Peapods and Prodigals

"Necessity, is she who is the mother of invention."

This passage from Plato’s Republic came to mind as I thought about the many ways that people are creative. And because this morning’s gospel lesson is about the prodigal son, I thought a lot about creativity with pea pods.

In the Middle East, pea pods are used to make soup. In some Chinese recipes, pea pods are a basic ingredient for stir-fry dishes. With a handful of thyme, some olive oil and a little lemon zest, one can create a nutritious pea pod salad. In Massachusetts, there is even a restaurant named The Green Peapod Restaurant, and one major auto maker has an amazing electric mini car called, you guessed it, The Peapod.

God only knows the myriad ways one can be creative—even with simple pea pods.

The first lesson of the prodigal son is that one needs motivation to be creative, and that when we have too much stuff in our lives, we have less to motivate creativity. And so the younger son of the property owner asked for the inheritance that was going to come to him and left home. In a far away place, he ended up squandering his wealth until all that was left was pea pods.

His story teaches us that creativity is not an automatic consequence of necessity. If it were so, then the prodigal son might have done more than eat pea pods. Instead, he allowed himself to sink deeper and deeper into despair, until his only choice, apparently, was death by starvation (more likely humiliation and guilt) or go home to daddy.

Two not-very-creative options.

And so, we might ask, why did Luke want us to know that Jesus told this story to the grumbling Pharisees?

According to Luke, Jesus told this parable to Pharisees who were complaining about his association with tax collectors and sinners; Jesus was welcoming them, and even eating with them.

Lesson number two of the prodigal son is that Jesus welcomed change. According to Jesus, we might infer that rules were meant to be broken, especially if they were too strict and lacked a good rationale.

The Pharisees followed strict rules, and they imagined that they had God on their side. Rule #1 was that fear and intimidation keep us in line. Rule #1 says, “Thou Shalt Be Afraid.” It is such a bad rule because it undercuts creativity. What might happen if we try a new food, a new prayer book, welcome in a stranger who looks different than we?

The Pharisees did not like it that Jesus welcomed new ideas, new members into the fold, new opportunities for growth and understanding about what it means to be God’s children.

In answer to rule # 1, Jesus said, “Be not afraid. Only believe.”

The Pharisee’s rule #2 is the false idea that whatever situation you are in is going to continue forever. Despair, despair, despair. Accept that you cannot change things. If bad things happen, it must be because you did something wrong and God exists to punish you.

How many of us look at the newspaper or TV and say, “This is never going to change. Leaders are corrupt, selfish, power hungry, egoists; hunger and poverty and war continue, and that’s the way it is going to be … forever.”?

My guess is that most Americans have this attitude because we buy in to rule #2: Thou shalt not imagine that you can make a difference.

Again, Jesus says, “Be not afraid. Only believe.”

Finally, rule #3 says dictates that things must stay the same, and that change threatens our values and will disturb our future.

If there is one thing to notice about the life and ministry of Jesus, it is that he was constantly moving. Moving from town to town; welcoming different types of people; teaching individuals on one day and large groups the next; and moving from an old concept of God as judge, to a new concept of God as a parent who forgives.

Perhaps, as the prodigal son walks the many miles towards home, he recites Psalm 32: “Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”

And as he travels, a still small voice speaks to him and says, “Be not afraid. Only believe.”

The point of the parable is that forgiveness is a free gift. The boy’s father, being the strong and confident person that he is, does not hesitate one second to welcome his son home. No. He welcomes him in his heart even when the boy is far away. Compassion and love far outweigh any need of the payback the older brother (i.e. the Pharisee) expect.

And we are warned not to be like the Pharisees whose God seeks vengeance. Jesus teaches us that God is like the father in the story. God forgives. Moreover, forgiveness is a two-way gift. Both the giver and the receiver grow. In forgiving, we find the source of joy and wonder that fills us with health and vigor. When we forgive, we begin to feel a sense of purpose and direction. Our lives begin to change, really change, and we are transformed from earth bound humans to spiritual beings.

The great priest and mystic Teihard de Chardin wrote that:

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

Jesus understood this and he prayed that all people would come to see that judgment of others comes out of our human experience, but forgiveness, understanding and love, come from our spiritual experience.

Jesus calls us to a life of forgiveness. It is an over and over again calling, and in order to keep it fresh and genuine, he gave us the great gift of his body and blood, the ultimate food and drink of new, never-ending forgiveness for what we have done and the charge to be forgiving to others who fall short. have wronged us.

Can we do it? We can, but we will fall short. And when we do, we must know that we can return to this table, again and again, and that we will be received joyfully, renewed, and redirected to be the source and agents of God’s never-ending love and forgiveness in the world we have been given.