God’s Love is Like…

One of the best parables to comprehend God’s grace and compassionate love is found in Luke 15. It’s preceded by two parables about things that were lost, and then celebrated when they were found; a lost coin, and a lost sheep. These 3 parables make up what’s called the “Lost Trilogy”. The first two are pretty straightforward. The tell of a shepherd and a home owner who lose something that seems insignificant compared to what they already had. 1 sheep lost doesn’t seem to matter all that much when you still have 99. Or 1 lost coin out of a collection of ten. But in both cases, the love and compassion for what is lost outweighs the satisfaction of what is already there. Seems pretty straightforward.

But the parable of the lost son, or the prodigal son, has so much nuance into understanding God’s love it’s definitely worth a whole chapter in this book. The western teaching on this parable often misses some of the Eastern nuance, and our appreciation over what Jesus was trying to teach is lost on some of us, the same way that a non-musician cannot hear the notes not played in the jazz piece. Although you’ve probably read it many times before, take a look at it with fresh eyes, try to understand God’s love as a benevolent King.

Luke 15: 11
A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So the father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

Right away, something gets lost to the western reader of this parable. It’s common practice in our cultures to receive part of our inheritance before our parents die. In fact many parents want to see their kids enjoy the wealth that they have accumulated over their lives. So buying a house, or giving money to help kids live beyond their means is very natural. Listeners to Jesus parable would have had no such perspective. Families lived in multi-generational spaces together. Sons would work and live with their Father, caring for him and his estate until death. Then the first-born son would take the place as family head, and lead the extended family of siblings and younger generations. So this request made by the younger son is not only out of order, it’s a complete sign of disrespect. He is asking for wealth that was not ever intended to be his. It would have all belonged to the older brothers. And furthermore, he is asking for it while his Father is still living. He is in essence treating his Father like he has passed, taking wealth and leaving the family home. But shockingly the father agrees to give this great gift of money and independence to his young son, and he goes to live his life as he pleases.

The parable is going much deeper than the lost coin or the lost sheep that seems to have accidentally wandered off or been misplaced. This story is about a person who wants nothing to do with this Father, who has generated wealth and notoriety of an estate. He represents the millions of people in our world who have decided that the life our heavenly Father has offered them is not one they want. They go their own way, and live is as if God doesn’t even exist to them.

Jesus then describes what happens to this younger son.

Luke 15:13b -15
“… he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs.

Again, a basic understanding sees that trouble comes this younger sons’ way. He blows his money, and by chance it’s a season of famine so it’s all the more difficult to survive. But the Jews understood famine as a direct sign of God’s judgement on people. Those who were disobedient were punished with famine, while God would protect his loved ones. From Joseph to Pharaoh to Jonah to Jezebel, the Jews had understood that all kinds of natural disasters as part of God’s judgement on human kind. Those gathered to hear Jesus teach that day would have gotten to this part of the parable and agreed that God was judging the younger son because he turned his back. He deserved this famine.

Not only that, the contrast of being a song of a wealthy land owner or King, was now living like a slave in the foreign land. It re-enforced the idea to the Jews that God’s blessing only existed when they stayed in the Father’s land, with the chosen people of Israel. The son is at his wit’s end, and decides that he will go home, beg for mercy to be treated as a slave in his Father’s home, rather than be a slave far away. This man he was working for refused to give him even pig slop, and he would have known that his father was kind to his slaves and servants.

His return includes a fascinating description of how his father reacts

Luke 15:20
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.