The Forgotten Son

Quick—say the names of Adam and Eve’s sons. Chances are, you immediately thought of Cain and Abel. But what about Seth? After the first family endured Abel’s murder and Cain’s banishment, “Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, ‘God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him’” (Genesis 4:25). The forgotten son Seth appears in the genealogy of Jesus that lists the ancestry of the Messiah (Luke 3:38).

Quick—say the names of Archie Manning’s sons. If you are a football fan, you instantly think of Peyton Manning, quarterback of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts, and Eli Manning, quarterback of the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. But do you know about the businessman Cooper Manning, their older brother, who played wide receiver in high school?

Even if you are not a baseball fan, you have heard of the famous catcher and quipster Yogi Berra, who played for the New York Yankees. If you are a baseball fan you may know that his son Dale Berra played shortstop for the Pirates, Yankees, and Astros. But did you know Yogi had another son named Tim who played football for the Baltimore Colts in 1974?

The second American president, John Adams, had a son, John Quincy Adams, who later served as president also. But did you know that John and Abigail Adams had another “forgotten” son named Charles, an alcoholic who died at the age of 30? Georgia business owner James Earl Carter and his wife Lillian had a son named Jimmy who became president—and another son named Billy who found his way into unflattering situations throughout his brother’s term of office.

King David’s famous son Solomon succeeded him as king, but the other sons of David didn’t fare so well. Amnon raped his half sister Tamar, and Absalom and Adonijah led rebellions against their father. First Kings 1:6 contains some telling words about David’s hands-off approach to parenting, saying about Adonijah, “His father had never interfered with him by asking, ‘Why do you behave as you do?’”

It’s easy to overlook or disparage forgotten sons—even to ridicule them as losers and ne’er-do-wells—rotten fruit on the family tree. A line in Shakespeare’s King Lear declares, “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!” The Bible says, “To have a fool for a son brings grief; there is no joy for the father of a fool” (Proverbs 17:21).

Yet Jesus reminds us about another father. This father has a foolish son who disrespectfully leaves home and squanders his share of the family fortune, wasting his resources in wild living. Remarkably, the father doesn’t forget about his wayward son or write him off forever. The father waits, watches, loves, and dreams of reunion—even when he must do so at a distance. When the wandering son finally comes to his senses and returns home, the grateful dad joyfully embraces him and welcomes him back—while also reaching out to his other son, the stay-at-home fellow who appears well behaved but reeks of jealousy and self-righteousness. The dad loves both of his sons. He shows both of them grace. He can’t forget either one of them.

Neither has our heavenly Father forgotten us, no matter how far we have wandered or how stubborn and self-righteous we have become. That’s why he sent his Son to bring us back home. As long as we never forget *that *Son, there’s always hope.