The prodigal father

We all heard the warnings our parents gave us about hanging around with those deadbeats, delinquents, troublemakers, recalcitrants and ratbags. Who knows what kind of trouble you’d find yourself in? Needless to say, despite the warnings, we did hang out with them – and in the end most of us turned out quite okay, a few lessons learned, a few brushes with the ‘dark side’.
The word ‘prodigal’ has received some rough press. Because we know how hard end the young man (of the parable fame) was, we tend to think that prodigal means ungrateful or sinful. In fact it has its origin in the Latin word prodigus for lavish or extravagant. Many prefer to call Luke’s parable of the prodigal son, the parable of the forgiving father. I would prefer to call it the parable of the prodigal father. For here is a most extraordinary father. One must assume that this young man had received a sound and God-fearing upbringing, and that his father, though perhaps disappointed with his son’s choice, allowed him the space to choose.
This sounds like the ideal parent, but you would have to wonder what on earth could be going through his mind. Did he fear for his son’s life as he fell into bad company? Did he hope in his heart of hearts that his son would see the error of his ways and return home? Did he think of his elder son, of his fidelity? For here is a father whose love is so lavish, so generous, so welcoming, and so forgiving, that we are not surprised by his elder son’s complaint.
In this parable we are able to see ourselves in each of the characters: the father for whom nothing is more important than loving forgiveness; the elder son who struggles to reconcile his steadiness and fidelity with the lavishness of his father’s welcome to his wayward brother; the younger son who wants to stretch his legs, see the world, burn up his inheritance, and who despite knowing his offences, believes that even as a servant, he is better off at home.
This is a deeply rich story, for Jesus uses it as a metaphor for our relationship with God. For only God’s extravagant love has the capacity to forgive everything and yet still honour those who are steadfast and faithful.
This parable comes to us on this coming 4th Sunday of Lent as a challenge to our world-weary view on young people. Yes, our children will give us a hard time, but they need us to have that longer vision that helps us see to the horizon, constantly on the lookout for their return. You must let them go, and you must always leave the door ajar.