“Our Father…” he taught them to pray. Not Holy God, or Dear Lord, or Almighty Creator, or such appellations. “Father.” When you call on him, when you want to know him or need that which is beyond your control, go to your Father. Loaded words for sure. (Matthew 6:9)

Admittedly, this is hard for all of us at least at some times of our lives. Youth rebel as they seek their own individuality, and it is almost a rite of passage to want to reject what heritage carries on. But more so, for those who know family dysfunction, the overlay of neglect and/or abuse of whatever form further distorts the image. Jesus please, let me choose how this is done. Take away the parental moniker, let me have a God with less emotional attachment, or rather, stay detached. I don’t even need the masculine gender, wipe out the personal. Just be God out there; don’t come close. 

But God does get close and whatever we attach is of our own. Another story tells how it works: “A man had two sons.” Loaded words, again Jesus? Right away there’s the hint of dynamics and it’s going to get complicated. Families always are. Can’t you just tell us the basics without dragging us into relationships?

No, it’s always about the relationship. 

So the younger son asks for his inheritance. You know this is heading for trouble; dear old Dad hasn’t even given up the ghost yet. Sure enough, the kid takes off and heads out for a distant land and wild living. Just get out of Dodge and live your own life. Things end up as expected when the jerk wastes it all and winds up destitute, no money, friends, and the only work he can find is in a pig sty. Serves him right. Also serves the father right. What was he thinking when he let the kid have too much more than he could handle? Spoiled kids come from irresponsible parents.  

So the kid “finally comes to his senses”, realizes what he had at home and starts back repentant enough to only want a job with the servants in his father’s business. But Dad sees him coming from a distance and runs to embrace him. So sweet when the prodigal comes home, isn’t it? Dad calls for servants to get him some new clothes and throws a shindig complete with a “fatted calf”. The lost is now found, so let’s party. 

Jesus, that’s so nice. We love to see people reformed and that’s what you’re about. Really though, how often does this happen? The bad kid comes home, all is forgiven, and that’s it? Don’t we wish. 

“Meanwhile…” Loaded words again. Don’t forget, this guy had two sons. To be fair, Jesus tells the other side. The older son was doing what he should’ve been doing all long and comes home after a long day of work to find this celebration all over the slacker who blew threw his father’s wealth and now has come home. Sibling rivalry doesn’t come near explaining what made the big brother’s blood boil. “All these years I’ve worked hard for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to do. And in all that time you never gave me even one goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the finest calf we have.” 

Furious anger aside, maybe he does have a point. Partiality shown to children will sooner or later result in bad feelings and separation in relationships. You don’t have to be a psychologist to figure out how that’s going to end. So the dad had that coming to say the least. 

Dad defends himself. “Look, dear son, you and I are very close, and everything I have is yours.” In other words, the younger son has nothing coming to him after the party is over. He not only blew threw the money; he wasted his whole life’s chances of having it good. He’ll get a second chance, but he’ll start with nothing. But Dad won’t let go of what one thing the failed son does have; this lost kid now had his relationship with his father, one that is undeserved certainly, but for which the father celebrates. That’s what was found again. (Luke 15:11-32)

The younger son won’t have it good, but maybe that’s the good in this. Possibly he’ll come to appreciate hard work and family having walked away from it before. But he’ll have to live all his life with how he one time rejected it. 

Jesus ends the story there. Once again, neat endings are not his aim. The ball is now in the older son’s court. What he does in relationship with his brother and father, and more importantly, learns from his brother’s lesson about his father’s love, is left untold. 

A story that is left untold; that’s loaded. 

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32