The Prodigal Son
Aren’t we all familiar with the story of the prodigal son from the Gospel of Luke 15:1-3, 11-32. We have read and heard this account so many times that some of us may be numbed to the lessons that this story teaches.
Lesson 1: Be Like the Prodigal Son. We are advised to develop humility like the prodigal son. We should never be afraid or embarrassed to ask our Father for forgiveness, because we know that the Father is ever willing to forgive if we are contrite and repent. We should be prepared to return to the Father’s fold.
Lesson 2: Don’t be like the elder son. Sometimes the sermon dwells on this subject. We should not be envious of the way God wishes to treat others. How God treats others should not be compared against His gifts to us, simply because we presume or know that we have been more faithful to God than someone else who has fallen away at some time and repented. We are asked by God to be joyful for the lost sheep that has been rescued and not to say that the wayward person deserves her unjust experiences for willingly estranging herself from God. We are being taught to not do something for God and then challenge God for not repaying our deeds according to our expectations.
Lesson 3: Be like the father. This lesson is often lost on us. We are so caught up with the star (the prodigal son) and the supporting actor (the elder son) that we forget the director of the show (the father). We are actually being asked by God to emulate the father who is so very forgiving, even before the penitent person asks for forgiveness. God pleads with us to be like Him, the Father who is awaiting the return of the prodigal son and is not annoyed with the retort of the elder son but answers him lovingly. Be like the Father who goes to meet the repentant person. The Father is equally humble by getting up to meet the returning son.
May this Lent be a period for us to effectively repair broken relationships.
