The Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 10, 2013
St. Andrew’s Church
The Rev. M. Anthony Seel, Jr.
Luke 15:11-32
The Lost Son and the Loving Father: Praying for our Adult Children
Bestselling author Stormie Omartian tells a story about two families that she calls the Joneses and the Browns (not their real names). The Jones had a son who was always getting into trouble. Omartian says,
He finally got arrested, and instead of bailing him out, Mr. and Mrs.
Jones decided to let him learn a hard lesson by leaving him in jail for
a while. Unfortunately, he was assaulted in jail and beaten by one of
the prisoners until he was dead from his wounds. The parents got a
call from the authorities informing them of what happened and where
they could pick up his body. They were devastated and overtaken with
guilt because of what they could have prevented. They were good
parents who were trying to do the right thing, but it turned out terribly
wrong…
I know another family – let’s call them the Browns – whose son had
also been giving his parents grief for some time. When he got arrested
and was sentenced to jail, they also did not try to get him off. They
knew he was guilty, and they wanted him to understand the
consequences of his actions. He ended up spending a short in jail,
but it turned his life around. His jail time was such an unforgettably
horrible experience that he never wanted to repeat it. All of us who
who prayed for him asked God to open his eyes to the truth about
the path that he was on and where he was headed. We prayed that
God would reveal to him who he was created to be and the future
the Lord had for him. God answered those prayers because he
came out a changed person. He went on to college and made
something out of his life and didn’t waste his life with foolish
pursuits again. [The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children,
pp. 12-13.]
Both sets of parents did what they believed was best for their sons. Both sets of parents made the same, identical decision, but there were two very different outcomes. For the Joneses, it turned into a devastating loss. For the Browns, there was glorious redemption. We never know how things will turn out, do we?
In her book, The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children, Omartian comments, “Let’s face it. Children are a guilt trip from the time they are born.” [p. 15]
What do you do when, despite your best efforts, your children no longer walk with the Lord? Hopefully, you pray. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, do you suppose the father did any praying? While his son was squandering his inheritance, I bet the father was praying night and day for his son.
Finally, the Prodigal Son comes to his senses.
vv. 17-19 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."'
The lost son realizes that even his father’s servants are better off than he is at this point. The question in his mind is whether his father will receive him back. His actions had hurt his father, his family, and his family’s farm.
The father would have had to sell family assets to fulfill his son’s demand – land, animals, perhaps even land with buildings.
vv. 20-23 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father
saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to
him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called
your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and
put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us
eat and celebrate.
A celebration? What has happened? How could this be? I’m a disgrace. I’m a disgrace to my father, my
Family, and my village.
But his father saw it differently. His father said,
v. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to
celebrate.
Yes, his son had been profligate. Yes, his son had been wasteful, selfish, reckless, stupid, self-indulgent.
Yes, his son had been all these things.
But, he was still his son. He would always be his son. The father was so happy to see him. He didn’t
say, why didn’t you call? He didn’t say, you could have at least texted me. No, he saw his son afar off
and he ran to him. He felt compassion for his son and he embraced him. Since he hadn’t heard from his
son he assumed he must be dead.
When I was in college and the Army, I wasn’t the best at calling home regularly. Wes, one of my Army
roommates had a set time every week when he spoke with his parents on the telephone. For me, my
mother sounded so surprised when I called.
How must the prodigal’s father have felt during his son’s absence? When the younger son reappears out
of nowhere, the father is so glad. It was so undignified to run out to meet his son, but the father wasn’t
thinking about appearances or his personal standing in the village.
As father and son embrace, the elder son was returning home from working in the field. He heard the
commotion and wondered what was going on. As he came closer he heard music and saw dancing.
vv. 26-27 Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music
and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.
The older son was tired from work and angry about this display. He refused to take part in the festivities.
His father came out and pleaded with him to join his brother, the rest of the family, and the village at the
party, but he stilled refused.
“This son of yours? Can’t you see – this is your brother. We thought he was dead. Shouldn’t we
rejoice that he is alive? He is back with us, safe and sound. Why aren’t you happy?”
“Father, he almost ruined us. He imperiled our family and our farm by his foolish and selfish
act. We all worked so hard to pull this farm back from the brink, and now he comes waltzing in
here and you celebrate?”
The great Anglican archbishop William Temple once said that “God grants us freedom, even to
reject his love. God does that for us, but it’s hard to do that for our children.
When the son returns, the father does not reject him. Far from it. He runs to him. He embraces
him. He kisses him – not once or twice, but profusely – again and again! What a welcome!
What an outpouring of love!
The lost son is honored with the best robe in the house – likely his father’s best robe. A banquet
is hastily prepared and the whole village is invited to join the jubilant father and his returned
son. A ring is placed on the son’s finger. It is likely a signet ring, symbolic of the family’s
authority.
Shoes were placed on the son’s feet. Slaves go barefoot. The prodigal has been fully restored to
his father and to his place in the family. That is, except with the elder son.
It took the family some time to recover from what the younger son had taken out of the family
farm. The elder brother was angry and resentful at his brother’s return. The family was
wealthy once again, due in part to the hard labor of the elder son. He had been overseeing the
farmhands and pitching in where necessary in his brother’s absence. With his brother gone, the
elder son had to pick up the slack. Now the slacker is back, and everyone’s supposed to rejoice?
There was another financial impact with the younger son’s return. With his leaving, everything
would eventually belong to the elder son. Now, what will happen with his brother back in the
picture?
We cannot miss the self-centeredness of the lost son in demanding his inheritance before his
father’s death. As N.P. Levinson says in his book on Jesus’ parables, “There is no law or custom
among the Jews or Arabs which entitles the son to a share of the father’s wealth while the father
is still alive.” [quoted in Kenneth Bailey, Poet and Peasant, p. 162]
We cannot miss the self-centeredness of the lost son, but we dare not miss the self-centeredness
of the elder son as he argues with his father. The elder son’s refusal to be reconciled to his
brother leads to a break in his relationship with his father. As renowned New Testament scholar
Kenneth Bailey says, the elder son’s heart is “full of envy, pride, bitterness, sarcasm, anger,
resentment, self-centeredness, hate, stinginess, self-satisfaction, and self-deception.”
[Bailey, The Cross and the Prodigal Son, p. 72]
That’s a lot of bad character in one person. The father is the only righteous person in this
parable. Not only is he righteous, he is also merciful and gracious.
The father has to explain to his eldest son why the return of his brother is a reason for rejoicing.
vv.31-32 And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was
fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is
found.'"
Have you ever had to explain why you’re happy? Last Sunday, St. Andrew’s filled two tables
during a luncheon at the Masonic Lodge on Main Street. Someone observed our folks and
commented on how happy we looked. When the Lord Jesus Christ is in your life, how can you
not be happy?
I realize that there are times when our happiness is tempered by some sadness. When we
consider the lives of our adult children, we can sometimes feel that their lives are not all they
can be. Some of long for our adult children to return to the Lord. Some of us long for your
adult children to return to the fellowship of the church. For some of our adult children, we pray
that they will come to their senses, and resist evil and destructive behaviors. We pray that God
will give them the resilience to withstand tough times.
I want to be clear: I don’t believe that the primary message of the parable of the prodigal son
pertains to parenting. But, I also don’t want us to miss the key action between the father and
his lost son.
The primary message of the parable is the wideness of God’s love. God has mercy for all who
will come to Him, particularly for those who have strayed from His ways. The father in this
parable is an example for us in His love and mercy. We can apply this to our parenting,
grand parenting, and our general way of life.
Let us now pray for the adult children of our congregation.
