Sermon 185 February 12, 2023 Lk 15:11-32, 1Jn 3:7-20, Jr 3:12b-15,19-22

As preached by Brother Luke
Holy Wisdom Church



In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.



I'm a fan of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas. They were written as satires on 19th century Victorian society, and they were widely popular, particularly in the English speaking world. H.M.S. Pinafore and The Mikado are just two examples. Their popularity continued well into the 20th century. I'm not sure if that still holds today. W. S. Gilbert was the author of the stories, the lyricist, and Arthur Sullivan the composer of the music. But Sullivan also wrote other music, most of it forgotten today. Even in his day, he didn't want to be known just for the comic operas. It just so happens, early in his career, he wrote an oratorio: The Prodigal Son. It is also a favorite of mine and I usually listen to a recording of it this time of year. Curiously, in retelling the story, he left out the part about the elder son. It didn't really hurt the integrity of the musical composition, but it does miss an important lesson in the parable.

Ludolph of Saxony, a 14th century Carthusian monk, wrote a massive Life of Jesus Christ which I am currently plowing through. He uses all the available commentaries at his disposal, including patristic writings and medieval spiritual writers. So I skipped ahead to the chapter on the Prodigal Son to see how this parable was explained. It is way too detailed to fit into a brief homily. However, when discussing the brothers, Ludolph first refers to the elder brother as a metaphor of the Jewish people who worshipped "the one God by keeping the law." Then, from a different perspective, he sees the elder brother as "a Christian who perseveres in righteousness, although in a half-hearted way."

The elder brother is a challenge to us. Maybe even more so as we enter the Lenten season. If keeping the law and righteousness are not enough to secure salvation, then, as the disciples asked Jesus about the wealthy, who can be saved? In Jesus' times, and in ours as well, people admire the rich and famous and presume the upright will earn God's favor. And yet, the image of the father in the parable shows us something else. Not that the qualities of righteousness are bad, the father commends the elder son for his steadfastness. The missing element is the content of his heart.

The younger son who squandered his inheritance, when forced by circumstance to face his fallen state, repents and in humility returns to his father and confesses his waywardness as a sin against his generous father. The father accepts his son back, as if from the dead, and restores him to his place of honor in the household. The elder son's indignation at all of this prompts his father to appeal to him through his heart. The father never rejects what the elder son has done but rather seeks to draw from him compassion for the one who was lost but now is found. The younger son's heart has changed, but the elder son's heart has not. The elder son is like the pharisee we heard about last Sunday. He looks down on his wayward younger brother, presuming him unworthy of forgiveness.

God's love for us is not earned, it is freely given. And even more, when our sins are forgiven, the slate is wiped clean. That is the story of the younger son. His restoration is resurrection. The elder son cannot see beyond the law. However, his righteousness stands untempered by love or compassion. Righteousness without a pure heart is like faith without good works. The one without the other misses the point.

The weeks leading up to Lent prepare us for that special season. They are showing us that the frame of mind we need to profit from this season requires both work on ourselves and compassion towards others. This is the journey we enter in Great Lent.



Glory be to Jesus Christ!