1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable…
Luke 15:1-3a

 

​It is one of the most powerful stories that Jesus ever told. Countless lives have been saved from Jesus story of the redemption of the prodigal son. It truly is a parable like no other in the way that it so beautifully captures the grace of our loving Heavenly Father and his power to rescue the lost. The euphoria of the son’s repentance and return home to father causes us to forget that there was much more to the story. When the father wraps his arms around his son and proclaims a joyous feast the credits do not role nor the curtains close. The camera pans over to the field where the older brother was working. When he heard the music and dancing he did not join in celebration’s song. No, when he hears the news that his younger brother is received home alive and well he is filled with anger.  

​Jesus, the master teacher, has purposefully set the story forward to this moment. The lost sheep, the lost coin, and now the lost son were originally told for those who were grumbling in the crowd where Jesus stood. They, like the older brother, had misunderstood the heart of the God that they claimed. What farmer wouldn’t rejoice at recovering one of their livestock that was missing, or who doesn’t rejoice when they find money that they had lost! But, when it is a person, especially one who has made mistakes who repents there is grumbling. And perhaps, you have even felt anger at one showering love over another. We want God’s forgiveness, but do we always want God to forgive others sins. The words of the prophet Jonah come to mind, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:2). He was angry that God showed mercy to Nineveh, his enemies.  

​Both the parable of the prodigal and the book of Jonah end with God’s passion revealed. God loves people. That is what he is passionate about. They also invite the reader/hearer to ask themselves what they are passionate about. What stirs us up? What moves us to action? Is it love or something else? Anger, fear, hate, power are all motivators that cause one to act or react. But, it is love that moves the godly.