Daily Devotional • November 14
A Reading from Luke 15:1-2, 11-32
1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
11 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the wealth that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that region, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that region, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to his senses he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” ’ 20 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. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate, 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has got him back safe and sound.’ 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ 31 Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”
Meditation
Commonly known as the “parable of the Prodigal Son,” a couple of better titles exist: “The parable of the Two Sons,” and “the Prodigal Father.” Even these fall short. The obvious messages about repentance and forgiveness are present, of course, but are only the surface story.
There are two sons in the parable, not just the one who wasted his inheritance and then decided to return home. The older son is also significant; both are in serious need. Neither son understands property. Both sons think it is only “property” if they have sole authority over it. The younger son has never felt as if he belongs (maybe because of how he was treated by the firstborn), so he takes his inheritance and leaves. It’s all his now, but he wastes it.
The older son has no better understanding. The father defines what property truly means. “Son, all I have is yours.” It’s not about ownership or control; it’s about having all you want because your father loves you and wants you. Further, neither son understands sonship. The younger son’s repentance may or may not be heartfelt, but either way it is deficient. He has no expectation that he will be received back as a son; he hopes, without any assurance, that he will be accepted as a servant. The older son is furious that his brother has been received back at all. He sees himself as an outcast, unappreciated for all his loyalty in deed.
Notice also that the parable is unfinished. We are not told how the younger son reacted to being embraced as a son and given a huge party. And we are not told how the elder son responded to his father’s invitation to join it. In such instances, the hearer has to complete the parable by making it his own.
David Baumann is a published writer of nonfiction, science fiction, and short stories. In his ministry as an Episcopal priest, he served congregations in Illinois and California.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Diocese of Khartoum – Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan
Collegiate Church of St. Paul the Apostle, Savannah, Georgia
