Lessons from the Prodigal Son

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In Luke 15, Jesus told the story of a father and two sons to explain different ways people can be separated from God.  This includes both the rule-breakers and the rule-keepers.  He wanted us to see the heart of God for those who are lost: the irreligious, free-wheeling types and the moral, religious types as well.

The 2 Brothers

The younger brother shows how a person can be far from God by pursuing a life of rebellion, and how God welcomes anyone who comes back to him no matter what they have done or how far they have roamed. But a religious or “good” person can be just as far from God. The younger brother wanted the father’s wealth, but not a relationship with his father. But the older brother also wanted selfish control of his father’s wealth. The younger brother got control by taking his inheritance and running away. The older brother got control by staying home and being very good. The older son refused to enter the celebration of his brother’s return and was angry with his father. His attitude on that day of celebration shows how alienated he was from his father’s heart. He felt that because he had been obedient, he had the right to tell his father what to do with his possessions. Thus he was not lost in spite of his good behavior, but because of his good behavior. He missed the banquet because of his self-righteousness.

The Human Condition

In this story, Jesus gives us the essence of the whole larger story of the Bible in a nutshell, starting with the human condition. The younger son’s sin turned him into an exile from home. Likewise, we were made for life in the presence of God. We were made to know and serve God, to live in his presence and enjoy his love and beauty. But because we wanted to be the highest authority in our own lives, we lost God. We lost our home. The human race now wanders in the world experiencing the anxiety and spiritual nausea that come from never feeling at home in the world. The world doesn’t address the needs of our heart. We long for a love that can’t be lost, for escape from death, for the triumph of justice over wrong. But such things will never be found apart from God. When the younger brother “came to his senses” he realized that he needed to go home.

The Divine Solution

At the center of Jesus’ story is a feast. The father organized an extravagant celebration to mark the reconciliation of his son. In the Old Testament, meals ratified covenants, celebrated victories, and marked all special family occasions. Why were meals so significant? In ancient times – before electricity and television – meals became the center of family life where relationship closeness was both symbolized and practiced. The same is true today. At meals we most feel at home. We get a taste of connection, laughter and friendship. The idea of the feast in the Bible is a symbol that God will bring us home some day. Through Jesus, God will one day make this world home again. He will destroy death, suffering, and tears. When that happens, we will feel that we are truly home at last, in the place we’ve been looking for all our lives.

The New Relationship

Jesus left his own true heavenly home (Phil 2:5-6), wandered without a home (Matt 8:20), and was finally crucified outside the gate of Jerusalem, a sign of exile and rejection (Heb. 13:11-12). Thus Jesus experienced the exile that the human race deserves. He was alienated and cast out so we can be brought home. On the cross, Jesus lost fellowship and communion with the father (Matt 27:45). In light of this, Jesus calls “younger brothers” and “older brothers” alike to repent. He calls people to turn to him and follow him and join the feast. Jesus gave us a foretaste of that great feast to come when he instituted what we call “The Lord’s Supper” or Communion. To gather around the Communion table you don’t have to be perfect, only repentant. The ultimate son, who was dead and cut off, is now alive again. So we have to celebrate! The Father, in his love, creates a new community of men and women who regularly break bread together to celebrate the new life they have through Jesus.