Prodigal Love
March 14, 2010
Luke 15:11-32
Today fs Gospel Parable is named gThe Prodigal Son.h The word gprodigal haccording to the dictionary means gwastefully or recklessly extravagant, lavishly abundant, one who is wastefully extravagant. hSo this word refers to the life-style of the boy when he was wasting his inheritance on wild, reckless living. But of course, this boy was wild and reckless and wasteful even before he received his inheritance and left home. He wasted the most precious thing he had; he wasted the love of his father. He didnft know how valuable it was. He threw away that love and exchanged it for cash. Then he discovered that his money could not buy new love or even friends. The cash was all spent in wild living. (I fll let your use your imagination of how a young person suddenly flushed with cash would spend it.) When the cash was gone, when he had used up the whole of his inheritance, he became homeless and hungry and took the only job available, feeding pigs, which is probably the most debasing job for a Jew, since Jews considered pigs to be about the most religiously unclean animal. And when he had no more of anything, he didnft have anything to waste any longer either. And when it became impossible to be prodigal anymore, he came to his senses. He decided to return home, not as a son, but as a hired hand.
And now we meet the father. He too was a prodigal, not in the meaning of being wasteful, but in the sense of being lavishly abundant, extravagant. He was extravagant with his love. He loved his son from the beginning. I am sure that it broke his heart when the son said, gGive me what is my share of the inheritance. hInheritance is usually given when someone dies, so it means that the son wanted to cut all ties with his father, as if the father were already dead. It was a great shock. But this father loved his son so much that he gave him what he wanted. He loved him so much that he knew that if he didn >ft, the son would never know the fatherfs love anyway, that the son would always be hating the father. It was this love that let the son go. And it was this same love that waited for the son to return every day. Not just waiting, but looking up the road constantly, searching the horizon to see if he were coming. That is the feeling I get when I read verse 20, gBut 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. hThat was love. He didnft want to hear the sonfs confession. He had already forgiven him. Love for his son turned into a welcome-home celebration. gQuick! 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. Letfs have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. hAll that out-pouring of love is like a prodigal father!
Then there is the eldest son. He was a hard working, serious boy. He was not wasteful of anything, except his fatherfs love. And now he didnft want his father to waste and squander that love on his brother who had squandered the fatherfs property. It did not seem right or fair. Although the elder brother talked against prodigal living and other waste, he himself was wasting the love of the father toward himself. He could not share that love. And so the father had to come and plead with him, telling him that nothing more would be wasted, except love and joy.
Love can be wasted, you know. But the great thing is that there is an infinite supply of it. So even if it is wasted on people who do not deserve our love, or who do not return the love, or who do not even know who is loving them, it is okay. This is how God loves the world, and so little of that love is appreciated by the people of his world. God is the original prodigal Father, and Jesus is the original prodigal Son who leaves his Father >fs home with the inheritance of the Kingdom of God and starts giving it away to everyone who will receive it. He gives love; he gives the inheritance of eternal life. And when he was arrested and in bad straits, just as in the parable, the friends of Jesus left him. Then he took the most degradable work of the cross upon himself and became a sinner for us all. He never lost his senses, but he did die. And on the third day he arose. In the Holy Communion we celebrate the Easter feast, gHe was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! hWe have to celebrate and be glad!
We are called today to be prodigal with our love, to be extravagant and generous with our love, even to waste it. The father in the parable shows us how to do this. Our heavenly Father also, and Jesus too, show us how to love recklessly. Jesus loved so recklessly that he was scorned for it, even killed for it. But it is impossible to really waste love, because God has an inexhaustible supply of it that he constantly gives us. And if you think you need more love, just ask God for it. In this way, he is already giving us the inheritance of the Kingdom of God.
How shall we be lavishly prodigal with our love? Where will you start? At home for your family, for your spouse, for your friends, for your church, for your neighbors, for your fellow-workers, for your class-mates, for your society, for your country, for people in need, for missions, for charitiesc. Let s start by loving God in worship, prayer, praise, and the confession of faith.
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church