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This is a very famous story. I am sure most of you have heard about this story and are very familiar with it.
This is one of the most famous parables Jesus left behind for us to remember.
What we read today is the last one of three stories. All three stories have the same theme.
The first one is about a shepherd searching for one lost sheep, leaving 99 in the wilderness. The second one is about a woman searching for one lost coin. And today’s story is the last one about a father who lost a son.
All three parables are about losing something and finding it back. But the third story has its unique message that is not in the first two.
The shepherd and the woman were actively searching for their lost one.
The shepherd went out and went through all the troubles to find the lost sheep. The woman lit a lamp and swept through the whole house to find the lost coin.
But the father didn’t do anything to find the lost son.
He didn’t go out to search for him. He didn’t send people to find his son.
Was it because the father did not love the son? Was it because he was upset at the son? Or was it because he didn’t care?
I don’t think so.
I see two images of God in these three stories.
The first one is the image of God who actively goes out to search for the lost. The second one is the image of God who waits.
The lost sheep and the lost coin could not come back on their own. That’s why the shepherd and the woman actively searched for it.
But the son – he was different.
He chose to go out. He didn’t want to stay home. The Scripture doesn’t tell us why he wanted to leave the house.
Maybe because of his self-righteous brother? Maybe because he felt stuffy at home? Maybe because he wanted to see the bigger world? Maybe because he simply wanted freedom? We don’t know why.
But he wanted to leave home. He wanted his inheritance.
The father didn’t die yet. But he wanted his portion anyway. That doesn’t sound nice.
But strangely, the father was silent. He just gave it to him. The father let him go.
He didn’t tell him to stay. He didn’t tell him to reconsider. He didn’t threaten him not to give him his portion.
He simply divided his property between two sons and gave his portion.
The father might have been disappointed. The father might have been angry. The father might have been concerned.
But the Scripture doesn’t express any of his emotions. The silence of the father speaks volumes.
The father knew exactly that his son needed to do that.
He needed to leave the house. He needed to go out and experience the world. He needed to find his own life. He needed freedom even though the father knew that freedom was costly.
That is the kind of God we have.
God allows us to go. God allows us to have freedom. God allows us to have our own choice.
You have many young children. Now they are cute and adorable.
But there will be a time when they want to leave you and leave home. They want to make their own choices. They want to have their own freedom.
Letting them go is hard.
There is pain in letting go. Sometimes going out and actively searching for them is easier. But human beings are not like a sheep or a coin.
The image of God this parable portrays to us is the pain of God who lets his son go. The pain of God who lets his son reject him.
Asking for his inheritance while the father was alive was the greatest insult and disrespect. And yet the father doesn’t say anything. His silence delivers his pain.
That is the kind of love Jesus showed. Jesus allowed people to reject him. I could see that very clearly in his last supper.
He knew that Judas would soon reject him. And yet he gave the bread to him.
Then he said,
Do quickly what you are going to do. (John 13:27)
John described the scene in this way.
So, after receiving the piece of bread, he (Judas) immediately went out. And it was night. (John 13:30)
And it was night.
This was a symbolic expression. He left Jesus who is the light and entered into darkness.
Jesus allowed Judas to betray him. Jesus allowed Peter to deny him.
Listen to this conversation.
Peter said to him, ‘Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ Jesus answered, ‘Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times. (John 13:37, 38)
Jesus allowed Judas to betray him and Peter to deny him. Jesus allowed people to reject him. That is the message of the cross.
Today’s story shows the agony of the father who allows the son to reject him, disrespect him, and leave him.
But that is not the end. The story also shows the image of God who is waiting.
The father let him go even though it was painful but deep inside, he was hoping that he would come back. This is well captured in verse 20.
So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)
I have an African Bible. It is in English but there are commentaries about how Africans may read a particular passage.
On this passage, it says, African elders will never run. Same with older Korean custom. They never run.
While he was still far off, the father could recognize his son. It gives me the image that he was waiting every day for the son to return.
That is the kind of God we have. Not only he allows son to go but he waits for the son who rejected him, insulted him, and left him.
That is the gospel. That is the good news.
Waiting is much more difficult than doing something for your son. Waiting is much more difficult than searching.
The third parable is the climax of God’s love. It shows the epitome of God’s love.
My friends, our God is not God who forces you to stay home. Our God is not God who justifies his righteousness by punishing us. “I told you so…” is not God’s attitude towards us.
Our God is not God who is forcing you to follow his command so that he could claim his authority and ownership.
Our God is God who wants you to be free and experience the world.
Our God is God who even allows you to reject him and leave him.
But our God is God who waits for you and is always ready to embrace you when you return.
This new image of God is what Jesus showed to all of us. This new image of God is what St. Paul discovered.
This is the image Pharisees did not understand and could not accept. So they rejected Jesus.
My friends, God is always waiting for you. Come home!
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