The parable of the prodigal son points to God’s mercy and steadfast love towards sinners. As the father waits for his son’s return, we see God our Heavenly Father, long-suffering, never abandoning his children, even as they are lost and held captive by Satan. When the son squanders his possessions with reckless living, he remembers his father’s love and pleads for forgiveness. The father does not receive him as his servant, but as his rightful heir. Yet, when the younger brother returns, the older brother becomes angry with the father for his desire to forgive. Therefore, we must put ourselves in the shoes of all three of the main characters, as this parable serves as a guide for Christian life. We are not only the younger son, but as Christians, we are often times the father and even the older son.
The first of the three characters is, of course, the younger son. He is much like his fathers before him. He sees what his father has and wants it for himself. Like Adam, the father of us all, eating the forbidden fruit so that he may be like God, his Father, knowing good from evil. The serpent enticed Adam and his wife, and their eyes were opened. Instead of finding out how they could be like God, they discovered their very nakedness and how they sinned against the one who supplied for all of their needs. The prodigal son is much like Jacob. Jacob also deceived his brother and his father to steal what was not rightfully his. He plotted against them to receive the blessing reserved only for his brother, Esau.
The prodigal son steals from his father. He wants his father dead so that he can have his portion of the inheritance to spend on satisfying his desires. The son is reluctant to get what he wants. After he squanders his father’s inheritance, he finds his desires have led him astray. And now what does this have to say about us? How many times has our corrupted human nature, the world, and the devil himself deceived and made us their victim? The answer would be impossible to count. The prodigal son is prideful and arrogant. And so are we. We have seen what God provided us. And we say no. The younger son set his heart on more than what the father gave, and it led him down a terrible path.
The younger son in the parable serves as a model of Christian life in his remembrance of the father’s mercy. Even as we sin in thought, word, and deed, we are not beyond God’s salvation. For Christ Jesus has embraced our sins upon the tree of the cross, and by his suffering, we are restored to God, not as servants, but as sons. No matter how great the sin, the blood of Jesus Christ is greater. No matter how distant your sins have separated you from God. Christ Jesus has cast your sins into the depths of the sea.
And now, as the new man washed the blood of Christ, we must turn to the Father in the parable. The love the father has for the son who rebelled against him is remarkable. He wasted away his father’s possessions, yet his father still accepts him. Love like this must come from Jesus Christ, since it is only by Jesus Christ that we can forgive as we are forgiven. The father and the parable know the love of God; he knows the words of the prophet: “[The Lord] does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.” Even as Israel continued to be against God, the Lord always called them back to repentance and to rejoice in his salvation. The father shows this love to his son. The son is forgiven and restored.
To forgive and to restore those who sinned against us is what we are called to do as baptized Christians. The grace of God given to us in Jesus Christ is overabundant. We are forgiven by Christ so that we can forgive those who sin against us. This is not a backroom deal where, if we forgive our debts, God will somehow forgive us. It is God who acts; it is God who forgives first. Therefore, we forgive our brothers and all who have sinned against us for the sake of Jesus Christ.
I know that you have been sinned against. I know this because our neighbors have also fallen victim to their sinful nature, the world, and Satan. And they have taken you with them. When your brother comes to you asking for forgiveness, and it seems that you are unable to forgive them because what they have done is so horrid. Do not put your trust in yourself, but in Jesus Christ. Say to those who have sinned against you, asking for forgiveness, “For the sake of Christ, I forgive you.” And you will free yourself, as well as your brother, because of Jesus Christ.
And now we must examine the older brother. When the younger brother returns, the order does not see him as his own, but refers to him as “your son.” The spirits of jealousy and vengeance oppress him, as he tells the father of the works he has done. Even though the older son has not physically abandoned his father by going to a foreign country, he has certainly abandoned his father in his words and thoughts. The older son insults the father by saying, “Yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.” He refuses to forgive his brother because he is envious of him. The older brother is a coward, as he wished to abandon his father, but he was unable to do so. His heart is turned towards himself, and not towards the gracious love his father has for both sons.
The older son disowns his father and his brother. This serves as a warning in our Christian life. We inflict spiritual harm on ourselves when we do not forgive those who seek forgiveness from us. When we continue to shout out those who wronged us, we shout out Christ in his forgiveness for us. This is a spiritual tragedy that we have all found ourselves in. This unwillingness to forgive is misdirected anger. Those who have done us wrong should be called to repentance. Yet, it is Satan, the father of lies, who has deceived those who sin against us in order to separate us from our brothers. And the devil uses that separation to create more and more hatred in our hearts. But the devil hates forgiveness. Therefore, restore those who sin against you and forgive them for the sake of Jesus Christ.
The parable of the prodigal son teaches us to seek Christ and his forgiveness. The world, our sinful nature, and the devil do not want you to be ready to forgive. Since you have been forgiven in the blood of Jesus, Christ desires you to forgive. Do not be deceived by the world and lost in the pit of despair. You are no longer lost, but found in Jesus Christ. Let Christ restore you, and Christ will restore your brother also.
St. John's and Grace Evangelical Lutheran Parish 