Paul DeCelles gave this as the opening talk of the 1996 Christ in You series. âIn your Father’s house, as your Father’s son, in Christ, as Christ, hear the words of the Father, âYou are my beloved Son; on you my favor rests.ââ
Transcript
This document is a direct transcript of an audio recording, and may contain transcription errors and other minor edits for the sake of clarity.
PAUL: Iâm going to talk on the parable of the prodigal son tonight, and itâs the groundwork for the theme that I will be developing in these evening sessions with you, which you could say would be something like the topic of âChrist in you: your hope of glory.â
Iâm going toâas I go through this, I think some may find it a bit disconcerting, because it doesnât followâthe way Iâm going to do it doesnât followâyou wonât follow it very easily. [Paul chuckles.] Part of the reason for this is going to be that Iâm going to go over different topics more than once, from a slightly different perspective, and try to enrich some of the different themes that are touched on first and then second and third. So, itâs going to require someâitâsâto some degree, it may be a little like Kerryâs poem, whichâyou have to kind of take the form of it as part of the message, instead of just the analysis of it. Soâthat is to say, you have to kind of hang loose as you listen to this talk, and get out of it every insight that you can possiblyâthat the Lord will inspire you with.
If you turn to pageâor to Luke 15. . . . Actually, the small phrase that is put at the end of chapter 14, I think belongs to chapter 15 also: that is, ââHe who has ears to hear, let him hearââ [Luke 14:35, RSV]. So letâs just realize that, you know, as he spea- âbegins with chapter 15: âNow the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.â That is to say, the tax collectors and the sinners were the ones who had the ears to hear. So, as we begin this meditation, letâs place ourselves in that company of those who have ears to hear, those sinners who need help.
So, Lord, we ask you at the beginning of our meditations to consider our need and give us hearts that are open, and ears that are ready to receive every word that comes from your mouth.
This chapter, 15, starts with this description of the Pharisees and scribes murmuring, saying, ââThis man receives sinners and eats with themââ [Luke 15:2, RSV]. Actually, the âreceives sinnersâ doesnât quite do justice to whatâs involved here. Itâs âhe welcomes sinners,â âhe waits for them,â âhe takes them up,â and âhe expects them.â Those are all translations of the same word in Greek here. Heâin another comment on this elsewhere, he receives them as though they were Christians. He treats themâhe takes them into his company, and heâs clearly enjoying their presence. So theyâre murmuring against Jesus because heâs having a party with them, heâs eating with them, enjoying their company.
And Jesus then tells several parables, and theyâre very interesting. The first one is:
âWhat man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, âRejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.â Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.â [Luke 15: 4â7, RSV]
At first, I usedâwhen I used to read this passage, I identified with the lost sheep, and I was very grateful that God was so willing to come after me, to find me. And I thought that that was what the passage was about. But I donât think so.That is, itâs not only about that, at any rate. Itâs a description, rather, not of the good fortune of the sheep that was found, but of what it was on the mind of the shepherd, what made the shepherd happy. Itâs a description of the shepherd; itâs not a description of the saving of the sheep. The shepherd has a party. Heâs having a wonderful time. And heâs clearlyâJesus is clearly referring to his Father in heaven, who is rejoicing over a sinner who repents.
So, these Pharisees and scribes are complaining against Jesus because heâs having a good time! They donât think he should be enjoying these people. They think heâs got the wrong set of ideas. The wrong things make him happy. And his reply is, âLook at what makes my Father happy, because he who sees me sees the Father.â And so this whole chapter becomes a teaching on the Father and on what the Fatherâwhat makes the Father happy. And we can look at Jesus continually. Heâs calling us to look at him to see the image of the Father in himself.
Let me skip to the Prodigal Son story, so-called: chapterâverse 11:
And (Jesus) said, âThere was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, âFather, give me the share of property that falls to me.â And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the young son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ateâ
He couldnât even have a dinner with the swineâ
and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, âHow many of my fatherâs hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger!
Itâs a cold, calculating consideration.
I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him,
whatever I have to, to get back in the house.
âFather, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy and to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.â
And give me a good health insurance policy [Laughter].
And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and (his father) ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, âFather, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.â But the father said to his servants, âBring quickly the best robe and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.â And they began to make merry.
âNow his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. And he said to him, âYour brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.â But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, âLo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!â And he said to him, âSon, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.ââ [Luke 15:11-32, RSV]
As you can see, it is really a misnomer to call this the parable of the prodigal son. Itâs a story about two sons. But actually, itâs a story about the Father. The whole chapter, as I pointed out, is in fact about the Father. In Luke 15, Jesus tells three stories to illustrate the Fatherâs joy when one sinner repents. Maybe you, like I, have read this chapter and seen yourself as the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son, and missed the fact that the chapter is primarily about the Father. The point of the chapter is to show what makes our Father happy. It is that when a sinner is found, the Father throws a party.
