Have you ever thought about why God would create us to have children? He could have created us like the angels who don’t have children. He could have created as many people as He wanted all at once. He could have created a few people and continued to create more as He saw fit to populate His creation. But God in His wisdom created one man and one woman and told them “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” He wanted them to have the experience of reproducing and raising children. And I think that it has to do with providing us some insights about God Himself. He made us in His image and our children are little images of us. When a baby is born, we look for ways that they resemble the parents. He’s got his daddy’s nose. And our love for our children is a special kind of love that’s not quite like the love we have for anyone else. We take great pride when a child has an accomplishment of some type, like when they win a spelling bee or graduate at the top of their class or even when they take their first step. We hurt beyond any other hurt when our child hurts. Most parents would rather have their own life be taken than see their child broken and in pain. And when a child goes astray, the disappointment and pain can be unbearable. Our experiences as parents help us to understand God’s great and special love for us, His children. So it’s no surprise that Jesus would teach us about God our Father in this parable about a father and two sons.
It’s a familiar story to most of us because it is so well-loved. The younger son demands that his father give him his share of his inheritance, basically telling his father that he wished he were dead so he could do whatever he wants. The father loves his son so much that he actually gives the ungrateful little jerk what he wants. The father probably hoped beyond hope that the son would use the wealth wisely, that he would recognize his father’s love and remain with him. But of course, after just a few days, the son ran off to live life large. It was one big party while the money lasted. Most likely his friends went away as soon as the money was gone and he found himself with nothing – no money, no friends, no food. So he finally recognizes what a jerk he’s been and decides to go begging for his father’s forgiveness, hoping that his father would at least allow him to be a servant.
Instead of anger, the father was full of grace and mercy and ran to greet his son while he was still far off. Imagine this dignified and wealthy man hiking up his robe to run down the dusty road. His neighbors must have thought him to be a fool. But he didn’t care. His love for his son knew no bounds. Despite his disappointment in his son’s rejection, he rejoiced that his son was finally coming home. In his joy, he threw a wonderful party “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”
This is God our Father. He rejoices over the lost when they return to him. He doesn’t want to display His wrath; He deeply desires that all of His creatures will come to Him in repentance. He longs to shower us with His love. He loves us so much that He allows us to reject Him while He patiently waits for us to come back to Him. And when we come to our senses, God our Father celebrates extravagantly. Our Father God is full of grace, mercy, and love for us. Our sin, our rejection of Him, causes Him great pain, but He forgives us completely and welcomes us back as His children.
Do you identify with the younger son? Maybe there has been a time in your life when you rejected God or at least rejected His authority over you. Maybe you lived life according to the ways of the world instead of walking the path of the Lord. Since you’re sitting here in church, worshipping God with fellow believers, I assume that you’ve returned to Him. And the great news is that God welcomes you back. He doesn’t hold a grudge against you for your past rejection of Him. He doesn’t constantly remind you of your past sins. That’s all behind you and it’s all forgiven. He throws a party for you! God our Father wraps the finest purple robe around you, He sets the crown of life on your head, and He pours out His grace, mercy, and love upon you. You are the most important person in the whole world to our Father because you are His child. His heart was broken when you left His side but now He rejoices because once you were dead in your sin but now you have been made alive by faith in the Son, Jesus Christ. You were lost but now you are found.
But there’s another brother in Jesus’ parable. The older brother wasn’t so happy to see his brother come back. He’s been out in the field doing chores for his father while his father welcomed his brother back. As the older brother comes close to the house, he hears the sounds of music and dancing. You’d think he would just go on in and join the fun, but instead he asks a servant what it’s all about. When he hears that the reason for the party is because his brother has returned home, he gets angry and refuses to go in.
Instead of joining his father and brother in the house for a joyous party with music and dancing, he throws a party for himself, a pity party. He’s probably got his arms crossed and a pout on his face. Just as his father ran down the road to reclaim the younger brother, the father also comes out to the older brother to beg him to come in and join the party. The father loves his older son just as much as the younger son. He wants the older son to celebrate and share his joy of the younger son’s return.
But listen to the son! “Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.” Me, Me, Me. It’s all about me! Where was his own joy that his brother who was lost was now found? The older son was outraged because he assumed that the party was in honor of his brother but it was the Father’s party because He was so overjoyed. He can’t even bring himself to call him his brother, he calls him ‘this son of yours’. Kind of like when a child does something bad and Mom tells Dad “You won’t believe what that son of yours has done this time!” He couldn’t forgive his brother for his past sinfulness. He’s disowned him and he allows his unforgiving attitude to get in the way of his own relationship with his father.
But notice what the father tells the older son. “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.” The older son had been serving his father faithfully for his whole life, but it was from a sense of duty, of obligation, rather than from love. His father would have loved to celebrate with his older son. He was willing to share all that he had. All that is mine is yours. But the son thought of himself as more of a servant than a son. He was obedient to his father, but didn’t have a loving relationship with him. How sad that the son never enjoyed his father.
Jesus leaves us hanging in this parable. He doesn’t tell us whether the older son comes in and joins the party. Does he remain in his pity party or does he begin to share the joy of his father and come to his party?
This parable reminds me of the account of Jesus from Luke 7 having dinner at a Pharisee’s house when a prostitute comes to Jesus and washes the dirt from His feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. The Pharisee was outraged that Jesus would associate with her. Jesus tells him “her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” The younger son had been forgiven his many great sins but the older son had few sins to be forgiven. The younger son loved his father because of his grace and mercy, but the older son, because of his life-long obedience, did not know the love the father had for him.
Many of you may identify with the younger son, having once lived a life of sinfulness, and know in your hearts God’s great mercy and love. But probably few of us identify with the older son. He represents those awful Pharisees after all. But look in your hearts and minds and examine your own relationship with God. What is your motivation for coming to church and worshiping God? What is your motivation for service to our Lord? Do you see God as a harsh taskmaster? Do you serve Him strictly out of obedience and respect for His authority? Or do you love Him dearly as He loves you? Do you serve Him out of gratitude because He has reserved a place in paradise for you?
Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross to win the victory over sin and death for us. He offers us all the forgiveness of all our sins, great and small, so that we can be restored and made whole. God is throwing a huge party with music and dancing. The invitations have been written with the blood of Jesus and you have been invited. Come to the party! Joy and celebration are taking place in the streets of heaven. He rejoices over all those who repent of their sins and seek to know Him. He wants you to join Him in His joy. He wants you know His great love for you. Rejoice with Him! Come to the party!
May the peace of God, the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.
