Who do you think we are?
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
I don’t know about you but I sometimes spend a large portion of my day looking for stuff I put away for safe keeping. Sometimes I spend 5 minutes looking for the remote control for the TV instead of walking 5 feet to change the channel.
When my car keys are missing it is always an emergency. Sound the alert and get everybody to help. I usually don’t know my keys are lost before I really need to be leaving.
When I loose something, even if it is not directly my fault it all depends on me taking some action to recover the item.
This scripture is one of three parables where Jesus is describe how God takes actions to recover what is lost.
Jesus is hanging out with tax collectors and sinners…. Tax collector is very specific, in those days they knew who they were. They sat in little booths and accessed the value of your goods and made you pay up. They worked on commission. So the more you were taxed the more they made. I guess we pretty much think bad things about tax collectors today. If they happened to be an honest tax collector, they were still considered unclean because they worked for the Romans. So most religious folks did not invite them to parties much. Then scripture also says he was talking to sinners.
Sinners sounds a little vague. That could be a huge category for the types of people. They could be people with bad reputations, folks that did not go to church maybe even people that had health problems. Anyone that was considered un-clean to the religious leaders of the day would be a sinner.
Then the description of the other group watching and listening Pharisees and teachers of the law. The ones that were standing with sneers on their faces. Judging the assembled group and Jesus. And saying Look who he is hanging around with…
So Jesus tells three parables, The story of the Lost sheep, the lost coin and the man who had two sons. Technically, all the stories have the same main point. That the action is not made by the lost item but is made by the owner, or God to recover the lost.
So the parable of the man with two sons starts out with the younger son making a request of the father that would have been unheard of in the day. Technically he is saying Father I want you to die and give me what will be mine.
And what do you think the crowd thought when Jesus said he divided his property between them. Maybe it was a good way the get the people to listen. Not just the Sinners but the religious, Maybe they thought I gotta hear where this whopper is going.
The younger son Goes off and Blows everything in a foreign country.
The younger son goes do to Daytona beach and parties, Beer, girls, gets a Harley Motor cycle, Rides up and down the street at all hours. Leaves his trash out on the front porch of his rented house and before long he is out of cash. He gets a minimum wage job feeding livestock and he won’t his first check until the end of the month.
Ok here is the Quick history over view. A good boy does not ask for is inheritance before his dad is dead or until he retires and is ready to trust the oldest son with all the daily decisions.
A good son would not blow all the hard earned money that his dad gave him, especially not in gentile territory on sinful things. Getting a job would not be so bad but with pigs ... everything about the foreign country was sinful.
The younger son realizes he could do better at home, as a servant than he is here. And he realizes that he will have to listen to a lecture and eat a little crow…But at least he will have a good meal and a roof over his head. He hopes in his heart that Dad will take him in. He practices his speech and heads home.
It seems that dad was watching for his younger son to come home. And when he does Jesus says he runs to meet him… Here is another point for the hearers of the story that would have bothered the listeners. Culturally the father would not run to greet anyone that was not more important than himself. Small children run to dad all the time, but dad would not run to the kids. It was simply an understanding of how one acted as a head of household.
So Dad not only greets the son, He does not let him get his speech out before he is getting rings and robes and shoes.
Where is the lecture? Where is the, I told you so?
Where is the judgment?
Next the party gets going, Not just a decent meal but the fatted calf and music. That is not going over to grandma’s and her fixing you a big ham sandwich and a drink. It is more like thanksgiving, Turkey and Ham with all the fixens and calling the neighbors and relatives and inviting them over for dinner. Their picking Guitars and telling stories of the old days. And all because you just showed up.
Still no sign of any requirement to say, dad I messed up and wrecked my life and I need your help. Still no punishment or embarrassment. Only acceptance and celebration.
Personally I know I would want to be treated this way.
Then the story changes directions. The older son, the one that kept the farm on track, stayed in the fields from sunrise to dark gets back to the house and hears the music and singing and ask what is going on? … Your brother has come home and her is a celebration in his honor.
Did he change his mind and come home? Did he get is own place and do well?
No, he came home in rags, crying and looked like he almost did not make it here. And your dad hugged him and had us dress him and get the party ready.
At this point in the story the two brothers have technically changed places. The younger brother made the choice to go away from his father’s love and protection. He exorcizes is free will to take his natural talents and live in the world. He chose his own rules and made some bad choices and mistakes. Eventually the money ran out and the situation beyond his control made his life worse. But he realizes his need and how it could be better and he heads home.
The older brother did what seemed like the right stuff but when he saw how gracious his dad was he felt slighted. HE choose to be outside of his fathers live and protection and refuses to find joy and celebration when his brother comes hoe. HE wants to see him humbled, groveling and crying. HE wants the superior place and control.
He wants some pay back for what he did to dad and him. In fact he probably can’t even imaging why Dad would take him back at all much less throw a party.
When dad tries to change is mind, the older son exorcizes his free will to remain outside and just be hurt.
My over all question today is “Who do you think we are?”
Normally, we place the Tax collectors and sinners as the younger son and the Pharisees as the older son and God in the middle. We believe that both sons end up lost. One accepts the relationship with his father and comes home and the other rejects the love he had always known.
Traditionally, we look at this story and we may think of ourselves as the younger son, we have messed up and we practiced our speeches and we are headed home to face the music.
OR We realize that we are more like the older son, that we have been doing God’s work and thought we had it figured out and we are convicted to consider joining he party. Sometimes we change places as we look at our relationship with God and how our lives are going at the moment.
I know that I sit in the place of the younger son all the time.
I make bad decisions; I decide I can handle my life better than God can. And I take what I have and storm out of the house thinking I got it under control.
Then I hit a wall. A challenge that takes me by surprise or I run out of steam and just don’t know what to do.
An I return to the father again, wondering how he can take me back.
Less often, I have been the older son, but it has happened. Perhaps it is just misplaced judgment of someone else OR a refusal to go through a door God wants me to enter.
Have you ever considered placing yourself in the place of the father?
Here is the core of the message that I have for you today.
As Christians, when we are truly acting as the body of Christ, especially as a church. We are to be the ones that are searching for the lost.
According to this parable, we are to be ready and available to receive the sinners and the stubborn or hurt religious back into the house.
The series of parables that Jesus told tell of a God that searches and rejoices and in today’s lesson actually paces the floor worrying over the lost. All that was required was that the lost item not run away.
-- There was no punishment or extra groveling or humbling.
As a Christian and as a church are we acting as the father or the owner and worrying about our world or are we just thinking that they can go to hell for all we care?
If we are not praying for our community of sinners to come to God and worrying about their condition then we are not acting on the behalf of Jesus and God.
If we judge the people around us as sinners and don’t extravagantly show them grace and forgiveness of God, then we are not acting on behalf of Jesus and God.
If we judge the people that have tried and failed, or that felt out of place and refused to come back in to the house, We are not acting on behalf of Jesus s and God.
If we are not joyful when any lost person turns around and tries to come home, dirty and filthy and maybe even unrepentant and we expect more we are not acting on behalf of Jesus and God.
When can any of us say that we cared enough as individuals to act like the father?
Prodigal = recklessly extravagant Aren’t you glad that God acts that way toward us.
When will we try to act that way as a church again?
“Who do you think we are?”
All Glory be to God!
