If you've attended church for awhile, you've doubtless heart a number of sermons dealing with the story of the prodigal son.
In this post, I'd like to take a little artistic license and put, perhaps, a little different slant on that story found in the New Testament book of Luke.
Let me set the stage for you...
Jesus is surrounded by the usual crowd of gypsies, tramps and thieves who followed him around each day.
And in this particular setting, he is telling stories in order to get a basic point across that has to do with some principals he wants to convey about the kingdom of God.
Jesus begins with the opening line, "There was a man who had two sons..."
The younger of the two was rowdy and somewhat impetuous, and one day makes a peculiar request of his father.
He says, "Dad, I'd like to go out on my own and have a little fun, so... I'd like my inheritance a little early.
Now his father was a loving father who wanted to provide his sons with the best of everything, and because he was a father who treasured his relationship with his sons, he emptied the trust fund.
A few days later, the younger son takes off to ramble about, landing in a far country where he carouses and cavorts with anyone who was up for a good time. Now the timing of this little escapade couldn't have been worse...
Because, no sooner had he run out of money, than, well, the economy went in the toilet and there was a subsequent famine in the land.
Gone was his money, gone was his fun and gone were his good-timin' friends.
So, the intrepid young man, tightened his belt, swallowed his pride and went out to look for a job.
But, wouldn't you know it, times being what they were, the best he could do was find a part-time gig slopping hogs for a local farmer.
Things got so bad and his belly was so empty that even the muck in the trough began to look like gourmet cuisine... but there wasn't even enough of that to go around.
It was in this moment that he had an epiphany!
"The hired hands at my dad's place have food to spare and here I am drooling over pig slop!" He pauses, and thinks to himself, "I'll go back." "I'll do it. I'll offer myself as a servant to my father."
And he began to take the first steps on that long, humiliating walk home.
Now you can see him can't you? Rehearsing his speech all the way...
"Father I've sinned against heaven and against you..."
"I'm not worthy to be called your son... please accept me as a servant in your house. I'll do whatever you want, I'll even slop the hogs..."
You can see him can't you? ...working up the courage to go home.
What about his father?
You know he was on the porch of the house watching him go...
And, every evening, when the work was done, he'd return to that porch and look down the long and winding road until it crests the hill and watch until the sun set and the shadows began to blend into darkness, waiting, hoping that an all too familiar silhouette would crest the hill.
On one particular day as he sat waiting, wishing, hoping and praying...
The sun was sitting low on the horizon and the sky was awash in brilliant splashes of color... there, what was that?
Wait, was that...? Was someone coming up the road?
Could it be...? No... it's not possible to hope...
The young man reaches the crest of the hill and stops. He looks with fear and longing at the house he had left, what felt like a lifetime ago... so full of himself, so arrogant. But in this moment, wondering if there was ever a way to earn his father's forgiveness...
The scene unfolds and as the son gathers enough courage to take a step toward the house, he sees a figure on the porch...
The figure rises and begins to move toward the gate that leads to the road...
In the same instance they recognize each other, the son, humiliated and dejected sheepishly begins to walk toward the house, hat in hand, head held low...
The father, oh the father! Overcome with joy, he steadies himself on the hand rail, then leaps off the porch and begins to run, toga in hand, toward his son...
They reach one another and the son is engulfed in his father's embrace.
The son stammers and sputters, trying to get out the first few words of his ill-prepared little speech, but all he can muster is the sound of a heartbreaking sob as he rests his head against his father's shoulder...
"My son, oh my son, is all he hears and ever need hear again.
Instead of judgment and scorn, kisses rain down on him... a ring is placed on his finger, a robe across his shoulders...
Then his father quickly springs into action... "You there, quick! Bring the fattened calf, kill it! Cook it! Let's party!
This son of mine was dead and is alive again, he was lost and now is found... and they began to celebrate!
Now here is where things get really interesting...
The older brother, on his way in from a hard days toil in the fields under the "burden of responsibility", hears the sound of shouting and revelry and wonders what is going on?
He stops one of the hired hands and asks what in the world has happened...
"your brother has come home and your father is throwing a huge party to celebrate his safe return!"
How instead of going in and joining the celebration, he becomes infuriated and heads out back to kick some sheep.
The father is walking though the house enjoying the merriment and notices someone is missing... he stops a servant and asks the inevitable question. Have you seen my oldest son?
"um, yeah, he's out back... kicking sheep."
Father goes out to see him and just as the father starts to open his mouth, older brother unloads...
Sputtering and fuming, his rage spews forth like lava from an active volcano.
"How could you? After what he did... He deserves death, not a hero's welcome!" ...and on it goes, until the father gently interrupts.
And he calmly and cooly begins to attempt to diffuse the situation. "You are the one I can count on, everything I have is yours... your steady reliability are what keeps this place running like a well oiled machine..."
And after older brother cools down a few degrees he tells it like it is...
"Here's the deal... you're brother was dead, now he's alive. ...Was lost and now is found... we all should celebrate such a return!"
Life is so much like that... When we've been wronged or hold the perception of a slight against us...we feel totally justified in our quest for anger... for the well "deserved" pound of flesh, when what God desires is mercy... grace and above all, forgiveness.
Perhaps we should be quicker to extend the same.
