the third son...the obedient son: 3rd week of advent Tuesday 2011

In the parable today Jesus is not praising or putting up as an example any of the two sons. The parable is merely showing us two very imperfect sons. Though one of the sons did better than the other, both of them did not bring joy to the father. The first son made a promise he did not meet. The other saddened his father when he denied immediately the latter’s request.

However the message of the gospel can be found not only in what it mentions. It is also there on what it does not mention. The third son is never mentioned in this passage, but it is the son who said yes and did what he promised to do. He is the ideal son.

Jesus is the obedient son, in whom the Father was well pleased. In the letter to the Hebrews, the author had quoted from the Psalm 40, which says, “a body you have prepared for me.” If it was a direct quotation it would have been, “an open ear you have given me.” But instead of saying and open ear, to signify God’s desire for obedience, he said, “a body you have prepared for me.” Jesus took up a body so that he can obey the Father’s will. The will of the Father was for him to offer his life for our salvation. But since Jesus is God he could not die. In order to die for us he must take a body, he must be born in the flesh. Jesus would not die if he merely remain a spirit. He has to take flesh if he is to die, if he has to obey the will of the Father. That is the yes of Jesus. Jesus has to be born in order that he can obey the Father. This is the meaning of the incarnation, the meaning of Christmas which starting tomorrow we will prepare for more intensely. It was necessary for Jesus to be born as a human being in human flesh so that he can obey the Father’s will for him to die. Jesus did not just have a open ear but a body to obey God.


This Christmas let us once more appreciate the coming of the Lord. He was incarnated not primarily to be with us, not primarily to preach, not primarily to heal, not primarily to comfort us. He came in order to obey. He was born in a body in order that he can fulfil the will of the Father.

Obedience to God is not a open ear. Obedience to God requires a body, not just an ear but a body. Obedience is expressed in the body.

I propose that we meditate too on the life of St. Lucy. She expressed her own obedience to God in her body, specifically through her virginity. When she was betrothed to be married she asked her rich father instead to distribute her dowry to the poor for she had no plans for marrying. On hearing this her betrothed denounced her as a Christian at a time when Christians were in hiding because of the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian. She was asked to offer incense to the emperor but she would not. And so she was sentenced to a life in the brothel as a prostitute but when they wanted to drag her there she could not be moved - she was as heavy as a mountain, the soldiers said. They even tied her to a team of oxen but again she could not be moved. Finally they had her killed but before that they gouged out her most beautiful part - they gouged out her beautiful eyes. That is why St. Lucy is portrayed in art as a young woman holding a golden tray with two eyes on it. 

Obedience to God is not just an open ear. Obedience to God requires a body and is expressed in the body. Obedience is not obedience when it is something liked. To be obedience it goes against the tide, it is something I could not easily accept, it is something I would prefer not doing. Obedience needs a body because it will involve pain, repugnance, sacrifice, inconvenience, dislike. It is an act of the will over the preference and inclinations of the body.
St. Lucy expressed hers through her virginity accompanied by a violent martyrdom. Virginity is in the body. Martyrdom is dying in the body. The question is, how do you obey God in your body? How do you express obedience to God?

Today let us be aware of the reason behind Christmas. Let us pray that we too will learn obedience to the Father’s will and become obedient like Jesus.