Musing 108

This week’s Gospel reading included the parable of the prodigal son, and combined with the reading of a couple other books (specifically Identity and Idolatry ), it struck me that the parable, aside from the obvious points, also makes a number of statements about the blessings God gives and the insufficiency of idols.

Note at first how the father is able to easily provide the son his inheritance, and is seemingly no worse for it when the son returns (and is able to throw a party for the son’s returned). Which reminds us that God is beyond sufficient for our needs.

But contrast this to what happens when the son goes off to a “far country”, or through this lens, a land of idolatry. And what happens? In times of peace and plenty, the son makes friends through parties, feasting and having a good time. But times become difficult and those with whom the son found himself are nowhere to be found. He who once had plenty, now had nothing and no one. In this lens this represents the times in life when God brings trials to expose the futility and worthlessness of sin.

And through the lens of idolatry and its impacts on us, what does this tell us about the son? He idolized the high life and the fun things of life. In so doing, he found that far from providing fulfillment, it was instead a vacuous existence that must consume. And what happens to him? He becomes worthless to the people he grew up with. Remember that raising pigs was the absolute low of low places to be. That vacuousness not only consumed the provision he was given, it consumed beyond it and brought him to nothing.

But let’s not forget the bigger picture of the son at his lowest - this is a reflection of our striving in the flesh. When we rely on anything outside of Christ directly, whether that be the types and shadows of the old covenant, or some other system of man-made rules, we are the son as pig farmer. Working at a worthless job that can’t even provide for our necessities.

But what happens when the son returns home? He is expecting to be unwelcome and so reflects how we make false assumptions of God, often because we make God like us. And we know how we would be, since often times we have to be stern on those who’ve been afflicted by party living, and especially in the American context, often comes paired with addiction. But that’s a conversation for a different day. When coming home, the son finds himself not being put in the place of a servant, as he expected, but being welcomed from afar (whether this is because the father is looking for him or not sis a point I’ve heard debated). The true God welcomes all into His fold when repentance is demonstrated.

As a final point - let’s consider the ‘good’ son through this lens. Instead of idolizing the party life, he idolized works and credit. He wants the acknowledgement and just like his brother, feels entitled to His Father’s property, though he might not be vocal about it. And what does his idolatry result in? A cold rejection of his brother and bitterness when that brother is welcomed back. May we instead learn from the image of the Father given to us in this parable.