The (Un)Prodigal Son

Luke chapter 15 tells the story of two sons.  We spend a lot of time talking about the Prodigal, even referring to the parable by that son only.  I'm neither the first nor the last person to examine the other brother, but I did realize something about him recently that's worth sharing.

At the end of the story, the older brother, presumably with sweat on his brow, and callouses on his hands, impunes his father saying "All these years I've slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to, and in all this time you never even gave me one young goat for a feast with my friends.  Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!" (Luke 15:29-30, NLT)

And the father responds with "Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have will be yours when I'm gone." (15:31)

I know that when I was younger, growing up in a pretty mainstream evangelical church, I identified with the older brother.  I can recall thinking, "You know, he has a good point there." and wondering how we as Christians were supposed to celebrate for these Johnny-Come-Lately's who have a deathbed conversion while the rest of us were slaving away on the farm the whole time like we were supposed to.  And furthermore, how come the younger son gets his inheritance, while the faithful older son has to wait for the old man to keel over before enjoying anything.

Except I lied. That's not what verse 31 says.  It says "Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours." (15:31 without intentional mistakes)

When we look at the dialogue between father and son at the end of the story, I've come to realize that one of the crucial aspects of this story is that both sons have their inheritance upon request. When the elder asks his father why he never gave him a goat so he could celebrate with his friends, the father does not say, everything I have will be yours when I'm gone". He says "everything I have is yours."

Maybe we, in the church, often condemn ourselves to a lifetime of drudgery.  Maybe the whole time God's giving us the freedom to work, all the while patiently waiting for us to look up and say, "Let's call the neighbors over for some steak and beer!"

Maybe the drudgery of modern day evangelicalism is something we invented.  Maybe life in the Kingdom is meant to be more about working when we want to, and partying with our friends when we want to.  If we understand that we can enjoy the fruits of his kingdom any time we want, we're much more likely to excitedly invite prodigals to the party, welcoming them to join instead of grumbling in the corner. All we have to do is ask, and the fatted calf is ours.

An Honest Prayer

I used to think that prayer was about subjecting ourselves to God's will.  I thought it was a time for us grovel before a master, who needed us to first debase ourselves before daring to approach him. I thought that having to ask for everything kept us constantly reminded of our smallness.  I thought it was an instrument of removing our pride.  I'm not sure that's all wrong, but this Monty Python clip shows how far down that rabbit trail we can go:

Don't misunderstand me.  We are small, and He is big, but it's less about groveling and more about agreement with a loving Father about his nature (goodness) and his will for us (freedom from the curse).

Consider Daniel. When was faced with becoming a crunchy snack, it says that he went to his house and opened the window towards Jerusalem and he thanked God. In the face of a violent and gruesome death, he reminded himself of the things that he had to be thankful for. He spent time remembering God's graciousness and goodness towards him, and that was how he conquered the fear that was ready to devour him long before he faced the lions.

We should be talking to God in prayer because we want to, not out of fear or obligation.  If you don't desire time in prayer, if you're not excited about it, consider not doing it.  Maybe you need to ask God why you don't desire it. (I know that's a prayer too, but feel free to keep it short.) :)

Paul says in Romans that he prayed all day and night for the Roman church, and I don't think he did that as a burden.  I think he saw it as opportunity to speak life and blessings over fellow believers that he loved, and partner with God to get a peek at his heart of love toward them.

When you feel His love for someone, you only want to be closer to Him and know Him more.  That's what prayer is supposed to be about.  Let go of the burden of prayer, and pick up the opportunity of seeing how Jesus sees you and others around you, and no, he doesn't want to boil you in oil!