24th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2019
24th Sunday of Ordinary Time/ “The Prodigal Brother”
The word prodigal is an interesting word. We think we know the meaning of that word, but do we really?
The story we have just read is the “Parable of the Prodigal Son.” When we hear that word prodigal, we think that the word prodigal means wayward. We believe that because the younger son in the story takes his inheritance, leaves home, intending never come back again.
But prodigal is a word whose primary meaning is wasteful. Prodigal means to be a spend thrift. Now this description does fit the wandering son. He takes all the money he receives. He then squanders it. He gambles it away. He uses it to consort with prostitutes. We are left to wonder what else he did.
But if we know enough about ancient Mid-East custom, we would probably rename this parable. The focus of the parable is the father figure. Some people like to say that we should rename the parable, “The Benevolent Father.” But a better title would be the Prodigal Father. Because this man is one of the most impractical, wasteful, foolish men you would ever want to run into.
First, it was against Jewish law to divide up an inheritance before a father was dead. When the younger son demanded his share of the estate, he should have been told, no, for he had no legal right to it. By his action the younger son was saying to the Father, “I wish you were dead.” The father did not get angry. He simply gave the son what he wanted.
The father then watched day after day for his son to return. He wanted his son back. The younger son had cut his ties with the family. He had disowned his father. He had insulted the father. Yet, the father, each day, looked over the horizon, wishing his son would return.
When the son does return what does the father do? He restores him to the family. He reinstated him completely. His actions say that when he puts a ring on his son’s finger. When he puts a fine robe on him. He, in effect, divides his estate up in three pieces again. The second son, once again, is an heir to the farm. The wayward son is overwhelmed by the Father’s love. His youthful selfishness is gone.
But what of the older brother? He, in his own way, has separated himself from his father. He stays away in the fields. As an older brother he was supposed to have veto power over how the estate was handled. He was to inherit everything. He looks at the interaction between his Father and younger brother and he is mad as hell. He is not separated by distance from the Father, but he is just as far away. He is separated by bitterness and hatred for his brother.
He had a duty as an older brother, according to cultural norm, to go out in search of his brother. He had an obligation to offer correction out of affection for his brother. But, he instead, chose to condemn his brother. Somehow it was more important to the older brother to feel superior to his younger sibling. His pride got in the way. His anger did as well.
We are left to ponder who the characters represent in this parable. The younger brother represents any sinner who choses to leave a relationship with God the Father. The Prodigal Father of course is God our heavenly parent. The older brother represents we religious people.
We who are religious have a choice. As the older brother is left with a choice at the end of the parable. We can continue being upset at all the sinners of the world or we can become a new character in the parable who we would label the “prodigal older brother.” Who is that ideal brother? None other than Jesus. He is the prodigal older brother who comes to us to coax us home. Jesus is the one who searches us out. He wants us to be saved so he came to the world to redeem it.
We say we follow Jesus. We pray each day, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The story we share this week challenges us to become the persons we ask to be; prodigal sons and daughters of a Prodigal Father.