Luke 15:11b-32

Our Gospel text this morning is a very familiar story for all of us.  I think it is the greatest short story ever written.  Rembrandt painted (this painting right here) “The return of the Prodigal Son” in his last days.  Some experts suggest that it may not be completed.  But, it doesn’t matter.  It is one of my favorite paintings.  About three hundred years later, my favorite author, Henri Nouwen wrote a book with the same title:  “The Return of the Prodigal Son,” which is a reflection on  this painting.  And today, I am leaning heavily on Nouwen’s book.

In prologue, he wrote that, one day, he stayed with this painting for 4 hours reflecting on it and also on his life.  As the painting took on a personal resonance, he began to see in it the heart of the story that God wanted to tell him.  This book is a personal spiritual odyssey.  Inspired by the painting, he skillfully dissects each section of the powerful gospel drama in the light of his own life journey. 

First, let us have a quick overview of the painting.  Like many of Rembrandt’s paintings, the picture has two distinct areas – one of light and one of darkness.  The distinction between light and darkness places the subjects in the same picture…, but in very different space.  The son is bathed in the most light which seems to emanate from the father himself.  More than half of the picture space is occupied by secondary characters: two finely dressed men at the right, one standing and one seated, a young man in the shadowed doorway and an almost invisible female figure (perhaps a maidservant) who emerges from deep shadow at the upper left.  The placement of the figures in dark and light raises the first question for us as we view this picture today.  Jesus’ parable calls for us to see ourselves in the story.  Where do you see yourself in this picture?

We are all in the same picture.  But what space do we occupy?  There are the son and father, who are basking in the warmth of grace and love.   There are the observers.   They watch grace performed.   Have they ever been on the stage?  Do they know the embrace of the Father in their hearts?  Are you an observer?  Are you on the stage?  Do you walk in darkness or in the light?   And…, what is the light?  According to Nouwen, this picture sums up the whole Gospel so well.  Such is the genius of Rembrandt.   The light is the unconditional love of God – that emanates from God.

Now, let us study the father figure in a little more detail for a moment.  Notice the hands, because the true center of this painting is the hands of the father.  The two are quite different.  The left hand touching the son’s shoulder is strong and muscular.  It is rougher and more solid.  The fingers are spread out and cover a large part of the son’s shoulder. 

Now look at the right hand.  It is refined, soft, and very tender.  The fingers are close to each other and they have an elegant quality.  The right hand is slimmer and smoother.  It lies gently upon the son’s back.  It wants to caress, to stroke, and to offer consolation and comfort.  According to Nouwen, it is a mother’s hand.  It is amazing to me to find out that for Rembrandt who lived in 1600’s, the father is not simply a great patriarch.  He is mother as well as father. 

On page 96, Nouwen wrote: On them [hands] all the light is concentrated; on them the eyes of the bystanders are focused; in them mercy becomes flesh; upon them forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing come together, and, through them, not only the tired son, but also the worn-out father find their rest.  …Gradually over the years I have come to know those hands.  They have held me from the hour of my conception, they welcomed me at my birth, held me close to my mother’s breast, fed me, and kept me warm.  They have protected me in times of danger and consoled me in times of grief.  They have waved me good-bye and always welcomed me back.  Those hands are God’s hands.  They are also the hands of my parents, teachers, friends, healers, and all those whom God has given me to remind me how safely I am held.   (When I read this, I just said, “Amen” to myself).

Let us now turn to another person in the picture.  Here we see the tall man on the right hand side and in the darkness.   He is the complete opposite of the father.  The man is believed to be the elder son.  Can you see the elder son in this man?  I also see the Pharisees and Scribes in this man.  His body is rigid, maybe frigid is a better word.  The father’s body is in the light and has a graceful fluidity.  This man is in darkness and his robes are held close.  The father’s robes are open and inviting.  The father’s arms and hands are open and embracing.   This man’s are held tight and closed.  This is a self-righteous and obnoxious man with the lack of appreciation on the part of his milieu.  There is no joy because he is lost in resentment. 

The father and the elder son wear the same robes of wealth and respectability.  They both have beards.  Yet they are worlds apart.  In a way, there are two prodigal sons in the story.  The elder son is in his own far country without ever leaving home.  Until we think specifically about the elder son, we probably do not realize that almost half of the parable is about him.  Over the years, we have focused on the prodigal son, because we appreciate the first part of the story that no matter how low we go, no matter how vile our sin is, our Heavenly Father is not only waiting to take us back, but so anxious for our return that he comes running to meet us.  But if that is the only point of what Jesus was trying to get across, why did he not stop after verse 24, and move on to some other subject?  

I think the answer is that there are a whole lot more elder sons in our world than the prodigal sons.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t identify myself with the prodigal son.  I am much more like the elder son.  I don’t see the prodigal in you, either.  You and I are not perfect in every way but we are not like the prodigal son.  Right?  We are good citizens…, hardworking, industrious, even volunteering here and there.  We live by the Golden Rule…as much as we can.  We obey the Ten Commandments. (Right?)  We do our level best.  Yes, we are good religious people. 

Now, it was interesting for me to read the following part from the book.  Nouwen wrote, “Looking into myself and then around me at the lives of other people, I wonder which does more damage, lust or resentment?  There is so much resentment among the ‘just’ and the ‘righteous.’  There is so much judgment, condemnation and prejudice among the ‘saints.’  There is so much frozen anger among the people who are so concerned about avoiding ‘sin.’”   This book was published in 1994.  I guess our world has not been changed at all since.

It was ALSO very interesting for me to read the following part from (this time) our Bible Study textbook, Simon Peter, by Adam Hamilton:  “History is littered with the stories like these of ultra-religious people (Here, Hamilton is referring to the Pharisees and the Scribes of Jesus’ day) missing the point, and ultimately acting in ways that were the antithesis of God’s call to love.  Religious zeal, when coupled with an absolute conviction that one is right and an amnesia regarding God’s call to love, can lead religious people to do the most irreligious things.”

Jesus saw this happening among the religious leaders in Jerusalem: the Pharisees and the Scribes.  We do not think too much about this.  But, I believe, Jesus did.  He noticed all those sins of the spirit: the self-pity, the self-righteousness, the anger, the false pride, the envy, the lack of compassion, and all the rest.  I believe, Jesus’ heart was broken and that’s why he told this story.

The question is: Who are you in this story?   Are you the elder son, jealous that somebody else is receiving God’s love?  Are you the younger son, afraid to come home and ask for God’s love?  Are you the Pharisee, so aware of what you have done and what others have failed to do that you can’t enjoy the party… (and) that you resent your God for being loving and forgiving?

As I told you earlier, I am not like the prodigal.  But, I am not sure if I am NOT like the elder son.  Probably, there is more elder son in me than the prodigal.  But, that’s ok, the father invites both of them to his party.  Let me quote one more time from Hamilton’s book: “God does not define us by the worst thing we ever did.  Jesus makes amazing use of flawed disciples.  He continually invites us back, forgives us, and restores us.”

This morning, God already prepared a banquet for all of us.  Bring the younger child in you who needs conversion.  Bring the older child in you who needs reconciliation.  Come together with parents in you who need to emerge so that you can welcome all those who “return” to you day after day. 

This banquet is not only because the youngest returned, it is for the eldest too, and for the parents, and for the servants, for men and women, black and white, red and yellow, gay and straight, I mean for everyone – all together.  This banquet is for ALL the children of the world returning from their own journey.  My brothers and sisters in Christ, let us join the banquet.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.