Two Sons & A Father

Sermon | March 30, 2025
First Presbyterian Church
Sandusky, OH

The Return of the Prodigal (1667-1670)
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
National Gallery of Art

I am sure we are all familiar with the story of the Prodigal Son. The story of a wayward son who leaves home, squanders his fortune and ends up living in homeless squalor, then later is reconciled with his father.

But I wonder have we really ever dug into what the story is all about? More often than not, we make the story into an allegory that focuses on God’s redemption of humanity.

George Fox the founder of the Quakers believed that the only way to look at the words of Jesus was to accepted them at face value, not to load them with preconceived theological understanding. This morning that’s what we are going to try to do as we look at the story of the Prodigal Son.

The parables are always present, that is set on earth. Parables are not about some future event, but about the here & now. Jesus frequently introduced his parables with “The kingdom of God is like --,” or something similar.

“Like” implies that the parable is not an allegory, but a metaphor for how the kingdom of God functions in the present, that is on earth. Looking at the Story of the Prodigal Son as a metaphor we see not one story, but three stories: The story of the younger son, the father, and the older son – to spoiled sons -- each teaching something about what it means to say the Kingdom of God is present. However, the Prodigal Son is not just three stories, but three stories with a common theme, that of love. And the theme itself is two stories, both human and divine.

Confusing? Bear with me as we unfold the tale:

[First Story: Son]

A common enough story. The youngest son gets antsy, maybe a bit tired of the older brother’s pushiness, or having to live up family expectations. Whatever the reason, the son said to his dad, “Give me my inheritance. I wan t to go experience the world.” We’re not told what the father said, or even how he felt. All we know is that the father said, “Okay.”

It is probably good that we are not told why, because the story becomes about each of us.

Remember that, we’ll come back to it.

“Ah!” the son thought, “I’ve got money. I’ve got it made. Time for fun, no responsibility.” So off he went. But in time, he got caught up with too much loving the ways of the world and found himself with nothing – penniless and homeless – and worse yet, living in the midst of a famine. So, what to do?

“I know,” he thought, “I’ll get a job.” But—no jobs to be found—but one, swilling pigs. The worst of the worst, living with the pigs, fighting with the pigs for a few bites of swill.

Finally, he thinks, “What am I doing? My father’s servants live better than this. I’ll go beg my father’s forgiveness, humble myself before him. Maybe he will at least allow me to be a servant.”

[Second Stoy: Father]

We leave the son heading home and turn now to the second story, the father.


We are not told what the father was doing, other than he was watching the distant road. As the father looked, off in the distance he saw this raggy man off in the distance hobbling toward him.

Can’t you just imagine the father’s reaction when he recognizes the man is his son? “My son! My son! He yells as he runs to him, embracing him.

“Father, I have sinned ….” He doesn’t get much pass that before his father stops him and turns to his servant, “Get the ring with the family crest. Get the best robe. Put the ring on his finger. Wrap him the robe. And then go prepare a celebration. My son who was gone is home!” This is love.

What’s missing? The father never instructed the son to wash off! Even his feet were left dirty. The son may have tried on his own to clean himself up, but years of grime just don’t fall off. You can be sure he stunk. BUT, the father didn’t care.

[Third Story: Elder Son]

The elder son, the dutiful son, was in the field when his brother returned home. Coming home he heard the commotion, and asked a servant, “What’s all the noise? What’s going on?” “Your brother has returned home and we are celebrating,” the servant replied. “What? The bum gets a party?” the brother, frankly, is pissed off, and refuses to enter into the house. I can imagine him standing there, arms crossed, anger written all over his face.

The father seeing him standing off, steaming, goes to him (just as he did the younger son). “Father, what is the meaning of this? Why does he get a party and I don’t. I’ve done everything for you. I’m the better son! Don’t expect me to welcome him home.”

