Jump Start # 881

Luke 15:23 “and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate”

Our thoughts continue on the parable of the prodigal son. This is a parable, not a true story. As in all parables, there is one or two central themes. Not every rock, every bird, every pig is intended to mean or symbolize something grander than what they are. Folks can read too much into the parable. I’ve heard of some telling this story with many added things that Jesus never said, such as, mention of the prodigal’s mother, the occupation of the father, the name of the older brother. Another very popular trend today among many writers is the need to tell their own prodigal story. They will begin with what Jesus said, and then spend most of the book telling their own sad tale of sin and departure. Do we not feel that the Lord’s story works? Must I have my story to what Jesus said?

Having said all this, there is one thing that we need to consider. It is not mentioned in this story but it is an important aspect of coming home and repentance. What happens the next day? What happens after the celebration? What happens after the music stops, the feast has been eaten and everyone returns home? What happens the next day?

The next day, the prodigal woke up with the same father in the house. The father that he ran away from. He woke up with the same older brother in the house. He woke up with the same chores and work that he was expected to do. I don’t see in this story that the father loosened up on the rules or that the older brother suddenly became a charming and caring sibling. I don’t see that. If the prodigal left because he didn’t like life at home, what will keep him there now?

This is true for prodigals today. If a couple separates because the marriage isn’t healthy and then after a while they reunite, what will keep them together? If nothing has changed, won’t they separate again? If a person leaves the church because he thinks it is dull and not working for him, and then returns, what will keep him there?

Coming home is a great lesson that needs to be preached. But another just as important lesson is staying home once you have returned. Thought needs to be given to this subject. A prodigal returns and feels that nothing is different, he will leave again and often for good this time.

Is this to say that the father had to change to keep the prodigal home? No. What changed was the prodigal. His way of thinking changed. How he saw his father changed. What he took for granted changed. He came home, but things were not the same. He was changed. It was more than simply being sorry for his sins, his thinking changed. This is what would keep him home.

God’s word cannot change. It is not the place for prodigals to come home and expect and even demand that everyone change or else they will leave again. The threats to leave indicate that the prodigal hasn’t changed. It is the prodigal, not the father who needed changing.

The next day is an interesting thought. How he viewed life would be different. He has seen where pigs live. I expect the Jewish father and older brother had never been around pigs before. They were considered unclean and unfit for Jewish people. The prodigal had seen them. He was right with them. He was feeding them. He wanted to eat what they were eating.  He knew…just as the addict knows…just as the one released from prison knows…just as the one withdrawn from the church knows. Your thinking changes. You see things from the perspective of others. You realize that they were right all along. You see that you are the one who needed help. You see that you were the one who was wrong. Coming home, but coming home different.

The celebration, music and feasting were a great welcome home for the prodigal. The next day was a return to the normal. The next day was a working day. The hugs were over. The next day the party was over. The feasting isn’t every day. The music and celebration isn’t every day. There is a return to the normal. There is a getting back to life as it ought to be. There is things to be done. There are responsibilities and duties that need to be tended to. A person returns to church. There are hugs and tears of joy. The next service returns to normal. A person who craves attention will not do well on “the next day.” A person who is seeking glory will not do well with the “next day.” The “next day,” can be as hard as the coming home. The same temptations are still there. The same rules are still there. The same house is there. The same work is there. The only thing that has changed has been the prodigal. Unless he changes, the “next day” won’t last long.

The next day. Give that some thought. What can you do to help others with their “next day?”

Roger