Compassion does not mean we face no consequences for our actions, the younger son certainly did so. He suffered for his sins, terribly. There is no greater shame for a Jew than eating with and sleeping with pigs. A young man of privilege disobeys his father, lives in sin and loses everything he thought he had. Not just that, but he is brought low, as low as it is possible for a Jew to go. His fall was his own doing.
The elder son committed the same sins, he hated his father, indeed he had no interest in sharing meals with him, s is the tradition in a Jewish family, rather he wanted to eat and drink with his friends. This son is the Pharisees, writ large. Like the younger son, he wanted his father out of the way so he could eat and party with his friends. He obeyed the LETTER of the law by strictly obeying his father but there was no love there, at least not from the son. We fail to see the sins of the son, as he is always assumed to be "obedient" yet Jesus always reserved his most scathing remarks for the Pharisees.
The older son obeyed the letter of the law, but lacked love for his father or brother. Despite the unconditional love the father had for him. He lacked mercy for his brother, whose sin was more obvious, but no less serious than that of the older brother. The difference was the simple act of repentance. This is the core message of the Lenten season, Like the two brothers, we have all sinned, whether openly, or in the secret parts of our hearts. We all sin against our Father.
The fact that the younger son was not only forgiven but honored leaves us confused. Should not obedience and adherence to the law be rewarded? No, that is expected, rather, we are to love and show mercy. "Love one another , and you have fulfilled the Law" We are shown mercy as we show it. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us". The sins of the Pharisees are subtle, devious and oh so easy to fall into. We are proud of not being proud. We are better than our neighbor because we do not do the sinful things our neighbor does, but is that really true? We are not.
One of the lessons we need to learn from Lent is that we are no better than those we look down upon as sinners. That is not to say we should approve of the sins, but that we should realize we also sin, and are equally in need of repentance and forgiveness.
Did the elder son renounce his hatred of his brother and father? Did he also repent and become reconciled with his brother and Father? Jesus doesn't tell us that. He leaves us to work out the nuances of His parables. The teachings of Jesus are not simple or straightforward by any means, but they are worth study, for they are rich in teachings.
May your Lent be joyful and lead to a closer walk with God. Amen.
