4 Lent March 27, 2022
Joshua 5:9-12 Ps.32
2 Cor. 5:17-21 Luke 15:11-32
By the time Luke's Gospel was written, the goal of the writer was to explain to new people in the Jesus Movement how to under the significance of Jesus Christ.
The writer was interested in the big issues. And what was one of the big issues? "People in the Jesus Movement, look at yourselves. Some of you were raised as Jews in various parts of Palestine. Some of you were good practicings Jews, and some of you were not because you interacted too much for your business with Gentiles. Some of you used to be followers of John the Baptist, and some of you used to be Samaritans following their Torah. And look, some of you are travellers on the various highways and shipping lanes of the Roman Empire. Some of you hail from Africa, many of you are women and children, and people of all ages. Some of you are wealthy merchant, and some of you are slaves, so how did we all come together like this?"
The Gospel deals with the most important issue in being honest about God. Imagine if God were a human being; what would God as a human being want us to know about God?
Well, let me tell about God as a human being, Jesus Christ. The first thing that Jesus wanted to teach about God, is that God is for everyone. If God isn't for everyone, then you can't say God is universal. If God isn't for everyone you can't say God is catholic. The meaning of the word catholic means "on the whole, or pertaining to everyone and everything." The church's meaning of the word catholic simply means you "agree" with the church councils on church matters.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son can get over analyzed and a very basic point missed. What is the set up for telling the parable? The religious people were upset that Jesus hung out with people who were not ritually adherent Jews like they were. Jesus ate with sinners.
And Jesus said, "I'll tell you a story." In that story the Creator of the family has two sons, whom he loves. One stays home and toes the line, the other rebels blows his entire inheritance, comes to the end of himself, and decides to come home. And the older brother cannot rejoice at the homecoming reception which was given to the rebellious son.
What is the meaning of the parable? Does it mean all Jews were hypocritical prigs? No. Does it mean that rebellion is good? No. Does it means God's love is universal and welcoming to everyone all of the time? Yes. Wherever a person is on the continuum of obedience to God, a person is always welcome to know the love of God.
St. Paul wrote in Romans, that the Jews, had an advantage in that they came into realization of the welcome of God early because of the gift of the Torah. Because God gave the covenant to the people Israel; it did not mean that the covenant wasn't available to the entire world. That's what Hebrew Scripture teaches: "Let the peoples praise you, let all the peoples praise you." This is what the Psalmist wrote, and by peoples, the Psalmist was referring to the nations.
This parable also reveals to us that there seems to be something patently unfair about God's grace. It makes us all equal.
"But God, I have older sibling syndrome, I've been at it longer. Look at my resume with you. Look how many years I have put in. Doesn't that mean I have more grace than someone who has just decided to get on board?"
We can be like a jealous sibling when the joy of the birth of a new family member seems to dominate and take attention from us and from our importance.
The Gospel view is this: Everyone is in God's family; it is just that lots of people don't know this yet, so we have to be the older siblings who are coaxing as many people as possible to know the love of God and be included in the family of Christ. And like a new birth celebrated, we can be celebratory when someone is converted by God's love. We can't be pouting prig thinking, "You should have been like I am."
The parable of the Prodigal Son can convict us when we feel like we have exclusive resumes, so exclusive that there is no welcome for new people to the family of faith.
The parable should also teach us to represent God as the loving creating parent of all who includes all in the divine family. It teaches us that God is one who wants each person to live in the love of God and know the family DNA heritage of God's Holy Spirit.
Today, let's not misrepresent God by pretending we have exclusive family privileges. Let us be those who rejoice at the birth experience of each person knowing that they are loved by God and made a child of God.
And rather than be pouting jealous older siblings, let us be mentoring and welcoming siblings of all who want to share in the family of the love of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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