BIBLE STUDY #125


FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

March 10, 2013



READING 1

JOSHUA 5:9A, 10-12



The LORD said to Joshua,

“Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.”



While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho,

they celebrated the Passover

on the evening of the fourteenth of the month.

On the day after the Passover,

they ate of the produce of the land

in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain.

On that same day after the Passover,

on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased.

No longer was there manna for the Israelites,

who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.



The Word of the Lord



READING 2

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-21



Brothers and sisters:

Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:

the old things have passed away;

behold, new things have come.

And all this is from God,

who has reconciled us to himself through Christ

and given us the ministry of reconciliation,

namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,

not counting their trespasses against them

and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

So we are ambassadors for Christ,

as if God were appealing through us.

We implore you on behalf of Christ,

be reconciled to God.

For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,

so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.



The Word of the Lord



GOSPEL

LUKE 15:1-3, 11-32



Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,

but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,

“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So to them Jesus addressed this parable:

“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,

‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’

So the father divided the property between them.

After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings

and set off to a distant country

where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.

When he had freely spent everything,

a severe famine struck that country,

and he found himself in dire need.

So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens

who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.

And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,

but nobody gave him any.

Coming to his senses he thought,

‘How many of my father’s hired workers

have more than enough food to eat,

but here am I, dying from hunger.

I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

I no longer deserve to be called your son;

treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’

So he got up and went back to his father.

While he was still a long way off,

his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.

He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.

His son said to him,

‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;

I no longer deserve to be called your son.’

But his father ordered his servants,

‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;

put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.

Then let us celebrate with a feast,

because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;

he was lost, and has been found.’

Then the celebration began.

Now the older son had been out in the field

and, on his way back, as he neared the house,

he heard the sound of music and dancing.

He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.

The servant said to him,

‘Your brother has returned

and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf

because he has him back safe and sound.’

He became angry,

and when he refused to enter the house,

his father came out and pleaded with him.

He said to his father in reply,

‘Look, all these years I served you

and not once did I disobey your orders;

yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.

But when your son returns

who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,

for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’

He said to him,

‘My son, you are here with me always;

everything I have is yours.

But now we must celebrate and rejoice,

because your brother was dead and has come to life again;

he was lost and has been found.’”



The Gospel of the Lord



Reflection



Jesus associated with people whom the rest of society found reprehensible. Associating with sinners, the sick, or the unclean made one unclean, and unfit to participate in religious rituals. People would go to great lengths to be ritually clean, but would have little to do with the outcast of society. His attitude and actions was shocking to many people who wondered about his religious legitimacy and leadership. Jesus didn’t care about these things, and purposefully associated with the poor and outcast.



In response to the outrage of the Pharisees, Jesus tells three parables: the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son, commonly known as the Prodigal Son, which is today’s Gospel selection.



Can anyone define the word ‘prodigal’? It’s not a word we commonly use. It means recklessly extravagant: recklessly in the sense of not thinking or not counting the cost; extravagant in the sense of being overly generous. Someone who is prodigal would be, as we say, generous to a fault, or someone who would give you the shirt off his back. We’ll see who’s prodigal in this story.



The parable begins with the younger son asking his father for his share of his inheritance. What is he saying to his father? When does someone get an inheritance? When someone dies. He is telling his father that he can’t wait for him to die, that his father is dead to him anyway, so give me my money. Nice guy, isn’t he? A real gem.



Surprisingly, the father agrees! Most wealth was in the form of land, animals, and property. So the father divided his property and gave half to the younger son who collected his belongings, went to a foreign land, and spent his inheritance in dissolute living. I suppose the younger son must have sold his share of the property to have cash in his self imposed exile.



In order to survive, he hires himself out to a farmer who sends him to tend the swine. Luke is painting a picture of a young Jewish man who is about as down and out as one can get. He is broke, has nothing to eat, and is tending pigs! He is so hungry that he is willing to eat the food given to the pigs. This is about as low as he can go.



He finally has to good sense to go back to his father, who treats his hired hands justly. I can see him practicing his speech as he is walking home to his father: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” He is not even interested in returning a son. Does he think his father won’t accept him back? Doesn’t he trust his father’s forgiveness and love?



Since his father saw him coming a long way off, he must have been looking for him. I can see the father constantly peering out in the distance, hoping that his son will return. He is so excited that he runs to his son, kisses him and hugs him. He sees how bedraggled his son looks, and orders his servants to dress him in a fine robe, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. He orders the fatted calf to be killed and a banquet be prepared for his son. He is restoring his son to his former position as a son.



Notice that the father never questions his son about his actions, where he was, or what he did with the money. By all rights in that time, he could have refused to take him back at all. By taking his inheritance, the son was declaring that his father was dead to him and he had no further rights.



None of that was important to the father. All he cared was that his son, who was dead, has returned to life. By restoring the young man as a son, the son was entitled to a further inheritance! Talk about being prodigal.



So, it is the father who is prodigal, and it should be the story of the Prodigal Father.



Our heavenly Father is like this prodigal father. His love is without bounds or measure. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done. He would forgive any sin confessed with sincerity and a desire to repent and to change. The only unforgiveable sin is the one not confessed. A lot of people are like the younger son, who don’t believe in God’s love and forgiveness. Even though they go to confession, there is still a doubt in the back of their minds: Am I really forgiven? And they hold on to their guilt and won’t let go. Be assured that our Heavenly Father loves us unconditionally and his love and forgiveness is there for the asking.



Our Father is watching and waiting, looking for us to repent. When we do, he doesn’t ask for an accounting, but offers us forgiveness and celebrates with joy, and offers us a banquet of his love and salvation.



This is what the older son failed to understand. He thinks that he has earned something from his father for working long and hard. His father gives him everything he needs, and he shouldn’t be jealous of his brother. The older son doesn’t think this is fair. He reminds me of the Pharisees who didn’t like Jesus reconciling sinners. I think a lot of people can relate to the older son. We think God’s love, forgiveness, and salvation needs to be earned. Well, in fact, those things can’t be earned, they aren’t merited, and we have no right to them, but are given as free gifts from God.



What we must come to realize is that God doesn’t give us what we’ve earned, but He gives us what we need. It may not seem fair or just to the older son or to us, but thankfully, God’s ways are not our ways. We all need God’s love and forgiveness. Let’s make use of God’s free gifts and celebrate with joy.



Fr. Phil