A LESSON IN GRACE
Luke 15: 11-32

           A masterpiece...the defining work of a person's life; that for which they are most remembered: for Leonardo da Vinci, the Mona Lisa or the painting of the Last Supper, for William Shakespeare, perhaps Romeo and Juliet or MacBeth or another of his works. In the 1990s film "Mr. Holland's Opus", a wannabe- musician- turned- teacher's masterpiece was a legacy left in the lives of students over 30 years of teaching. For Jesus, the parable of the prodigal son could be called his masterpiece!

           Along with the parable of the Good Samaritan, the parable of the prodigal son is perhaps Jesus' most known and loved parable. Why is that? Why has this parable gained so much more attention than, say, the parable of the wedding banquet (Matthew 22 for the interested)? I believe it has to do with the fact that this parable so accurately represents human relationships; our relationship with God, our relationships with each other. We can identify with the parable because it resonates so clearly with us.

           If we look upon the major character of the parable, the prodigal himself, I don't know anyone who can't identify with him in some way or another. Perhaps some can identify with him from being like him and deciding that home was no longer the place to be. Most of us can probably identify with him in the spiritual realm and the desire to flee from God and search for life on our own. I would daresay that even the most devout persons have had moments of wanting to flee God and seek independence. Like the son, though, we usually find that independence is not all it is cracked up to be. Once the newness wears off and the provisions are gone, reality begins to set in. The independent life reveals itself to be lonely, empty, and not just a bit scary. What's a person to do? I like the way Luke uses his words here. After independence has lost its luster, the young prodigal, "comes to himself". He comes to his senses and realizes he has made quite possibly the biggest mistake of his life! Instead of being a well-respected member of society, he is reduced to working with pigs, which a faithful Jew wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole! Instead of eating like royalty at his father's table, he is reduced to yearning for the slop the pigs won't even eat. Life has turned into a nightmare; this was not what he had bargained for! He realizes this is no time for pride; this is no time to step back and pronounce, "I can do it on my own." Instead, he decides to put pride on the shelf and see if Dad won't at least let him sleep in the front yard and eat with the hired help. And so, he starts on his way. Then the story takes a twist. While he is in the middle of composing the confession to end all confessions, his father comes running of the front porch to greet him! You need to understand that dignified persons in that day did not run; they walked gracefully wherever they went. He comes running, grabs his son in a fierce embrace, and declares a celebration! For this father, dignity meant nothing at this point! He was just glad to have his son back home.

           Such is the mercy and grace of God; waiting for the wayward one to come back. We can almost picture the father in the parable rocking gently on the front porch day after day, hoping beyond hope that that would be the day his son came home. So too God longs for the day when even the most wayward child comes back to God. And when that child returns, there is God running off the porch, embracing the child, kissing them, weeping with joy and saying, "there's time enough for confession later; you're back, and that's what is important to me. We can talk in the morning; tonight, let's celebrate!" It is a story that has the power to evoke tears of joy, knowing that even as we leave God, God still welcomes us back with open arms...and there is a party in heaven!

           Wouldn't it be great if the story stopped there? If this was the final curtain of the parable? As great as the first part of the parable is, all is not right with the world. The prodigal has a brother, an older brother, who had followed the rules his whole life. If any have an older brother or are an older brother, you can imagine what this brother might be like. When he hears what is going on, how his baby brother is back and getting a party, you can imagine what happens next. #$%@ hits the fan!! Can't you just hear him, "WHAT DO YO MEAN YOU'RE HAVING A PARTY FOR HIM! HE'S SQUANDERED HALF THE FAMILY'S WEALTH, LEFT US WORRIED SICK, AND SCANDALIZED US IN THE PROCESS!! AND YOU'RE GOING TO JUST WELCOME HIM BACK???!!!" He cannot understand how his father could just welcome back his brother, with all they had gone through. He probably, too, thought he had earned "favorite child" status, simply because he did what was expected of him.

           At this point, I can almost see Jesus' followers shrinking back because they feel Jesus' lesson is aimed at them. They get the message: grace is meant not only to be received but to be given, especially to those who least deserve it. It's not enough to simply take the grace that God offers to us; there is the expectation that we will give to others the grace that has been given to us. Sometimes, the older brother in us forgets this. Instead of celebrating with the father, we stalk off, refusing to have any part of what the father is doing because it would mean accepting one who, in our eyes, wasn't worthy of being received, at least this cheerfully, or receiving the father's grace our ours.

           To be sure, there is great tension in this story. There are two opposite sides, held together by a father who has equal love for all his children and who so desperately wants to see the family restored again. AMEN.

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