Luke 15:11-32 2024/03/01 Osaka Orthodox Church
A father had two sons. The younger brother asked his father to give him his property that was his inheritance, and when he was granted permission, he left home and lived in a distant town. It was all spent and over in no time. He went so far as to beg for pig food. He regretted his foolishness and “came back to his senses” and went to his father. When the younger brother returned home feeling worthless, his father greeted him with a warm embrace and held a feast and gathered everyone to celebrate, and the older brother blamed the father thus:
“ I have served you for many years, and I have never disobeyed you, and yet you have not given me even a young goat to enjoy with my friends. When he comes back, why is there a be big party with good drink and song?”
It is clear that this older brother’s attitude towards his father was due to his “expectation of reward and fear of punishment” from his father. There is no love for the younger brother who was “dead but came back to life.” Nor is there love for a father who showers out unconditional love, never thinking of rewarding his children for their faithfulness.
We too are like this. From an early age, children are trained to expect rewards and fear punishment, and they have a habit of thinking of everything as a transaction. Health, happiness, and even “heaven”’ are just compensation for accumulated merit. Naturally, the disaster that befalls us is some kind of “punishment.” God doesn’t want this kind of mindset.
It’s troubling that many people have the impression that Christianity is “serious.” In TV dramas and movies, Christians are often caricatured as stiff, serious people. Certainly, Christianity and Christians are extremely serious. We demand from ourselves a sincere approach to “live the love that Christ the Word demands.” However, what this sincerity finds in the Gospel is an invitation to fellowship with God that goes beyond the framework of reward and punishment. That’s an invitation to a tremendous Love…
The fear of judgment will be overcome. The world and life that God offers are accepted with joy and gratitude as true life, resurrected in Christ, received in the Eucharist with joy and thanksgiving.