The Prodigal Son aka Pigs 'R US

Luke 15:11-32

Titles are important.  I thought Prodigal meant disobedient or rebellious.  But indeed, it means something different.  Reckless extravagance.   Now the focus in this story often goes to the greedy son – but there is a larger cast of characters.  We might consider here the responsibility or enabling of his father who rewards the homecoming of his son, who might be not so repentant, but desperate.  The ignored brother and the nonexistent mother whose feelings appear unimportant or unknown.  Homecoming sounds warm and calls up images of Hallmark movies. True forgiveness and reconciliation are a little more difficult

There is the issue of the importance of birth order in our parable today.  Perspective matters.  When I experience this story it is from my position in the family hierarchy as the youngest, the baby. There are few families where sibling rivalry does not exist or where it seems that a parent favors one child over another.  My sister and brother grew up when my parents were starting out and couldn’t afford much in the way of toys.  I came 12 years later and got a lot more stuff.  I found out as an adult that my sister is still mad at me for that.  Where are you in your family’s birth order?  How was it different for each of your siblings?  Was there any jealousy or resentment?  If so, you have a normal family.  In our Bible story, the resentful older brother is there in the background, the good kid, seething with jealousy.

There are multiple lessons to be learned from this complex parable.  Maybe we could start by renaming this story.

“Lost and found” might work.  Or possibly “The Lost Son;” “The Welcoming Father;” “The Lost Son and The Welcoming Father;” “The Jealous Sibling.”  Pigs ‘R Us is my favorite. This wayward son finds himself living and eating with pigs. Not a welcome choice for a Jewish man.   Pigs are not cherished animals in the Jewish faith at the time of Jesus and even now.  Recall that Demons entered herds of swine and they fell off the cliff.  Their meat is considered unclean.  Pigs were not kept by Jews so our reckless son was working and living among pagans, in other words Gentiles.

He finds himself isolated and broke.  Poorly nourished.  Kind of describes us, don’t you think, when we are far from God and God’s love. This is where we might end up if we fall from grace. Remember what I said and demonstrated last week, “Watch out so you don’t slip and fall.” In an emotional and spiritual pigsty.   And too often, that is where we find ourselves, away from grace, away from God. We become unclean, mired in filthy sin. Not too different from unbelievers, some might say. Not too different than the pigs.

So, I’m suggesting, that in this story the “Pigs R’ Us.”  We find ourselves not partaking of the Bread of Life that feeds our souls.  Instead, we may be stuffing our faces with the empty debilitating lies we tell ourselves and wasting our God-given talents on useless activities. Like the son, we need to repent and ask for forgiveness, and we will be cleansed.  The pigs I handed out today are a reminder of this.  Indeed, they are actually tub toys and therefore always getting clean.

Why does this story come up in our lectionary during Lent?  What difference does it make?  What if we were preaching it after Easter?  I’m thinking the focus here is on repentance vs resurrection, though both happen in this story.

Perhaps it is because it mirrors our relationship with God during Lent.  We are the wayward son recognizing and beginning to repent for our sins, we are the forgiving parent ready to love, we are the struggling sibling eager to find our place in God’s kingdom.  And as I said already - we are the pigs desperately in need of cleansing.

Lent is a time when we reflect on our human brokenness and our need for God’s redemption. Lent helps us see the “lostness” of all the characters in this story.  Lent can focus us on severed relationships, our hubris, our desire to be totally “on our own.”  Autonomous.  We don’t need God.  We don’t need anybody.  We just think about ourselves.

Throughout Lent, we navigate the transition from winter into spring.  Never a smooth transition. There is an impatient longing for better days.   It is filled with chaos.  Warm breezes, frozen air.  A roller coaster that eventually flattens out.  Lent is a time to tramp through the wilderness and then prepare to let it go.   It is a time to confront our own lostness.  Especially in the context of relationships with others.  Relationships that we have rejected, discounted, and run away to escape the work of restoration.

During the past year we may have strayed away from a faithful relationship with Jesus Christ.  Frustrated and angry about the plight of the world, we can get fed up and distance ourselves from God who seems not to listen.  Lent is our journey back to Christ, the sacrificial lamb and the resurrected God.  God is the prodigal’s father throughout Jewish history and our own. Present with us at all times.  Welcoming us extravagantly with open arms no matter what we have done.  As Pastor Kim said this past Wednesday, God is calling us to have that special relationship with him.  Are you ready?  Are you open to the voice of God in your heart?

We are wrapped up in forgiveness.  Take a deep breath and inhale that reality.  Let go of the burden.  Take in a newfound freedom.  And think about bestowing this forgiveness on others.  Who is there in your life that you can embrace with the blessing of forgiveness?  It may even start with yourself.  We typically are harder on ourselves than anyone else.  Holding ourselves to a higher standard.   Flagellating ourselves when we fail.

Let us close with this well-known verse the way I learned it,

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

We are forgiven for all our mistakes and sins by Almighty God, redeemed and embraced by his loving Son, Jesus.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.