One time one of our teenage sons wanted to go to a party with some friends. Like all good parents we put him through a series of questions like; Will there be drugs and drinking? Will there be a responsible adult? What part of town is it in? His response was a normal teenager’s response. He told us to "chill out." For those of you who don’t know what that means let me explain. For the baby boomers it means "to cool it." For the rest of you it means "don’t worry, nothing is going to happen, you can trust me."
The father in this story tells the older brother to "chill out." He is all upset at the fact that his younger brother is getting a party instead of him. He is feeling slighted and besides, this brother has been running amuck. There is no way he deserves a party. Now, whenever I preach this story I get a lot of feedback. Most of the people respond by saying that they think the older brother is right. They don’t like the fact that the prodigal got off so easy. It’s okay to forgive, but to throw him a party just because he came to his senses? That is too much to take.
The problem with this story is the fact that it hits us right at home. It is too close. We like to make judgments about the way things should work. We want the "good guys" to win. Or, we want life to be fair. We tend to ignore the father’s response to the older brother when he said, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours." In other words, the kingdom of God is being realized by us but we don’t know what we have since we have never experienced life without it.
Nevertheless, the older brother has a legitimate complaint. He has never been "lost" and he has never been in a position "to come to himself." He wants a little appreciation. He is like the spouse who is taken for granted and never gets any strokes. He doesn’t even want a party. He (or she) just wants recognition for his/her hard work and dedication. Is it too much to ask for a kind word or a "thank you" now and then? Of course not. This story, however has a much broader scope.
The problem with the story of the prodigal son is that it is interpreted with too narrow of a focus. It is far more reaching than we realize. We must remember that the story is a response to the criticism of the Pharisees and scribes. Their criticism was that "This man receives sinners and eats with them." They didn’t like the company Jesus kept. It is exactly the same way we react to the friends that our teenagers run around with. It is always the "wrong" people who get our children into trouble. It is the "friends" they choose that cause them to make bad decisions and ruin their lives. Come on, Mom and Dad, "Chill out!"
Jesus was totally free to be with whoever he chose. It was the outcasts of life that received the bulk of his attention. He "partied" with the people on the other side of the tracks. He didn’t limit his friendship with any one group, fraternal, ethnic, or otherwise. The "lost sheep" of his world deserved special attention. The prodigal son story is one of three illustrations he made to present his response. He first spoke of the one sheep out of ninety-nine who was lost and needed to be found. He then spoke of the lost coin that was found after determination and a thorough cleaning. It was after those two illustrations that he concluded his point with the story of the prodigal son who finally came home. And by the way, no one went looking for him. He had to find his own way home. "Chill out!" scholars.
The "big" party happens as a result of the lost son’s ability to remember his roots and go where he knows he can have another chance. It’s like going back to "GO" in the game of Monopoly. We move outward from our homes, sometimes finding ourselves in deep water, but eventually we find our way back. The prodigal may have been estranged from his family but he had never lost his place of origin. The fact that he was grounded in the faith provided a means to return. It wasn’t religion that he returned to. It was community and fellowship with God.
God is concerned about anyone who is lost. The lost may be someone who is alienated from their family but there are other forms of "lostness." There are those who are lost to their addictions. There are those who are lost to loneliness, lost to their work, lost to pride, lost to their distorted perceptions of reality. When the lost are found God celebrates. To be found, or in the case of the prodigal, to rediscover life, is reason to party. It is not to be taken for granted. It is like finding a lost child in a department store. There is a great sense of relief, a reunion, a reason to shout for joy.
Last summer my young grandson disappeared from his parents. They were on vacation at Myrtle Beach. They called, but he didn’t respond. They looked everywhere, fearful that he may have been kidnapped. That is one of a parent’s worst nightmares. When he could not be found they called the police to report him missing. They searched and searched again, tracing their steps. Finally, they found him hiding under a lamp stand. He was hiding because he didn’t want to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. Try as they could to discipline him, it was next to impossible. They were so overjoyed at their reunion that discipline seemed fruitless. They were so horrified at the possibilities of what might have happened they instead became ecstatic that he had been "found."
The prodigal grandson was not lost, but found. He was not dead but alive. We are alive when we can be joyful that someone has found their way back. I watched a movie recently called, "Baby Boon." The actress in the movie was terminated from her work only to start a new company in another location. Because of her success her old boss wanted her back. She returned, but instead of reuniting with her old company she remained independent. But, she at least experienced the feeling of "being back." Meaning she was her old self again, and had regained the confidence in herself she had lost. She was not dead, but alive. "Chill out boss, this woman can make it without you."
We are alive not just in our ability to return to our roots but in our quest to rediscover who we. We are alive when we have renewed confidence or freedom from a burden. We are alive when we can go to the party and not worry about what other people think of us. Or, we are alive when we don’t have to attend certain parties to be who we are. In that sense we are really alive because we know that God loves us and we are free to go to God in any circumstance.
We are lost when we discount any of God’s children. God’s party is all inclusive. As Luke illustrates in the previous chapter, "if those invited to the great banquet can’t come because of some lame excuse, others will be invited in their stead."
The older brother may have had a valid reason to complain of the party his father was giving for his younger brother. Let us hope, however that somehow he learned how to be joyful. For life in God’s kingdom is to be one of joy, not despair, happiness, not sorrow. Jesus probably associated with the outcasts of life since they appreciated his friendship. They had no hang-ups. Fellowship with God meant more than being part of the "in" group. What made them different was that they were authentic and not pretentious and probably a lot more fun to be with.
You can see that this story reaches beyond anything we describe as normal or "right." God is concerned with a much bigger picture. But, regardless of where we are, no matter how far away from "GO", we are not lost when we can acknowledge God as the source of our being. We are lost when we do not trust that God is with us. We are lost when we do not give God the benefit of the doubt when it comes to being fair. We are lost, when we are not free to choose our friends. We are lost when we cannot rejoice when someone else is found. "Chill out, the prodigal is found!"
Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio