Fathers and Sons

Luke 15:11-20 (NRSV)

“There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself withb the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” ’ 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.

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Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
Now your life's no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you

Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry (don't you cry no more)

"Carry On Wayward Son" written by Kerry Livgren recorded by Kansas on "Leftoverture" (1976)

The story of the Prodigal is one of the most beloved in scripture. But often we forget what "prodigal" means. Prodigal means generous. We talk about the prodigal son when we talk more about the wayward son and his progigal father.

The younger son wants what is due him, he wants his share of the family estate. The father is under no obligation to give it to him, yet he does. This most likely left the family cash strapped since the father had to liquidate one-third of his holdings, the traditional division for a younger man with two sons.

The younger son leaves the family home, and takes up with fast women and hard living. It's the makings of every trust-fund baby sob story you've ever known. The young man finally is forced to feed pigs-the opposite of kosher. He isn't even allowed to eat the pods he's using to feed them.

He sucks up his pride and goes home where he will say to his father "I have sinned against heaven and before you." He's just hoping to get a job from the old man.

But his father sees him from far away and meets the son along the way. His father runs to him and hugs him. Then the young man says his piece, "I have sinned against heaven and before you."

Here's the amazing thing-the moment the young man was forgiven was when his father ran to him and hugged him. The father moving to the son was the moment the father bestowed his forgiveness. The apology and remorse had nothing to do with the Father's forgiveness! The son was forgiven before he even opened his mouth.

God offers us, the wayward children of creation, forgiveness before we even know to ask for it. Nothing equals the splendor, life is no longer empty, heaven waits. Heaven waits not for the day we leave the earth, heaven waits on the hill waiting for the son. Heaven waits and runs to us when we turn toward the Father in faith.

Forgiveness

Don Henley singing "The Heart of the Matter"

Genesis 33:1-4

Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids. He put the maids with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. He himself went on ahead of them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near his brother.

But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

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There are people in your life
Who've come and gone
They let you down
You know they hurt your pride
You better put it all behind you, baby
'Cause life goes on
If you keep carrying that anger
It'll eat you up inside, baby

I've been trying to get down
To the heart of the matter
But my will gets weak
And my thoughts seem to scatter
But I think it's about forgiveness, forgiveness
Even if, even if you don't love me

"The Heart of the Matter" recorded by Don Henley, written by J.D. Souther, Don Henley, and Mike Campbell from Henley's "The End of the Innocence" published by Cass County Music, Wild Gator Music, and Ice Age Music.

There's an old saying: holding a grudge is like drinking poison and hoping the other person gets sick and dies. The truth in the saying that you forgive not to benefit the other person, but yourself. Of course it's easier said than done.

Jacob means "ankle grabber" which is how he left the womb hot on his Esau's heels. It has also been translated "usurper." As such, Jacob made a living taking from Esau. He took Esau's birthright for a bowl of stew and, with his mother's help, conned their father's blessing from him. So if anybody had cause to hold a grudge it's Esau. 

As Don Henley sings, 

There are people in your life
Who've come and gone
They let you down
You know they hurt your pride

Esau was hurt, and he was probably angry for a good long time. 

Jacob is so afraid of Esau's anger at this meeting he splits his family. Half stand behind so if Esau kills the maids and their children, this later group, especially his favorite wife and son, Rachel and Joseph, will be able to get away. Jacob bows and scrapes. Yet Esau comes and greets his brother with a kiss. In the years that have passed Esau has forgiven his little brother's transgressions, his trespasses, his debts. 

Nobody said it was easy for Esau to find forgiveness. Nobody said it didn't take a long time, but ultimately they meet not at the point of sword and spear, but with a kiss.

Jacob hurt Esau. He hurt his pride, he took his place in the family. Jacob took the place their earthly father etched out for Esau. He was a victim of a bad deal that cost him his birthright and an elaborate ruse which cost him his father's blessing. Esau could have let this eat him from the inside out, but based on this description from Genesis he is exhibiting another modern expression: "Living well is the best revenge."

People hurt us, it's the nature of life. It's the nature of sin. But if we can manage forgiveness, we will be better off. 

Again in Henley's words:

You better put it all behind you, baby
'Cause' life goes on
If you keep carrying that anger
It'll eat you up inside, baby

That my friends is the heart of the mater. Even when the will gets weak, forgiveness, shown to us by the singer, modeled for us in Esau, and shared with us in Jesus; forgiveness brings us closer to God and closer to eternal life. 

