Thought of the week: Two Sons
Written by Murray McCandless
Some of you may have seen the Johnny Cash movie, Walk the Line. When Cash was 12-years-old his older brother died in a tragic accident. Cash’s father took his grief out on Johnny. “Death took the wrong boy” his father told him time and time again. His brother was the good boy. He should have lived. Johnny was the bad boy. If anyone should have died, it should have been Johnny. No wonder Johnny Cash spent so many years acting out his rage and his feelings of being “no good.” Can you imagine a father doing that to his son? No wonder that, for many years of his life, Johnny Cash engaged in self-destructive behavior. It’s a wonder he survived at all. But isn’t it great that, by the end of his life, Johnny Cash discovered a Heavenly Father who accepted him just as he was.
Cash’s situation may have been extreme, but there are many people who feel for one reason or another that they do not belong, that their life has little value. They consider themselves to be failures who can never measure up. Many of these rebel in anti-social behavior. But there are many others who, while they do not rebel, put themselves under an intolerable burden of expectations that they cannot possibly live up to. These expectations produce both stress and fatigue. To be able to relax and be ourselves is one of the greatest benefits our faith gives us.
It is sad when someone wishes they were someone else, but worse when a parent wishes you were some else! Why do parents play the favorites. I know that some children can give more concern than another child, more worries, always into more trouble.
There was a family in the Old Testament in the book of Genesis, and Dad and Mum played their favorites. Isaac’s favorite was Esau, the elder son, and Rebekah’s was Jacob! This situtation brought untold grief to that ancient household. Esau was everything Jacob wasn’t as far as Isaac was concerned. Esau loved to hunt wild animals, and was likely full of his wild stories about his expeditions. Jacob was just the opposite, no big hunter, the younger son, but he was Mum’s boy without question.
It wasn’t long, and the tension grew in the family…and the elder son threw away his future blessings as the eldest in the family for the sake of a bowl of stew! Jacob the younger brother, saw a value in the birthright, that his older brother didn’t see, and cashed in on the deal, as the prepared stew was his. As it often goes, Esau didn’t realize the value till it was too late, and then the family feuds began, and never ended!
The Lord Jesus told the story of a man in the New Testament with two sons in Luke chapter 15. The older boy considered himself ‘Mr. Goody Two Shoes’ and possibly his parents felt he was just that! However, ‘Junior was another story’ called the younger son by the Lord Jesus, and called the prodigal by many Bible story books.
One day, the younger son thought he had all he could take of possible home restrictions etc, and packed up, and left to find a life for himself! He found one, but not as he thought…he took great care in gathering all together, so the unexpected would never happen, but it did. Suddenly he found himself without funds, friends or family.
This wise father didn’t finance him in the far country, but patiently and lovingly waited for him to come home! That is exactly what he did, he did not come home, till he came to himself! That is exactly what it says in Luke 15:17 However, the wise father played no favorites, but that younger son became a son twice. When he was born, and then when he was ‘found’ or saved, as it states before that, he was lost!
We have had earthly fathers, some of us are earthly fathers, and we make and have made plenty of mistakes! How good to have a Heavenly Father, that is never impartial in his judgment, His love or His mercy! What Johnny Cash didn’t have in an earthly father, he found in a heavenly father, so you have a Heavenly father? When were you born again into his family?
So who knows anything about Johnny Cash’s older brother…who knows anything about the ‘prodigal’s elder brother? Only the ones that were saved, do we know anything about!
Murray A. McCandless 2070 Route 121 Norton NB E5T 1E9