Luke15:20-24
If we would ask Christians which one of all the parables of the Gospels is their favorite, we will get different answers. However, there is no doubt that The Prodigal Son will be in the top three favorites parables together with The Lost Sheep and the Good Samaritan. Charles Dickens said about the Prodigal Son that “It is the finest short story ever written.”
In this well-known parable Jesus put together two themes in tension with one another. On the one hand, Jesus illustrates and reminds us of the love of God that is beyond the human love. A love beyond as commonly understood and practiced by us humans, for no typical father would do what this father does in the parable. The other theme, Jesus addresses in this parable is the attitude of his critics. Jesus uses The Prodigal Son Parable to vindicate his message and ministry, once again Jesus takes side with the outcast. Those he critics -the Pharisees and the teachers of the law- rejected. In the parable they are represented by the behavior of the elder brother, who cannot join in the rejoicing over the lost being found.
The two themes of the parable are a reminder that Jesus came to preach the kingdom of God, and his central message was and still is a God whose love surpasses all human expectations, understanding and cultural practices. God’s love is celebrated by those who have experienced it, as illustrated in the celebration of the younger son. But sadly -according to Jesus- the expression of this divine love also evokes resentment in those who assume that they know all about it and claim to know who is worthy of entering his kingdom and who is not, as illustrated too in the scene of the elder son’s refusal to join the celebration.
Jesus begins this parable -which is the last in the set of three in chapter 15- with the younger son asking his father for his inheritance. N. T. Wright, the English New Testament scholar and Anglican bishop explains that “asking for his share before the father’s death; it was the equivalent of saying, “I wish you were dead.” Niveen Sarras, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran church in Wausau, WI, says that in a shame-honor culture as the one Jesus lived asking a living parent for the inheritance was rude and those who make such a request lose their respect and honor, and their community ostracizes them. According to her, the parent’s response to such request was usually a great anger. She encountered -she says- a few cases when parents and children cut all ties with each other because of such an insulting request.
In Jesus’ parable the loving father acts in a very different way, instead of being angry and cut all ties with him, he waited for him and at seeing his son returning in such deplorable condition, he is thrilled to see him. He ignores his cultural customs and runs to welcome him, and embraces, and kisses his ungrateful son, even before the son can apologize. But there is more, Jesus continues to surprise his audience. After the son’s apology, the loving and countercultural father orders his servants to clothe his son with the best robe, put a ring on his finger, and sandals on his feet (verse 23). The prodigal love of the father -that in the parable represents the love of God- covers the filthy son with honor and love. And there is even more. He also orders his servants to prepare a fatted calf to celebrate his son who “was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate” (verse 24).
This father gave the ungrateful son his former status. Everything this loving father did was not accepted in shame-honor culture such a Jesus’s, because they did not celebrate the return of an ungrateful person and the reception of the loving father. The prodigal love of the father -who in the parable represents the love of God- goes not only beyond, but also against all cultural expectations.
This is not the first time Jesus preached and taught about embracing as equals those rejected by society, this is not the first time Jesus went against his culture, when his culture was against his message of love and inclusivity. In Jesus’ society people was rejected because of the social class they belonged. Jesus broke those barriers when he ate with tax collectors like Matthew and Zacchaeus, who were despised by society because of the social class they were part of. In Jesus’ times people were rejected because their gender. Jesus broke those customs too when He spoke to and valued women like Mary Magdalene and the Samaritan woman at the well, who would otherwise been marginalized.
Ethnicity, religion and disability were also reasons for people to be rejected or considered a second-class human being. Jesus acted in a countercultural way when he healed the Canaanite woman’s daughter and healed and praised a Samaritan leper who came back to thank him. Jesus welcomed and healed Gentiles, who weren’t part of the Jewish faith. He also healed blind, lame, and lepers, people often seen as outcasts. With all these actions Jesus showed that inclusivity was at the heart of his teachings.
Following the example of Jesus, we in the United Methodist Church believe that before God we are all equal. Article IV. Of our disciple talks about the Inclusiveness of the Church and it says, “The United Methodist Church acknowledges that all persons are of sacred worth. All persons without regard to race, gender, color, national origin, status, or economic condition, shall be eligible to attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive the sacraments, upon baptism be admitted as baptized members, and upon taking vows declaring the Christian faith, become professing members in any local church in the connection. In The United Methodist Church, no conference or other organizational unit of the Church shall be structured so as to exclude any member or any constituent body of the Church because of race, color, national origin, status or economic condition.”
We believe that everyone has sacred worth because we all are created in the image of God. Furthermore, Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” With this Paul reminds us that our prize was given to us while we were sinners. Therefore, all those we call sinners are worth the blood of Jesus the same way we are, and Jesus offers salvation to all people and extends an invitation to follow him and serve his mission through his church even though we all are different. John Wesley understood we are different, and we will think different, but he also understood that we have the same God who regardless of our differences gives us gifts we can use for the growth of his kingdom, and he advocated for unity amid diversity. In his sermon, Catholic Spirit, John Wesley said, “Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may. Herein all the children of God may unite, notwithstanding these smaller differences.”
We, the United Methodist do not believe in second class members, no, within the church and specially when we are seated around Jesus’s table, we are all equal, that is one of the reasons we baptized children and allow them to participate of Communion. If Jesus died for all sinners, so, before his presence, we all are equal.
You may be asking. What about those whose lifestyle is not like us, should we do something about? Yes, let us love them and treat them equally. In Matthew 14:24-30 Jesus told his disciples the parable of the Weeds and the Wheat. Weeds were growing with wheat. The servants’ reaction was, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ They thought they were capable enough to do it. However, the owner of the land said to them, 29 “‘No, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time, I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
In the United Methodist Church, we believe that is not our Job to decide who deserves to be fully part of Jesus’ body and who do not, that is Jesus’ decision. Our call is to love others as Jesus loves us; our call is to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded.
I will end my sermon reading Acts 10:34-35, This is Peter talking, “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”