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This week we will take a look at families, and how they should love one another. Families see us when we are at
our worst. Sometimes loving our family is hard, and our family loving us may be even harder.
 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father,
give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
"Not long after that, the younger son got
together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything,
there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen
of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating,
but no one gave him anything.
"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to
spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against
heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and
went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for
him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned
against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
"But the father said to his servants,
'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and
kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So
they began to celebrate.
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and
dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your
father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
"The older brother became angry and refused
to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving
for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But
when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be
glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found'" (Luke 15:11-32).
The parable of the prodigal son is one of the most well-known stories of Jesus.
The word prodigal may be defined as “rashly or wastefully extravagant”.
The
natural state of mankind is always toward lust and greed and extravagance of all kinds; without God we squander our resources
and energies until we are void and empty. When we remain in a place of alienation from God, we descend into futility,
darkness, and humiliation
However, we do have the opportunity to make a change; we do not have to stay in our hopeless state;
we can come to ourselves. This turning in our lives is the first indication of God’s love for us. Even recognizing our
sinful, hopeless state is initiated in us by God, Himself. (see Romans 2:4)
Notice what the Father did NOT do. He didn't go seeking the son. He didn't go to the
pigpen and grab the son by the collar and tell him how stupid and wasteful he was and make him come home. No,
he waited patiently, lovingly for the son to come home. He longed to see his son again. He watched for
him, and when he DID finally see his son form afar, He ran to him and embraced him. He didn't chastise or belittle. He
didn't punish the son. He rejoiced that his son had come home.
Sometimes, this is where we end the story. The son is home, the Father is happy, and all is
well with the world. Not hardly......The man has another son.
This son isn't all that happy to see his little brother. He's jealous that the Father
is givng a party for the little brat.
I think most of us know who characters in this story represent. The younger son represent the lost world, those
who have wondered far from God, the Father, of course represents God, and the older son is the self-righteous religious person.
But lets look at the family dynamics seen here. The two sons have probably had trouble for many years.
The younger may feel that he can't live up to the older brother, while the older may feel that his younger brother is
spoiled or the favorite. This conflict may be part of the reason the rebellous younger son is so anxous to leave
home. The older brother fears his inheiritance is in jeopardy when the younger son returns home. The
father loves both his sons. He sheds tears of joy when his younger son returns home. At the same time, he loves
and depends on his older, steadfast son and wants him to rejoice with him in the return of his brother.
We must remember that God loves all of us, even when we aren't very loving towards each other. We need
to have the attitude of the father when it comes to our relationship with family members who may not act exactly the way we
think they should.
Think about it.
With whom do you identify in this story and why?
What do the father's actions teach us about love for family members?
What relationship in your family needs the most repair right now? What steps will you take to be part of the solution?
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