Sunday of The Prodigal Son
"Having foolishly abandoned Thy paternal glory
I squandered on vices the wealth which Thou gavest me.
Wherefore I cry unto Thee with the voice of the prodigal,
I have sinned before Thee, O compassionate Father!
Receive me as one repentant, and make me as one of Thy hired servants!"
- Kontakion - Tone 3
The Parable of the Lost Son
"Then He (Jesus) said: “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”
"Then He (Jesus) said: “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”
- St. Luke 15: 11-32
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, today (February 19th) , is called "Sunday of the Prodigal Son," and commemorates the beautiful parable found in St. Luke Chapter 15.
This parable is one of the most famous of all of Jesus' teachings and I must confess that I've read it hundreds of times in my life. But, through the eyes of Orthodox Christianity it carries many deep, significant messages and meanings that I had not previously seen or understood.
Let's look at the characters:
- The Younger Son - turns his back on his father and heritage and goes to a "far country" where he "joins himself to a citizen of that far country." This parallels our broken relationship to God the Father - we want all that God gives us but choose to live apart from Him - in the kingdom of the world rather than in God's presence in His Kingdom.
- The Compassionate Father - who gives his prodigal son all that he wants but waits eagerly for his return, and in fact, sacrifices his dignity by "running to embrace" his son while he was still a long way off. Here Jesus gives a vivid image of the compassionate Father who loves His children unconditionally.
- The Resentful Brother - who, although obedient to his father, resents the compassionate and forgiving attitude of the father and in hard-heartedness is bitter at his brother's return - note that he calls his brother "this son of yours" to his father. Jesus reveals the arrogance and self-righteousness attitude that we often express in our judgement of those whom we think should not be loved and forgiven by the Father.
Note how the Father even chooses to "come out" to the resentful brother in an attitude of compassion and love. In this parable the Father's love is constant - regardless of the behavior of the children.
Unchanging Love of the Father
In reading this parable in light of Orthodox theology I became aware of a vast difference between my prior Protestant understanding of salvation, and that of Orthodoxy.
When I "accepted Christ" as a Protestant I believed that at the moment I "invited Christ into my heart" I changed God's attitude towards me - I was no longer guilty in His eyes.
In Orthodoxy I'm seeing that salvation is a process where I put on a new nature - becoming by grace what Jesus is by nature - in the Orthodox understanding of salvation it is not God who changes - it is me.
In fact, God has always loved me - He has never chosen to not love humanity.
Through Christ's life, death and resurrection I am able to relate to God as Jesus did, as His Son, in His own family. Not as a servant from a distant land.
Salvation is God coming to me - and bringing me back to Him - it is coming home.
1 comment:
Yes. The Fathers talk about hell as the presence of the loving Father, just as the Elder Brother stood outside the party while the "Father begged him to enter in". Hell is self created in the presence of the eternal fire of the love of the Father.
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