In case you hadn’t already figured it out from other stories I tell, I am a little sibling. My friends often joke that it explains a lot about me, although most of them are older siblings, so I think they are a bit biased! But, when it comes to sibling relationships, there seems to be constant shifting back and forth between siblings annoying each other, getting away with or getting blamed for something that they shouldn’t, and the sense of unfairness when one sibling gets to do something that the other didn’t. I know in our house, one of those big times of unfairness was when my parents gave me a new video game system for Christmas the year that I had to recover from surgery for 6 weeks and it was the best thing they could think of to get their hyperactive nine-year-old to sit still for an extended period. Trust me when I say I would have rather avoided the surgery altogether, but at least this made my recovery pass quicker. Yet, to my older sister, it was unfair that I would get such a cool present and she didn’t. Although, in my defense, I was actually nice sometimes and would share it with her in the following years, especially when we were on long car rides! If any of you have grown up with siblings or raised siblings, you know just how frequently things like this play out during our lives. That’s not to say that siblings can’t and don’t grow out of it, but there are still times when the attention feels unfairly skewed toward our sibling instead of us. Whether that is true or not is a different story!
Honestly, I think because of that, this Gospel story is one of the most relatable for us still today. While the circumstances are different, Jesus is really giving us a lesson in family dynamics, as well as the illustration of the expansive love and enduring grace of God. This story, fraught with sibling rivalry and anger at the unfairness of the father’s treatment, is also a good example of how we sometimes act as both brothers do. Sometimes, we know that we have made a mistake, and we risk the courage to go and ask for forgiveness. We know that the relationship likely won’t be the same again, but it is worth the risk to see if anything can be repaired. While at other times we are like the older brother, angered at the forgiveness and grace that is given to others when we don’t think they deserve it. Or the anger when someone has or gets to do something that we haven’t been able to, and we just want to rage about how unfair it is.
But, this story also teaches us something about how much courage it actually takes to ask for forgiveness and to not know how the other person will respond. After all, we have the younger son, who in asking for his inheritance early is essentially telling his father that he has no need for him except for the money that he will provide for him. While it seems drastic, it can be interpreted as the younger son saying that his father is only worthwhile to him in his death. This exchange between the youngest son and his father isn’t some small disagreement but demonstrates a painful break in their relationship. Then, it’s not like the son goes off to find a partner, build a house, or start a business. He doesn’t go off to build a life, as we expect our children to do today, but he goes off and squanders the inheritance that he has been given until there is nothing left, and he is desperate for food and shelter. We must remember that at this time too it was customary for multiple generations to live in the same house, as the son would bring his wife to live with his family after they got married. In leaving, he is breaking the ties that he has with his family, in a way that wasn’t common or expected at the time. And, it’s clear that he didn’t understand the importance of what his father had given him until it was all gone.
Unfortunately, I think this is also a common human experience. Not necessarily to the same extent as the son in our story, but I think there are many times in life we take things for granted and don’t realize their significance until someone is gone or the moments have passed. Yet, that is also part of why I love this story so much. Because the father could have dismissed the son or relegated him to a servant role and pretended that he was not his son. After all, his son did essentially say that he had no need for him, that their connection was no longer important to him, but instead the father rejoices! He realizes the significance of his son returning and is relieved to see him walk down the path, despite everything that happened between them before he left. The father doesn’t hold onto the grudge and let the moment pass him by, instead he reminds everyone that this is a time of celebration! His hope for the future is coming true, his family is together under one roof; something that wasn’t expected to ever happen once the younger son had walked away with his inheritance.
When we look at the reason why Jesus is telling this parable today, we can see how he is helping to expand our understanding of who God is and illustrate the way that God welcomes all to receive mercy and grace. That it is for everyone, no matter who they are or what they have done. This is a radical act of forgiveness and mercy that can only come from God, especially since as humans we often take on the role of the older brother, wanting to judge the other person and comment on how they can’t possibly be worthy of the same grace and care that we are because we clearly do everything right all the time. It resonates with what Paul is talking about when he says that people are not to view others through the lens of humans, instead we are to view them through the lens of Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 16). What this really teaches us is to see people as Christ did, meaning that he saw them as a person for whom he was willing to die, instead of seeing them for all their faults and failures, as we are so prone to do as humans. When we look upon them with scorn and judgment, Jesus calls us to view them as simply another human in need of love and grace. And, I don’t need to tell you that this is significantly harder to do in practice than it is to speak about. On paper, it makes sense to us, but when it comes to putting it into action, it can be so difficult.
Despite the challenges of accepting that God’s mercy is for all people, not just for the people we want it to be, these readings today are ultimately Good News for all people. The wilderness period of wandering has concluded for the Israelites in the Joshua reading (Joshua 5: 9-12). Paul urges us to stop viewing humans through a human lens, but the way Christ views them, which while difficult to do, is also good news for us because that means others are encouraged to view us in the same way (2 Corinthians 5:16). It creates more space for grace in the midst of our daily lives. And, the parable in our Gospel reading reminds us that no matter what we do, how unworthy we feel, God will be waiting with open arms. Just to clarify, this reading doesn’t condone us to do whatever we want and never accept any responsibility for the harm we have caused. It isn’t a pass on all behaviors, but it is reminder that when we acknowledge the ways we have done wrong, there is not an end to God’s love and forgiveness. This is good news!
This is the promise that we get to hold in our hearts and lean into as we figure out what it means to live in this world, knowing that there will be so many times when we get things wrong. We will try our best and might still make mistakes or we might gain new information after the fact that would have changed what we said or did. Sometimes we will act out of a place of anger or judgement, and we won’t want to view others as someone for whom Christ was willing to die too. But no matter how we respond or what we feel, it doesn’t negate the fact that God’s love and mercy is for all people. Sometimes we need to remember that includes us, while sometimes we need to remember that includes the people we don’t want it to either. But, this is the good news that we get to hold onto. May we remember that as we keep trying to figure out what it means to live faithfully in our world today.
Previous
Sunday March 23rd, 2025 Worship