Who Drove the Younger Son Away?

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.” - Luke 15:11-13

Yesterday we looked at perhaps the most famous short story of all time, the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The younger son is seen as those of us who are wayward and lost, and the Father exemplifies God. Typically, the younger son is viewed with some contempt - after all, he basically says he wants his father to die (give me my inheritance!) and then goes and lives recklessly on the proceeds. Tsk, Tsk!

But perhaps there’s a different want to look at this young man. As you read the parable through, you get the feel that the older son might not have been the easiest guy to live with. He talks about never having a party, always slaving away for his father, and always keeping all the rules - and, when you read the end of the story you see that he’s full of judgment, anger, and contempt. (look at it yourself HERE). So maybe the son wasn’t trying to get away from the father, but from the older brother! And if the father in the parable stands for God, then the older son, no doubt, stands for those of us who are religious, and are religious about being religious! Maybe it’s the church’s view of religion that drove the younger son away!

So many people around City Church have said, “I have no problem with God; my only problem is with the church.” In fact, it was said a couple of times after the service again yesterday. What might it mean to give our younger-son-selves some grace when we’ve been told that we’re backsliding or heretical or turning away from God. Maybe it’s just a harsh older-son-community-of believers that has driven us out.

But here’s the rub. We don’t get to just claim being the younger son. If you’re reading these devotionals, after all, that probably means you’re kind of religious. Yep, you. And there’s going to be all kinds of temptation for you to drop a set of rules (perhaps quite different than the ones dropped on you, but a set of rules all the same) on those trying to find God. So how will you not do that?

Pray about that today.