The Two Lost Sons – 1
Posted on 16. Jun, 2010 by dpineschi in Uncategorized
The Prodigal God – Timothy Keller
Ch. 2 – The Two Lost Sons – Younger Brother
“Act 1 the lost younger brother and Act 2 the lost elder brother.”
Act 1 can begin with a shocking request of the younger son. Its not a shock that he wants his inheritance because he has a rightful portion designated for him. In those days the elder brother received the majority of the inheritance but here the younger son asks for it while his father is still alive. This request tells of the younger brothers heart, because asking for his inheritance now is as good as saying I wish you were dead. This was a sign of deep disrespect. “The younger son, is essentially saying that he wants his father’s things but not his father. His relationship to the father has been a means to an end of enjoying his wealth, and now he is weary of that relationship. He wants out. Now. ‘Give me what is mine.’ he says” The father could have easily been disrespected and done whatever he decided to do with his son. he could have drove him away without a dime to his name and left him on the streets. The son was quite blount with his intentions and they all knew it. “This was an intensely patriarchal soceity, in which lavish expressions of deference and respect for elders and particulary for ones parents were of supreme importance.” Yet the father still “divided the property between them. The word ‘property’ in the Greek used here is the word Bios, which means ‘life’” The picture Jesus is drawing here for the listeners is quite disturbing and nothing short of disrespectful. The way we would talk about such a person now is the kind of audacity this person would have to spit in his fathers face and even more where did the entitlement mentality come from?
The father obviously was wealthy. As we know what we do and have as men can often define who we are. Men are built to be care takers of their families and support them financially etc. Thats why you see so many men depressed when they are laid off. Its like taking their manhood away, their sense of purpose. Even more so, men in this patriarchal society, were defined by this. The word Bios cannot be ignored. His property was his life and he was giving it away to a brat of a son. By doing this the father was humiliating himself in front of his family and community. What is amazing about all of this, is that the father, despite what has been done gives his property “life” away because he loves his son. “Ordinarily when our love is rejected we get angry, retaliate, and do what we can do to diminish our affection for the rejecting person, so we dont hurt as much. But this father maintains his affection for his son and bears the agony.”
As we see in scripture the younger son then goes “a far way off” to live his wild living. At this point the father has counted his son as “dead.” “The rabbis taught that if you had violated the community’s standards an apology was not sufficient – you also had to make restitution.” After all his fun was made and his money spent the son left to sharing food with the pigs, then son realized his depravity without his father. The quickly thought of how those who were hired by his father had it better than he. He then devised a plan to come back and pay his father back. He would plead for forgiveness and ask to be a hired hand. he knows he doesnt even deserve that but he has made up in his mind that he will repent and pay back all he lost his father.
As the son returns and practices his petance to his father he is seen “from a long way off” and his father runs to him. “As a general rule, distinguished Middle Eastern patriarchs did not run especially owners of great estates.” But his father sprints with arms wide open and wraps his arms around his son and kisses him. The son must have been shocked. He tries to say his rehearsed speech but it is not necessary to his father because he has already forgiven him and loved him at the sight of him. This son was once dead and gone; no longer considered a son was given a robe to display his place back into the family in sonship. The son didin’t have spend years saying I’m sorry and years upon year’s paying back his father. In a moment the father said I love I forgive you my son was dead and is alive.
Lets have a feast! Feasts were for very special special ocassions especially when meat was inc=volved. “This demonstrates the lavish prodigality of God’s grace. Jesus shows the father pouncing on his son in love not only before he has a chance to clean up his life and evidence a change of heart, but even before he can recite his repentance speech. Nothing, not even abject contrition, merits the favor of God. the Father’s love and acceptance are absolutely free.” The beauty of all this is apparent. I am amazed by how far God will go to show us he loves us. There is no height or depth, length or width that is too far for his love to stretch. What you and I have done, no matter how grievece it is, God is there running toward us with open arms.
Many can think, where is the justice? That’s exactly what the elder brother thought and many of the Pharisees and religious teachers thought. God is completely just and right. his unconditional love is available to us all. The problem is we think we are better than others, or in others words our stuff don’t stink attitude. No matter our sin, it all stinks and it all required one price. This was the younger son experiencing love and grace, next is the elder sons reaction…