Failed Opportunity

I begin this devotional with a confession: I lazily let the time elapse from doing this devotional. Singapore has been unseasonably hot, which has changed my routine. I used to go for a walk, think of the devotional, come home, write the devotional, and get ready for school. But because of the hot weather, I have been cutting short my morning walks and hopping in the shower immediately after I get home, forgetting the devotional. A friend challenged me this morning to start writing again, and I will.

I finished the last devotional with a challenge — stories have multiple layers of meaning. Often, behind a simple statement lies implied meaning. When a friend says, “Andrew, your foot is on mine,” she wants me to remove my foot. Saying, “Andrew, remove your foot,” is direct but rude in some polite cultures.

The Prodigal Son story (Luke 15:1–32) is a great example of a story with multiple layers of meaning. We may call them “themes.” The most common theme is a loving father welcoming a wandering son. Pastors use this theme to invite sinners to salvation; God is the father, and the sinners are the prodigal sons and daughters. This isn’t an unreasonable theme, as the story begins with the statement,

“All the tax collectors and sinners were gathering near Jesus to hear him.” (15:1)

Another theme is a modified version of the previous one, where Jesus (not the Father) welcomes sinners. Some pastors use this theme in their sermons to invite sinners to come to Jesus and receive him as their Lord and Savior. They, too, have a point because the story begins with sinners and tax collectors gathering around Jesus.

Some others see religious jealousy as the theme since the next verse says,

“The Pharisees and the scribes murmured, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” (15:2)

Once again, that is also a theme within the story. Later, the older brother would fight with the father about him arranging a feast for the younger brother, who wandered off, wasted the father’s wealth, and returned home empty-handed.

Others see a common thread between the three stories Jesus said in this instance: the shepherd who lost one of his hundred sheep, the lady who lost one of her ten coins, and a brother who lost his only brother. The ratios are crucial: one to ninety-nine, one to nine, and one to one. Obviously, losing one brother was more concerning than losing one of a hundred sheep. Yet, the older brother didn’t see it that way. Whereas the shepherd searched for his one lost sheep, and the lady searched for the one lost coin, the older brother was not at all concerned. In fact, when the younger brother returned, he was angry. In a way, the older brother paralleled the Pharisees and scribes, who were angry with the returning tax collectors and sinners.

All these themes or layers of meanings are valid. Each looks at one aspect of the story just like several blind men trying to describe an elephant by feeling various parts of its body — “Oh, it’s like a pillar,” said the man who felt its legs, “Oh, it’s like a giant toothbrush,” said the man who left its tail with stiff hair, etc. But they don’t tell the complete story. To find the complete story (i.e., the elephant), one must step back and have a panoramic view, which I will do in the following lessons.