[We return to the father]

To which the father, always loving, tendering said – I can imagine him putting his hand on the son’s shoulder and the son in his anger, drawing away. “Son, you’ve always been here. Everything I have is yours. Nothing has been withheld. You’ve never been not part of the family, but your brother lost all family connections. We lost all track of him, but now he has found his way home. That needs to be celebrated.”

What did the older brother do? Did he come to the party after all, or not? We don’t know, and in some way, this too is about every man and every woman.

[Theme One:]

There we have the three stories: The younger son, the elder son, and the father. There is common theme that runs though the three stories: Love. It is most evident with the father --- LOVE.

The younger son: Love of the world’s ways as opposed to those of home. The elder son: Love of self. The father: Unconditional love. Staying with our approach to the parable as a metaphor, the Prodigal Son is a metaphor for the kingdom of heaven being Love. In fact, if we look at Luke’s retelling of each parable, the overall theme of each is Love. We’ll set aside the younger and elder son for a bit and explore the love of the father.

The father’s love is unconditional: No need to beg forgiveness. He didn’t even stop loving or chastise the elder son. Both accepted unconditionally. The father demands nothing of either before they (1) accepted back in the family, or (2) provided with everything. It is active: He is watching and runs to the younger son. He goes out to the elder son.

It is embracing & redeeming: the robe and the ring.

It is not transactional: You do this and I will do this.

Applying the father’s love as a metaphor for the Kingdom of Heaven or specifically for God as Love what do we lean?

In a nut shell, we learn that nothing can separate us from the unconditional, non-transactional love of God!

Unconditional: The younger son experienced famine and total depravity, a metaphor for spiritual famine and the worse of worse wrong living, but the father didn’t stop loving him. The elder son was an arrogant, ungrateful son, but the father didn’t stop loving him. No matter our condition or where we are God fully and unconditionally loves us.

Non-transactional: The father demanded nothing of the younger son before he embraced him. In fact, when he went to confess, his father stopped him. He was home, nothing more was necessary. God demands nothing of us. The father didn’t even order the elder son to join the party. The fact that they are both home is enough.

The fact that we are home (that is seeking to live as God’s children – in spite of our failures – is enough) BUT, and a bit but, even if we weren’t God demands nothing of us.

A Blessing: If we compare the two sons, the one who left home had none of the good things that being home would have supplied. That was his choice. The older son had all the good things that being home could provide. That was his choice.

When the younger son returned the acceptance was immediate, the family ring and best robe were placed on him—even when he felt he didn’t deserve it. The acceptance not only said, “Now, you’re home,” but also, “In my eyes (that of the father) you never left.” That is how it is in the Kingdom of God.

The elder son was home and blessed, but did he realize it? Sometimes we who grew up in the Church or have become established in our belief become so comfortable with what we have, we forget God and begin to praise ourselves.

[Theme Two]

Earlier I said we’d come back to Every Man – Every Woman part. And now we have.

We can be younger son in need of forgiveness and know that God has not disowned us. That we are always welcomed, no matter who we, or what we are, in the kingdom of God. Think about the younger son before he could face the father, he had to come to grips with what he has become. When he did his healing began. When the father embraced him, he realized that father loved and because of the love held nothing against him, and with realization he began to forgive himself and embrace the party.

We can be the elder son, who caught up in our self-satisfaction, our own self-righteousness can refuse to welcome back those whose lifestyle or color, or something, we don’t like. However, just like the younger son, we have a choice.

We all know of someone who is like the elder son. They refuse to accept anyone who doesn’t meet their standards. They might even refuse to accept someone into the Beloved Community of the church because they did (or are doing) this or that horrible thing.

With both the younger and elder sons, it all depends on what we do with the father’s – God’s -- unconditional love. Do we accept or do we reject.

And this brings to the last point: We can be the father. Placing no conditions upon how one receives our love and the celebration that comes with it, or on a broader scale, the love and celebration of our little piece of the Kingdom of God here on earth. Again, the choice is ours.