Scandalous Love

“There was a man who had two sons.” That’s the way Jesus begins one of the most familiar of all his parables. Indeed, it is so familiar that most people fail to appreciate how shocking it must have sounded to those people who heard him tell it for the first time.

It is true that most people still place a high value on family relationships; but in first century Palestine, family identity was at the core of your personal identity. It provided your connection to the rest of the community. It conferred your role in the history of God’s people. Being part of a household insured your life, especially in a country occupied by a foreign military force. In this culture it was essential that everyone in the household be fully devoted to each other’s wellbeing.

For a child (particularly, a son) to approach his father and ask for his share of the inheritance would have been not only an insult; but a threat to the family’s very existence. In an era when our children live all over the world, it is hard to imagine how scandalous it would be to hear that this same child chose to pack up and move off just a few days later.

As Jesus continues the story it becomes more clear that this rebellious son did recognize his father’s loving and generous spirit. As he recalls the evidence of his father’s gracious generosity, he’s convinced that even being one of his father’s hired workers would be an improvement over his current condition. As the story unfolds and his recollections prove true, his initial rebellion seems even more mysterious and perplexing, if not incomprehensible.

Then just as the story seems to be reaching a happy conclusion, Jesus shocks his audience again. Now the other son—the elder son—the “good” son—refuses to participate in the celebration of his younger brother’s return. Without apology, he expresses his contempt for both his brother and his father. This is a different form of rebellion; nevertheless, it is a clear expression of his failure to appreciate the depth of his father’s love for him.

Jesus leaves the story unresolved. The party is in full swing. The father has explained the situation to his older son; but there is no indication how he will respond. Immediately Jesus begins the next story.

I imagine the crowd shaking their heads as they puzzle over what they have just heard.  “How could…why would anyone respond like that to such a loving and gracious father?” Perhaps that is just the question Jesus hopes we will ask ourselves as we consider the ways we have rebelled against God’s love.