Luke 15:11-32
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Luke 7:36-50
36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet,he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
When I first read the parable of the prodigal son, I thought it was an interesting parable and wondered why the older brother was even upset with his younger brother...Forgiveness and in the context of the Bible, when I first read the parable, seemed like an easy thing to do...I read it again later and still my feelings were still from the younger brother's point of view and I still wondered why the older brother would be mad, and how long could and would he stay mad...After all they are brothers...Then one day I was watching TV and a priest was just starting to discuss the prodigal son for the next one half hour on a show...This perked my interest, because by then I had read the parable several times and each time had only taken only a couple of minutes to read (the whole parable)...How could one find a half hour to talk about this short parable...But even after listening to the excellent lengthy presentation about the Lost Son, I found if difficult to side with the older brother...After all, the younger brother was now without money and had learned his lesson...Wasn't it time for the older brother to forgive him...He was the one who wanted to leave...
Then something happened and now I could relate more to the older brother...And this story came to my mind...I had always wanted to get away somewhere, live somewhere away and be free...I had looked around for years and found a place far away and many an hours drive in the country...It was like you were in town one minute, and the next you were out of town in the beautiful planted and plush flowery and plant area...The green and flowers overwhelmed me...This would be an area I wanted to purchase, if I could find a place...As I went back during my work days, when I had time, I noticed there was an area very near my newly discovered location with berries...They tasted like a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry...They were delicious...These berries now was my favorite food and I loved to stop there to eat there every time I went to the country...I finally found a small place to buy...It needed some paint and touch up and some work, but I bought it...It was a little small, but it was nice...It wasn't up to date in the terms of my house in the city, but it was comfortable...It was about to get better...I found another area near the entrance of my hidden house, a place where animals gathered...I could literally spend ninety minutes there watching different animals gather...I told my mother about this place I had found and she was as pleased as I was...
Things kept getting better...I liked to walk and near my place was a beautiful pond with a path, one could walk...The path wandered around and one could walk as far as one wanted...And one could see the wildlife if he looked close enough...Surely, this was my place to find...Later, I met some people who fished in this large pond and they were the nicest people...They were becoming my friends...
My brother, who I hadn't seen for quite some years and hadn't really talked in any depths for some time learned of my discovery through my mother and my exuberance to her about my purchase...I had talked and told her about my great discovery...The next thing I knew, my brother had found a place near mine and in less repair than mine...I didn't even know there was another place there, and it was for sale...He invited me over to his place a month after he bought it...It was beautiful...I loved it...But I also was sad...His place was so much bigger than mine...It was all new...Mine was small and old fashion...
I realized I had been like the older brother in the parable of Jesus...I did what any son would do and went to my mom...I told her about this...She told me what she had always told me when I was young to get along with your brother, as well as get along with others...
The next month I saw my brother in the country at the pond, when I was walking...He was fishing with my new neighbors...He wanted to introduce me to his new friends...I told him, we had already met...He told me about a berry patch that was now his favorite place to eat...He told me he found an area where he could watch the animals sit and play and how entertaining it was...He said he was even thinking of taking up walking, in this new path he had found on the other side of the pond...I now realized I was no longer happy with my new found spot...What was wrong with me?...
I went to my Father...My Father ask me what was wrong...I had always found it hard to talk to my Father, and He didn't seem to be around when I had problems, or so I had thought...I told Him I had found this beautiful country area...I told Him it was like going on vacation when I went there at first, and now it had changed...How I loved the berries, the animals, the path, and my house and how those things had now changed...Everything now was different...I wasn't as happy or thrilled about the place as I once was and was thinking about selling it...My Father ask me to remember, what when I was young was taught about love and forgiveness...If people want to expand and grow their ability to love, they must expand their ability to forgive...For those who forgive little, love little...
My Father, ask me if the area was any different now in the plant life and greenery as when I first seen it...No, I told Him that it was still as beautiful and many things had grown and that was even more beautiful...He ask me if the berries were lesser or different than I had originally seen and tasted...He ask about the wildlife, and it too was still like the first time I seen it...
He then ask me if I was competing against my brother...I didn't think I was...He ask me if I was comparing myself to my brother...I didn't think I was...He ask me if wanted better things than my brother...I could not answer this...He ask me about my house in the city and if there was anything wrong with it...I said no...My Father told me He loves both me and my brother...He told me I was blessed to have two houses...Because I could not answer, why I wanted better things than my own brother, He wanted me to think about it...He told me to remember I could come back, whenever I needed to talk, about large problems too...
I thought about what He had said...I am a sinner...I was competing with my brother...I was comparing myself to him...I did want my stuff to be better than his...I was both envious and jealous...But why?...I had always thought of competition to be a sport thing and not a personal life situation thing...Can competition and comparing ourselves with others directly impact our sharing capacity, or at least mine?...
It is sad for me to say, I could now relate to the older brother in the parable of the Lost Son...God LOVES all of us...God LOVES His older son in the parable...We can get in trouble when we compete and compare ourselves to others...Jesus no doubt was comparing the older brother to the Pharisees...The Pharisees took pride in having better things than their fellow friends and neighbors...As I read the parable again, I wonder who is the lost son, is it the younger or older one (or is it me)?...I think the lost son is the one who cannot forgive...It is hardest to forgive when you are who the one who needs to forgive someone...You can easily tell someone else to go and forgive someone else, because you are not affected by the transaction...
I need to talk to my Father again...It seems like lately, I have been doing a lot of that...Like the parable of the publican and the Pharisee, I must stand far, far behind the publican and ask my Father for forgiveness...