Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. 8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” 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.’”
This Sunday’s long gospel reading consists of all of chapter 15 which contains three famous parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. Having come under attack from the Pharisees for associating with “sinners”, Jesus explains his reasons through these stories. The key word, of course, is “lost”: in each case, the person who has lost something (or someone) goes out of their way to get it (or welcome him) back. The point is how much God loves each of us and how much he is willing to sacrifice to get us back. But Jesus also gives a warning to the Pharisees and to anyone who might think themselves holy and superior to others.
This is most obvious in the third parable which we tend to call “the prodigal son” but note that Jesus begins it by saying “there was a man who had two sons,” so the parable concerns both of them equally. In Israel at that time, fathers did not normally divide their wealth and sons did not usually ask for (and were even less likely to receive) their inheritance before their father’s death. A first point to notice here is that the father acts without any regard to his own rights or to the honor he should have received from his sons. He gives his younger son the inheritance early as the boy asked.
Sadly, the younger son immediately leaves home and squanders his wealth in “wild living” – which may or may not include prostitutes as the elder brother will later assert. We only actually receive details about the younger son’s life when he reaches rock bottom. We learn that things have gotten so bad that he’s facing starvation and is reduced to taking care of pigs – and it’s hard to imagine how a Jew can fall any further. At this point, Jesus tells us the son’s thoughts as he debates with himself and finally decides to return home. He knows he has been foolish and has deeply hurt his father. As such, he decides to confess his sin and beg for forgiveness.
Seeing his son in the distance, the father immediately rushes out to meet him and shows no interest in the boy’s apology or any sort of explanation. All he cares about is that his son has returned home. Luke gives us a series of verbs to describe the father’s reaction – running, hugging and kissing – all before the son says one word. The father’s loving response does not depend on an acceptable apology or a confession of wrongdoing or even a promise to do better. The father has no interest in being respected and honored by his offspring but seeks only to welcome him home. The younger son does make his confession and state how unworthy he is but the father’s love is clear beforehand.
The father immediately decides to celebrate the return. At this time, meat was not normally part of people’s everyday diet and the “fatted calf” was a young bull or steer kept for important celebrations. In the hot climate of Palestine (and in the absence of refrigeration) all the meat had to be eaten at once which means the father was planning on inviting large numbers of people to the party. This would tell the whole community that his son was restored to his proper place in the family without any period of testing or formal amends.
With the party underway, the scene now switches to the elder son who reacts with anger to his brother’s return and even more so to his father’s response. He refuses to enter the feast and celebrate. When the father learns of his elder son’s reaction, once again he ignores his own position and dignity, hastening out to meet his other wayward son. The younger child dishonored his father by taking his inheritance and leaving but now the elder one also hurts him him by sulking outside. In some ways, the elder son goes even further than his brother, criticizing both members of his family. He accuses his father of treating him unfairly and builds a strong contrast between himself and his brother – to his advantage, of course. He has been the good boy, he declares self-righteously, staying home and doing the father’s will while his brother wasted his inheritance on prostitutes. Yet, he complains in an aggrieved tone, he has never been given anything, not even a goat (for a small party), while his brother gets the fatted calf (and a big party). He even rejects their fraternal link, calling his brother “this son of yours”. His behavior should be a warning to all religious people, who sometimes have a tendency to be self-righteous and see themselves as superior to “sinners”.
Once again, the father shows no interest in his own dignity and expresses only love for his son. He seeks to persuade the elder son to enter the party (and a feast is the most common way that Jesus presents heaven in the gospels). The father refuses to back down on his welcome for the younger son but asserts his love for the elder one. Notice how, in verse 32, he replaces “this son of yours” by “this brother of yours”, insisting on their personal relationship. Sadly, the story ends without a resolution. The younger son has joined the feast but we don’t know whether the elder one will. Virtue can lead to pride and pride is a great sin. We may be very surprised by the people we find in heaven.
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