Sunday, March 31, 2019
Old Testament: Joshua 5:9-12
Psalm 32
Epistle: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
I was delighted to be assigned Luke 15: 11-32 for my meditation. This famous text, often called the Parable of the Prodigal Son, is my favorite in the Bible. In fact, I think it is the most beautiful story ever written. It is often read as the story of misbehaving brothers, but the point of the story is about neither of them. It is the story about the love of the father, and of course, the father is God. The way the father treats the two sons is the way that God treats us. His love for His children is unconditional.
Both brothers behave badly. The younger one wants to go to a far country. And he does so because remarkably, the father gives him his inheritance and allows him to leave. We are not surprised that the son parties, runs out of money, and finds himself in the most humiliating situation of all for a Jew — hungry and in a pig field. Then he remembers home and decides to return and ask his father to treat him as one of his hired hands. Some exegetes think that the son is not really repentant, just desperate, but I believe that his confession is sincere. Actually though, it does not even matter, because this story is about the father, not the son. The father runs to meet him and does not pay attention to his apology. He tells the servants to get the finest robe, a ring, and sandals for his son. A feast is prepared and they celebrate because his son was dead, but is alive again.
The elder son is in the field and inquires about the music and dancing. He is furious that his wasteful brother is being treated royally. Just as the father went out to meet his younger son, he goes out to see his elder son. The father explains that everything he has belongs to the elder son, too. He pleads with the angry and self-righteous son to join in the celebration of “his brother.” We do not know if the elder son joins the celebration. Jesus does not tell us.
I was fortunate to see Rembrandt’s painting “The Return of the Prodigal Son” in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. In the painting the father gazes down on his son and has his hands on his son’s shoulders. The son is humbly kneeling in front of the father and the tenderness between them is unforgettable. As I looked at it I cried and did not want the holy moment to end. All of us are unconditionally loved by God, and we all are forgiven, just like the sons. This is the incredible truth. We all have been lost and now are found. Let us ponder this indescribable love during Lent. Accept and celebrate the gift.
Rebecca Drake
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