Before reading today’s text, contemplate Moses, one of the Bible’s “good guys”. Hebrews says he abandoned guaranteed earthly pleasures and prestige to gain heavenly reward.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin. For he considered reproach for the sake of Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since he was looking ahead to the reward. Hebrews 11:24-26 CSB
In our text, Jesus’ famous parable of a father and two sons, the younger son takes a decidedly different trajectory than did Moses. Like Moses, he had more than he needed at his disposal, but craved exotic adventures. He imagined experiences he’d heard about that would surpass anything his cloistered environment offered. The story begins:
Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. After a few days, the younger son gathered together all he had and left on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth with a wild lifestyle. Then after he had spent everything, a severe famine took place in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and worked for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He was longing to eat the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. Luke 15:11-16 NET
The younger son’s desires were not childish, like substituting a candy bar for a healthy lunch. He was attracted to the depths of debauchery…seductive pleasures designed by opportunists eager to separate him from his wealth. He realized if he was to fully enjoy those raptures, it was necessary to remove himself from the eyes of those who might intervene. Therefore, he traveled far away from home.
It’s hard to ignore the popular trend — breaking restrictions associated with a committed, godly life (the one like Moses chose). This trend may simply be due to apathy or, like the younger son, a desire to experience the incredible variety and intoxicating possibilities that our world relentlessly promotes.
Keep in mind that the younger son’s trek into a “distant country” and subsequent “squandering [of] his wealth with a wild lifestyle” was gratifying for a while but it inevitably led to abject poverty. After his resources were exhausted, “no one gave him anything”. This young man retained only a dim memory of those who cared for him.
Disney’s Pinocchio, viewed by many as Disney’s darkest animated film, has similarities to this parable. In this scene, Pinocchio is escorted by Honest John to Pleasure Island where “every day is a holiday”. Although the film is scary, the original children’s book* is even more terrifying. Carlo Lorenzini grasped the consequences of surrendering to corrupting attractions.
Are you rightly concerned for those who have left faith in Jesus to experience Pleasure Island? You may not have the mastery of Pinocchio’s puppeteer rescuer, but you can pray for their swift discernment of deception and that they will respond to the care offered by our Father in Heaven.
* See chapters 12-18 for Pinocchio’s episodes with the Fox and Cat.
by Kathleen Petersen
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