going to the prodigal’s party seems to be the normal thing to do. But I never thought about the party until a family up the street divorced and left three youngsters, girls, one of them attractive, prematurely mature, and about fourteen years old. She was always in trouble at school, into marijuana, always in trouble, always up before the judge. She finally was so misbehaved and so involved in misdemeanors that the judge said, “You are going to the reform school in Oklahoma. She was sent away to a detention home for girls. About the fourth or fifth month that she was there, she gave birth to the child she was carrying, She was fifteen at the time. Word came to the neighborhood some months afterward that she was coming home. “Will she have the baby with her?” “Is she really coming home, back to our neighborhood?” The day we heard she was to come, all of us in the neighborhood had to mow our grass. We were out in our yards, moving our grass, and watching the house. She did not show, nobody came, and we kept watching the house and mowing the grass. I was down to about a blade at a time, you know, watching the house, when a car pulled in the driveway—and out steps… “It’s Cathy. She has the baby. She brought home the baby.” People in the house ran out and grabbed her and took turns holding that baby, and they were all laughing and joking, then they went in. They started parking in the street. You could not have gotten a Christian car down the street, just cars on either side, and they are all gathering there, you know. Suddenly I got disturbed and anxious and went in my house. It suddenly struck me, what if one of them saw me down in the yard and said, “Hey Fred, she’s home and she has the baby. We are having a party, and we’d like for you and your wife to come.” It is easier to read the story of the prodigal son than to go to his party.
