I've got something swimming around in my head lately and I'm not sure what I think. I've been thinking what our response is to be when a prodigal son (or daughter) returns home. I think about the parable and the response of the father, that even through the son's protesting, the father calls for the robe and ring. The father completely accepts the prodigal. Truth is, I struggle with this... I don't know how to receive a person who has run away to do their own thing, who now wants to return. My tendency is to want them to "pay" in some way - or at minimum, they wouldn't be invited to the front of the line... Anyway, I know that we're to forgive as many times as we're asked, too, but where do boundaries come in and how do we guard against abuse?
Your thoughts?
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2 comments:
Definitely a heavy thought, Kelly. I, too, don't exactly like the father's response because I love fairness :) But I am so thankful that God has the heart of the father in the story. I know that I am no better than that prodigal son, and I am so humbly grateful for grace. Thankfully, some things we can just leave to God to take care of. Don't get walked over by others, but do try to have the attitude that Christ had in so many of his parables - "a son has been lost, but now he is found!"
I wish Jesus had followed up this parable with an "afterwords," so we would know what the status of the prodigal was the next day, week, or year.When the story ends, the son has been welcomed home, and all his worldly possessions consist of one robe, two sandals, and one ring. He is a son, but he is perfectly at the mercy of his father and his brother; he has already received his inheritance. That is not a signet ring! He has come back with the right attitude: "Treat me as a servant;" he knows that he is not equal with his brother, as far as ownership of the inheritance is concerned, that, no matter what, his relationships and role will be different than they were before.
Understandably, the other son has trouble accepting this bum as a brother; he has made life difficult, by taking half of the father's possessions, and now there is nothing to show for it. He is called upon to accept him back as a brother, but not as a co-owner of the estate.
I believe there are two wrong ways in which we treat returned prodigals. First, there are those who accept them back with honor: make them the praise and worship leader, or put them in charge of a Bible study. That is premature; they should insist upon sitting at the feet of others for a significant period of time, knowing that they have much to re-learn, that acceptance is real, but respect is earned.
The other wrong response is an extension of the elder son's: never really accept them, always look at them with suspicion, never really accept that forgiveness is real. I have wept as I've seen this, and we usually do this to people of lower social standing than we; they've never really measured up before, and we don't think they can now, either.
Another thing I've noticed is that some people come "back," with the wrong attitude; they really don't repent and do not come back with any real servant attitude, but rather an attitude of, "I'm back! Now you have to treat me just as before!" That is really ugly! It us unrealistic, and causes great damage to the church when others go along with it!
Well, this post is already too long! May Jesus guide us all as we add the "afterwords" to this parable!
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