A man had two sons
He had two sons with different manifestations of the same problem. It was actually, in a way, the same problem that the wicked tenants of the vineyard displayed in yesterday's Gospel. They all wanted to use the goods of the one who had them apart from his interference. The tenants wanted to use the fruit and even the son's inheritance without any reference to the landowner. The younger son clearly demonstrated that he wanted his inheritance with no input from his Father by taking that sum to a distant land, away from his eyes, guidance, suggestions, or commands. The elder brother stayed, demanding nothing, not disobeying, but still cherishing in his heart the desire to have a celebration, not with his father, but with his friends.
It is necessary to learn the purpose of our inheritance before we receive it, before we are mature enough to put it to good use. Hoarding behavior was not appropriate. There was a due season and a due use for fruit, especially since it was not something one could generate oneself, but was always contingent on the gift of another. Without reference to the giver the gift would be misspent and wasted.
The prodigal son learned this same lesson by spending his father's riches on himself, buying things that ultimately could not satisfy him, until he had nothing left. The problem wasn't with the money, anymore the the tenants problem was with the fruit. The problem was they didn't know, and didn't want to know, how to make good use of those good things.
The elder son had avoided breaking any rules, but seemed to secretly envy the younger son, even before his return. It seems he built up resentment over years of working without any apparent reward. But the reason he did not experience that reward was because he didn't really want the involvement with the father that it would entail. They had all things together, but he, like the younger son, actually wanted them only apart and for his own purposes. We might guess that the father would have even welcomed the elder brother's friends to a meal, with a young goat or better. But perhaps the brother was too embarrassed by his father to bring his friends to dinner.
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
The elder brother's envy came to a head when the son returned seemingly without consequence. The elder brother probably thought that he too might as well have gone, spent, and returned, if there were no consequences. He wasn't paying enough attention to notice how that journey had wrecked his brother and brought him to rock bottom. The father knew what was in the heart of his son, that it was a similar sort of problem to that of his brother, but he didn't hold it against him, as he had not done for the younger either. He wasn't interested in punishment. What he desired was that both siblings would return to him, in heart, and in body, and celebrate with him. He wouldn't force them. If they wouldn't join him they were free to be apart from him. But there was no happiness or joy to be found there. The joy for which they were made was in their father's house.
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.
The tax collectors and sinners were those who had gone astray and knew it. The Pharisees were those who remained home but whose hearts were far from God. It was clear to the tax collectors that the table of Jesus was the place they were meant to be. But Pharisees held it against Jesus that he would welcome them, and therefore implicitly held it against God for being rich in mercy. They seemed in their own eyes to be already home and in the father's house. They seemed upset that they might work and yet others receive so freely. Because of this they never discovered the banquet that was on offer in his presence.
We usually have a little of both brothers in us. There are parts of us where we do go to distant lands and hide from God. There are other parts were we remain near him but mainly complain about our effort and lack of reward. But we are meant to find our joy in the banquet, with our brothers and sisters, at the table of our Father.
Cory Asbury - The Father's House
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