We left the Prodigal with the realization that he needs to go back to his father and make amends. So back to the village he goes. What should the father do? The father should stay in his estate and when told of his son he should not immediately go out. Let the village discipline him first. Then after a lashing and restitution made, then maybe a reconciliation but not before much time passed. Now for the most shameful act yet. This is ridiculous. The father runs and kisses the son? WHAT? Most likely this son is in rags and very smelly being with these pigs and the father is running towards his son and kisses him all over. In the Greek this running is sprinting. To do so, he would have to lift his robes and show his legs. This was not done. This is appalling. The priests did not lift their robes even in the blood of sacrifices. This running would be considered a shameful act. For a man to show his legs went against all propriety. Aristotle wrote, “great men never run in public.” The father is willing to take the shame before the boy takes on the shame of the town. This is a totally selfless act and crazy according to the culture. We see here full reconciliation. The father has taken the shame. He had always been watching for his son to come home. He goes out to escort his boy into town with his arm around him. The son should have been beaten. This is Grace. The Pharisees did not get this. They did not understand Grace. To them this is disgrace. He does not have to earn back his father’s love. He throws himself to his father and his father restores him. All he did was trust his father. This is grace. God is the seeker. He sees the sinner before the sinner sees him. He runs to embrace the sinner back into fellowship
Here the memorized speech comes out. Most likely he repeated this over and over as he traveled home. But he doesn’t finish the end of this speech. He stopped at the point where he was going to ask to be restored as a servant. Why? It would be an insult to his father at this point. He got it. He understood it, the grace given to him. He doesn’t finish because he sees he doesn’t have to earn back his father’s love. He repents, he entrusts himself to his father and that’s all a sinner has to do. The Pharisees never understood this. No shame for this boy? He should have been beaten they thought. They didn’t get it. They didn’t understand grace. This is Jesus embracing sinners. There’s no plan for restitution, no works, just grace. What does this say about the father? His love is lavish, his compassion endless even to the worst sinner. The point here is God finds joy in one lost sinner.
After his confession, his father eagerly brings him back into fellowship. The only way back for us as sinners is by confession. Now he’s given a robe. He’s treating him like a prince. This would symbolize clean clothing that went on after being washed. We are clothed by the righteousness of Christ after we come to him and are washed by the blood of the lamb. To cover him is to restore his dignity. The ring is usually given to one that has authority in the house. It carries the insignia of the owner, in this case the father. He now can act on behalf of his father. He’s been given authority to do so. The shoes show responsibility and freedom, full sonship. Mercy triumphs over sin. A servant does not wear shoes. His position is higher than a servant seen by the shoes on his feet. He was now fully clothed and forgiven and restored to the status of a son. The fattened calf is usually used for the best and biggest occasion like the marriage of an elder son. The celebration begins.
To the Pharisees this story would be irritating, like church bells to a non believer. The father is acting stupidly. They can’t imagine such a father.
Now enters the elder son into the scene. It seems he is somewhat estranged himself from the father. Yes he was there and doing the work but his heart was not there. There does not seem to be a good relationship with his father. Notice how he went to the servants to find the answer to what was going on. He did not go to the father. He was not invited to this celebration. He’s in the dark. He has no part in his brother’s redemption He sees the full reconciliation between his father and younger brother and he’s angry. Here we see that he’s as lost as the Pharisees that are now listening to this story. This is them. They just appeared in the story. The irony is lost on them. They are more lost than the younger son. The father is embracing this sinner. How dare he? This is what ticks the Pharisees off, Christ embracing sinners. Where’s the punishment? The father is a fool to the son and to them. You don’t give honor to a fool. Notice he didn’t go in, but it was the father who came out and begged him to let it go. The son was angry just as the Pharisees were angry with Jesus. This boy is just as much a complainer as the Pharisees and just as self righteous. He was the real prodigal. To the Pharisees this elder brother would make the most sense. Finally someone who gets it they must be thinking. His father begs him to come in, another shameful act. How far will this father go? The father appears to be weak and not a true leader of this family
We see he addresses his father with “Look.” He was not respectful. His words are dripping with legalism as he speaks to his father. He wanted to party with “his friends.” Not with his father and brother. Notice how he reminds the father of how the younger wasted his money. There are many that are working for God but are just as poor spiritually as the younger son was physically. Here the father is saying I have spiritual blessings for you. Take and grab hold of them. You have always been my son. Our father is rich in spiritual blessings. They are yours for the taking. They are not forced upon us but to be taken by us and by doing so we are blessed beyond all measure.
It seems ironic that the elder in a fit of rage revealed the mind of a slave rather than a master in his father’s home. The younger was willing to reposition himself as a slave while the elder seemed to consider his position a duty. He didn’t feel privileged but forced to follow his father’s footsteps. Many times moments of crises uncover truths. Our sin always finds us out.
I wonder if the Pharisees could see themselves in the self-righteous elder son. They obeyed God, kept the rules of the house, served diligently but all without love, appreciation or gratefulness. Like the elder son they murmured about the generosity showered on those they deemed unworthy. They were bitter, resentful and jealous.
Jesus rejected their preconceived image of God. He showed them a different picture of a loving God with no limits of pardon and grace. It was the father who is the center of this story with his sons revolved around him. We see his revealed compassion for his younger son and assurance given to his elder son of his love and devotion. He refused to limit his grace to the human ways of seeing and doing.
Here we see the story closes with the elder son out of fellowship with his father. The father leaves the door open however.
Maybe you are a son/daughter who went away to a far country and are out of fellowship with him. He is watching for you still. Maybe you are like the elder son who also was out of fellowship trying to earn your way by working hard. He. thought he was serving God, but yet he was not enjoying all the father had for him. He was too busy working. He was missing out on the joy and fellowship that a father has for his son.
How does it end? It just stops. Does the older brother seeing the compassion and mercy of his father confess his sins and asks his father for forgiveness? Is he fully restored and taken into the banquet?
Or is this the end of the story? Upon hearing this, the older son being outraged, picked up a piece of wood, beat his father to death. It would be a few months before the Pharisees would kill and nail Jesus to a piece of wood. They would believe it would be an act of honor to protect the nation, the people and religion of the one who came to shame it. The son was striking the father with crushing blows and saying, “you are evil, someone has to bring honor and dignity to this family by ridding one who has brought shame to this family,” as he beats his father to death.
The father who should have beaten the son was instead beaten and killed by the son; the greatest act of evil ever. They thought they were righteous. They did not understand love, mercy and grace. God uses that act of murder as the means by which he purchases our salvation. It all ends at the cross. Christ took the shame for us. He took the shame so that we could be at the celebration and fully reconciled with him.
The question remains…who are you? Are you the runaway son, the resentful elder son or the loving father who loves his sons beyond all measure? Are you quick to restore, quick to forgive no matter how much it may cost you? Or are you resentful, bitter and not wanting to let go of the past and start fresh.
Any prodigal can rise up from the filth and return home. The father will be expecting him.