Throughout Lukeâs gospel, Jesus has been hanging out at parties with sinners. So finally, when the tax collectors and sinners were, once again, all drawing near to hear Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees murmured, âThis man receives sinners and eats with them.â And Jesus explains his actions by pointing to his Father. As it says in Johnâs gospel, âTruly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewiseâ [John 5:19, RSV].
We have in this chapter of Luke a story about two sons who have left their fatherâs house. Itâs easy to see that the first son has left his fatherâs house. He literally journeys to a distant country. The second, who is the elder son, has left his fatherâs house in his heart. For when his brother comes home and his father is rejoicing, he draws near to his fatherâs houseâbut he doesnât go in. He stays outside, out of his fatherâs house.
As we consider this parable, keep in mind that ChristâChrist!âis the Fatherâs house. He is the dwelling place of God. The Father makes his home in him.
Apparently, the younger son found life in his fatherâs houseâin Christâintolerable. He wanted to make a life of his own. He thought he had things figured out. He knew how the world worked and how to be successful. He knew what made people tick, and he knew how to be well-liked. He knew how to live. And he could make a better life for himself than the one his father had provided. So he rejected his fatherâs wisdom and turned his back on his fatherâs way of living, thinking, and acting.
He went to his father. He was brash, self-confident, filled with lust for money and pleasure, and he was convinced of his own financial prowess. He really wished that his father were dead, but since he wasnât, he went to him and said, âFather, give me the share of property that falls to me.â Then he left home with his pride and his money, determined to live his own life far away from his father. It says he journeyed to a distant country, lured by the prospect of riches and honor. It was a pleasant journey. The prospect of experiencing the world filled him with anticipation. It was made even more pleasant by the thought that perhaps he would never see his hypocritical brother again. He was such a jerk. When he arrived at his destination, he embarked on a life of riotous living. He never had liked his fatherâs parties. They werenât fun enough.
It was the great rebellion all over again. Itâs a scene that has been repeated over and over in history. Adam and Eve were only the first to say no to Godâs wisdom and his word. Perhaps some of us too have been tempted to flee life in our Fatherâs house, which is life in Christ. We are tempted to live our own life and make our own way in the world. And besides, we have a brother we canât stand. So we are tempted to say, âIâm out of here.â
Or perhaps we reject Jesusâs offer that he and the Father will come to us and make their home in us [John 14:23]. We say to God, âIâm sorry, but the place where I dwell, that space behind my eyes: thatâs my place. Thatâs the place I retreat to, the place where I canât be touched. Sometimes I just have to be alone.â We donât like the idea of sharing our space, so we turn our back on the reality that St. Paul lays before us: âIt is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in meâ [Galatians 2:20]. We say âNo!â to Christ in me, âNo!â to the life of Christ, and âNo!â to life in our Fatherâs house.
The younger son enjoyed himself for a while, squandering his inheritance, but
. . . when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything.
All the glory he had gathered for himself proved to be vainglory. He had set out to make his own life, but lost everything in that distant country. Money, health, honor, self-respect, reputationâit was all gone. It was just as Jesus warned, âThe man who has found his own life will lose itâ [Matthew 10:39, JBP].
He decides to return to his father, and on his way home, composes a speech in his head. âFather, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.â It is a self-serving apology that offers the possibility of survival. âWell, I couldnât make it on my own. I have to acknowledge that God is the only resource left to me. I will go to God and ask for forgiveness in the hope that I will receive a minimal punishment and be allowed to serve and to survive on the condition of hard labor.â The prodigal son is still holding on to his life and his judgment. He wants to set the punishment. He wants the benefits of his fatherâs house, while maintaining his distance. As a hired servant, he can complain about his pay. He can still revolt, reject his fatherâs ways, and run away at a more opportune moment.
How often have I run away from home and then returned, still clinging to my own way of life, and especially to my own judgments? I say, âMy sin is too great to be overcomeâ because I am unwilling to try, because I want to keep my distance. I donât really want the full responsibility of being the Fatherâs son.
The sonâs repentance is imperfect. But still, he turned toward his father. And âwhile he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.â Picture the scene. The son, utterly poor, dressed in rags, filthy and stinking, barefoot, humiliated, kneels before his father. The father puts his hand upon his sonâs shoulder and gathers his broken son into his arms, and the son rests his head in relief against his fatherâs breast. Rembrandt painted this moment, and with great spiritual insight he portrayed the face of the prodigal son, leaning against his fatherâs heart, as the face of an infant. âUnless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heavenâ [Matthew 18:3].
