“God Welcomes Us Home”
“ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20 NRSV
Who does not love a good story? Stories have a way of pulling us in causing us to feel as though we are actually there witnessing the events as they unfold. Those who are especially gifted at storytelling do more than report the facts as if giving a weeknight news report. Through carefully chosen nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc., they piece together a tapestry which plays with our senses and teases our imaginations so that we cannot get enough. Hence the reason we love parables, especially those told by the Master.
Without any further details, you can likely tell the rest of the story from which the Luke 15 verse is taken. It is a beloved story within the Christian community and one referenced by even those with little to no knowledge of Scripture. We call it the “Parable of the Prodigal Son” or that of “the Loving Father,” and it completes a trio of parables related to losing and finding. The context is that of Jesus having welcomed “tax collectors and sinners” to give him a listen while the religious leadership grumbled about the company which he kept.
It is likely their frustration with Jesus’ actions (or lack thereof) stemmed somewhat from jealously over his influence, but perhaps more so from his refusal to rub shoulders with the religious elite. Were they hoping to protect Jesus from the taint of sin? Were they trying to say the Messiah came for a certain clientele? Whatever their motivation, they were attempting to separate Jesus from the very people who needed what he had to offer. By doing so, the religious leaders were able to control (or at least try to) access to God while maintaining a division of “insiders and outsiders.” Jesus had (and still does) room for everyone which stood in stark contrast to some traditional Jewish prejudices.
According to Jesus, this was and is not God’s approach to humanity and a world in which we are the lost sheep, coin, and son. Later in Luke’s Gospel, following his confronting of Zacchaeus, Jesus stated “the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” When we are unable or unwilling to acknowledge our lost condition, it is difficult for us to understand and appreciate the state of being found (note: the older brother in Luke 15). The religious leaders perceived themselves as insiders and as those who had not wandered off. In their own opinion, they were safe at home all along and did not need to be tracked down or waited for.
But for those who are willing to be found, what beautiful imagery we find in Jesus’ parables especially the one of the father and son. I know it may be reading between the lines, but I envision this man going out day after day. Much as I did when I was a child waiting at our mailbox for a racing publication to arrive, the father was anticipatory perhaps squinting his eyes and hoping to see any sign of someone in the distance. Although the younger son had chosen to go his own way, his father was still there if he ever changed his mind. His love never failed.
There are some who lead us to believe one can never go home. In fact, I have heard people say of their children, “Once they are out, they are out.” I get what they are trying to say and the point they are wanting to make, but I am thankful God does not give us the “door treatment.” That is what makes this parable in particular so amazing and in many ways challenging to accept and do. It is challenging to accept because we, like the son, feel like we must give God a lengthy story of what went wrong and why we did what we did. It is challenging to do because we, like the older brother, want the one who went astray to learn his or her lesson.
“But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion…” This is what makes a homecoming such a beautiful thing and not only the stuff of parables. It is a reality which all of us can experience for ourselves regardless of who we are or where we have been. Homecoming is more than a special service we will share together in a few weeks. It is that which occurs when we, like the son, come to our senses and find the One who never ceases looking for us. Thanks be unto God!
Together in Christ,
The Reverend Kelley Smart