The Strangle of Greed

Monday after Easter


Matthew 27:4-5

He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But [the Chief Priests] said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself.

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The road I cruise is a bitch now
Ya know ya can't turn me round
And if a house gets in my way
Ya know I'll burn it down

You ran the night that you left me
You put me in my place
I got you in a stranglehold baby
That night I crushed your face

"Stranglehold" From 1975's "Ted Nugent"

If you want to peg one of the seven deadly sins on Judas Iscariot, it would be impossible. Everyone on earth has been hooked by all seven of them at one time or another, and Judas' sins are probably the most public of sin since the Original. Was he deceived by envy? Was he prideful? Was he greedy? Scripture certainly pins greed squarely upon his chest.

Judas took thirty pieces of silver to betray the Lord and he did it with a kiss. It didn't take long for "Judas Kiss" to enter the language as a term of betrayal.

Forgiveness comes from the Lord. If no sin is unforgivable, then this sin wouldn't be unforgivable. What scripture tells us is that Judas did not even seek forgiveness from God. Instead he went to the temple elite. The same men who paid him to betray Jesus would not offer him absolution from the sin they asked him to commit. Pilate washed his hands of Jesus' death, but it was the temple leadership that washed their hands of Judas.

Sin had a stranglehold on Judas, and on the leaders who exploited him. Judas was not able to live with his sin. Based on the silence of scripture, evidently the leaders were. Judas tried to receive absolution by returning the payment for his betrayal. The leaders were not willing to take it back, afterall, it was blood money.

They provided the silver that fed his sin, but were not willing to accept his repentance. Of course, they weren't able to either.

Pardon my French, but let's just say the road Judas cruised was a bitch. His own sin and the sin of the men who tempted him put him in his place. In the end it was sin's stranglehold that took Judas to the noose.

What if Judas had sought forgiveness from the Lord instead of the temple elite? Sure, he wouldn't have been worthy but none of us are worthy. Would it have changed Judas' life? I have to believe that yes, it would have changed his life. I believe that absolution is as close as the kiss from Jesus, but most of us wallow in our own version of the Judas kiss. If Judas can find absolution in God, then who are we to say our sins are too big?

I would like to imagine when Judas received his eternal reward, Jesus kissed him again. Jesus forgives. Jesus knows what happened and why it happened. Sin had a stranglehold on Judas, strangling that ultimately went to his throat. It is the Lord who releases the hold of sin on our lives, even the life of Judas.

Ted sings, "Some people think they're gonna die someday, I got some news you never gotta go." Here's what's funny, Jesus proved that even God can die. He also proved that God can overcome death. When death is defeated, all other bets are off. So while Ted may be right, we know that only with God, all things are possible.

Distance and Closeness

Jonah 3:3-5 (NRSV)

So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.

Hey everybody, don't you feel that there's something
But you know in a moment it is gone

"It's a Long Way There" from the first album by The Little River Band

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Jonah's mission was to tell the people of Nineveh that they were about to be overthrown, destroyed. That's it. That's what he spent three days and three nights in the belly of the large fish trying to avoid. With reason, it wasn't a great task.

Imagine telling a large city of people their way of life, their city, their lives were about to come to an end. Forty days more and that's all. Nineveh was so large that it took three days to walk across. It was so large that after the first day's walk, when he made the proclamation, he caused a stir that followed him the rest of the way across the city. It was a long way across the city, but for the Ninevites it was a longer way to God. They had forty days, then after that it would all be gone.

You see, Jonah's message, the one he received from the Lord promised nothing for the Ninevites but destruction. There was no message of peace or mercy. Still, the people of Nineveh believed God; proclaimed a fast, and everyone, put on sackcloth.

When Jonah finished his journey he built a booth and waited to watch the destruction from the front row. But it did not happen. He was in the desert waiting, but thankfully a vine grew to protect him. Then it died.

Jonah was ticked, after all, when a prophecy goes unfilfilled, the prophet looks like a loon. But Jonah was reassured him that as much as the Lord cared for the vine that grew over his shelter, so much more did he care the the city of Nineveh and all it's inhabitants.

It was a long way across Nineveh, and it must have seemed like a much longer leap of faith in the Lord to save a people who were promised no salvation at all. But such is a leap of faith. Faith that the Lord saves, not because they believed in God, but because God believed in them.