And in your mindâs eye look again at the Son kneeling before the Father. It is the Innocent One who became sin for us. See the Father place his hand upon the broken, wounded, naked body of his beloved Son. And see the Son resting in relief against his Fatherâs breast. It is the moment of the resurrection. This Son met us in the distant country to which we all had fled, united himself with us, took upon himself our sinsâso that we could return with him to the Father. The first words on the lips of the risen Christ at some Easter liturgies is a cry of joy: âI am risen, and I am still with you!â We might think these words are addressed to us, but they are not. They are addressed to the Father, for he continues, âYou have placed your hand upon me.â
So you see, our sonship and the sonship of Jesus are one. My return and the return of Jesus are one. The return of the prodigal son is the return of the Son of God who had drawn all men into himself and brings them to his Father. Consider once again the embrace of the Father and the Son. In your Fatherâs house, as your Fatherâs son, in Christ, as Christ, hear the words of the Father: âYou are my beloved son; on you my favor rests.â
âBut the father said to his servants, âBring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found.ââ
The storyâs not over. There is another son. He never ran away from the father, never wasted time and money on sensual pursuits. Exteriorly, he did all the things a good son was supposed to do; but interiorly, he had wandered away from his fatherâs house. He did his duty, worked hard every day, and fulfilled all his obligations, but he became increasingly unhappy. He felt less and less at home in his fatherâs house. He always made a conscious effort to avoid the pitfalls of sin, but lived with the constant fear of giving in to temptation. The obedient and dutiful life of which he was, in a way, very proud, had become an oppressive burden. He hated it, even though he had accepted it to such a degree that he felt powerless to throw it off. In a way, he admired his brother for living the disobedient life which he didnât dare live, except in his heart, in secret. He didnât have the courage to actually leave home.
One day, after working in his fatherâs field, he starts for home. Itâs dusk. As he comes and draws near to the house, he hears music and dancing, and his heart sinks within him. He stands at a distance, half in the light, half in the dark, watching, alternating between indifference, curiosity, and attentive observation. But he doesnât enter his fatherâs house. Instead, with a cold fear clutching his heart, he calls one of the servants and asks what is going on. The servant tells him, âYour brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has received him safe and sound.â Itâs just as he had suspected. Something wonderful is going on, and heâs on the outside, left out.
Outwardly the elder son was faultless. But when confronted with his fatherâs joy, an anger that had attached itself like a parasite to the underside of his virtue boiled to the surface. Suddenly there becomes glaringly visible a resentful, proud, unkind, selfish person, one that remained hidden, even though it had been growing stronger and more powerful over the years. He complains,
âLo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who had devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!â
He feels like he hasnât received his due. Filled with envy, he thinks, âI tried so hard, worked so long, did so much; and this jerk, whoâs no brother of mine, gets the party.â Heâs like the Pharisees at the beginning of the chapter, who complain: âThis man receives sinners and eats with them.â Or like Job, who could also say that he never disobeyed Godâs command. The elder son felt justified in his anger. The father has not treated him as he thinks he deserves.
His father is not, however, the one with the problem. He has judged his father. He thinks his father is selfish, without love. As is the case with most judgments, the only thing his judgment reveals is the state of his own heart. He doesnât love the father, plain and simple. His anger has blinded him to his fatherâs love. His harsh and bitter reproach is not met with words of judgment. There is no recrimination or accusation. The father doesnât defend himself or even comment on the elder sonâs behavior. In fact, the father has shared everything with him. He has made him a part of his daily life, keeping nothing from him. âAll that I have is yours,â he reminds his son. The father has an unreserved, unlimited love for his son.
The parable doesnât tell us what happened to the elder son. Those of us who see something of the elder son in ourselves might be wondering, Is there any hope for me? We are perhaps aware that something must happen that we ourselves cannot cause to happen. We must be born anew from above into a new kind of life. We cannot be reborn from below, with our own strength, with our own minds, with our own psychological insights. It is impossible for us. But with God, all things are possible. We donât know the ultimate fate of the elder son, but we do know that the father left the party, went out to the elder son, and pleaded with him to join the celebration. He doesnât love the younger son more than the elder son. He ardently desires to make his elder son part of his joy, and unlike the scene with the younger son, here it is the father who makes the first move.
What would the elder son look like if he were free from his anger, resentment, and envy? He looks like Jesus! When the father says, âSon, you are with me always, and all that is mine is yours,â he is speaking to Christ! Just as Jesus is the prodigal son, so too he is the elder son. All that Jesus says about himself reveals him as the Beloved Son, the one who lives in complete communion with the Father. There is no distance, no fear, nor suspicion between Christ and his Father.
Let us, then, enter our Fatherâs house, and live the life of the Son of God. And as you pray now, speak to the Father as Christ and remember that when he answers he will answer as to Christ.
[Recording ends here.]
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