The Church Fractured

Conclusion: In the twenty centuries since Jesus walked on the Earth, we have divided and divided again and have failed to convincingly love one another. The family of God is broken. Without developing a love for one another, we will never approach unity. Should any one of us have reason to hope for eternal life?

In this age, we see many broken families; broken because of addictions of several types and because of selfishness. These are the same causes over which the church has divided, not addictions to drugs or pornography, but addictions to my biases, my point of view, and my vision. When we focus on our differences, we tend to love each other less and dismiss all feelings of “going the second mile” with anyone who would disagree with us. Perhaps the most poignant story Jesus told about division is contained in the parable of the prodigal son:

Luke 15:11 And He said, "A man had two sons. 12 "The younger of them said to his father, "Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So he divided his wealth between them. 13 "And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. 14 "Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. 15 "So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 "And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. 17 "But when he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 18 "I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men."' 20 "So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 "And the son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 "But the father said to his slaves, "Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; 23 and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate. 25 "Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 "And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. 27 "And he said to him, "Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.' 28 "But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. 29 "But he answered and said to his father, "Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; 30 but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.' 31 "And he said to him, "Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 "But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.'"

It doesn’t matter whether you compare of yourself as the prodigal son or the older son, the reality is, both sons sinned and it is the action of each one that led to the fractured home. The attitude of breaking free of the traditional church or staying with the traditional church only to hate those who have broken free is prevalent today. These attitudes are found in this parable and resemble the attitude of the Pharisee in the parable of the two men praying:

Luke 18:9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 "The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: "God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 "I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' 13 "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' 14 "I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Both the older brother and the Pharisee had trouble with the sinfulness of others which in their minds led to their thinking it is impossible for God to love the younger brother or the publican. Since they could not see how God could love them, they refused to love them. This is where we are today.