BaptistWay Bible Series for March 14: Coming to the party?

Luke 15 is known for three powerful parables: lost sheep, lost coins and lost sons. Spoken in the presence of sinners, tax collectors and Pharisees (vv. 1-2), these “earthly stories with heavenly meanings” illustrate God’s desire to save all people.

What Jesus said …

The persistence of the shepherd searching high and low until the one lost sheep was found and the woman throughly sweeping the floor until the one lost coin was retrieved remind us God loves us all. We are to pursue all people, never giving up on those who ignore the truth of the gospel.

The parable of the lost son (vv. 11-32) is the longest of the three stories. Though we must be careful not to read too much into the many details found in the story, we can learn much from the interaction of the father and his sons.

The father of the sons represents God. The older son represents religious leaders, those who should have been inviting all people into a loving relationship with God. The younger son represents those who live in rebellion against God. This group would include Gentiles and sinful Jews who were viewed as unworthy.

The actions of the younger son (vv. 12-19) clearly illustrate how one can reject God’s love. His bad manners and disrespectful behavior depict how easy it is to ignore the gift of life and the blessings of God. In contrast, the loving and accepting response of the father (15:20-24) when the son came back home reflects the grace of God when we “come to our senses” and seek forgiveness and reconciliation.

The last part of the parable describes the response to all this by the older son (vv. 25-30). When the big brother inquired about the celebration and consequently refused to join in the welcoming home party, the father was grieved greatly. Despite the father’s rationale and explanation, the older son refused to offer any type of loving response to his younger sibling. He remained bitter and unforgiving not only to his brother, but to his father as well.

In light of the difficult conversation between the father and his oldest son, no sadder words could the father have spoken than those found in 15:30-32: “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 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.”

What Jesus wanted to say …

These are the words Jesus spoke. In no way am I suggesting the account is incorrect; but I cannot help but think perhaps he really wanted to tell the story differently.

Permit me to offer what I believe Jesus might have wanted to convey: “After the younger son left home, the father followed the same routine. Several times each day you could find him standing in front of the house gazing down the path the son had taken when he left, no doubt hoping that he would see his son returning home. Watching his father day after day greatly distressed the older son.

“Finally, one day, the older brother could take it no longer. He approached his father and told him he was leaving and would not return until he had his younger brother with him. And so he left and journeyed from place to place asking any and all for information that might lead to his little brother.

“It did not take long for the trail to lead to the pig trough, where his brother found himself after losing everything. The younger brother was ashamed of his behavior but seeing his older brother brought joy to his heart. The brothers embraced and the older insisted the younger come back home, for their father was waiting.

“It was midday when the father paused from his work long enough to walk to the front of his home and gaze down the road. He thought he was seeing a mirage, but as he focused, he noticed two figures walking the path toward the house. The tall upright figure of his older son was unmistakable. And seeing the slender silhouette of his younger son caused him to run out to meet them and embrace them both.

“The party that followed celebrated the return of two sons. All rejoiced in the significance of one who was lost and was found by a brother who would not give up.”

Maybe that’s what Jesus wanted to say.

Perhaps he wanted to tell the story of people who loved God and wanted others to know God’s love, regardless of skin color or social standing. But Jesus could not tell it this way. Why? Because an older brother refused to open his heart to others. Because blind, pious religious leaders felt superior to those who did not meet their expectations. Because some wanted to exclude others from enjoying the blessings which God intended for all people.

And the story cannot be told differently today, because too many of us act like the older brother. We exclude instead of include. We become angry when certain blessings are extended to those we consider unworthy. We live in a constant state of bitterness and resentment and see everyone and everything through the lens of jealousy and envy.

And all the while the Father still looks down the road waiting for us to come to our senses and return to him. His heart and arms are wide open.