Even people who don’t read the Bible have heard the parable Christ told of the so-called prodigal son. The account in Luke 15 tells of a wealthy man who had two sons. One, who was rebellious, asked to receive his portion of the family’s inheritance before it was due. With the money, he traveled to what the Bible calls a “far country” and “wasted his substance with riotous living.” Having spent all his money in a time of famine, he stooped to feeding pigs, the ultimate indignity for a Jew. Repentant, he returned home and was joyfully received by his father. This account illustrates the love that God has for wayward souls. But what happens when this story is turned on its ear and an ungracious son rejects the overtures of a loving father?
Consider this recent example. A 42-year-old Michigan man, David Werking, sued his parents for throwing out his porn. Werking had moved in with his parents after a divorce in 2016. While living there he accumulated,what a judge called a “trove of pornography” plus “an array of sex toys.” Ten months later, he moved to Indiana and asked his parents to send his belongings. When the boxes arrived, the kinky collection was missing. Werking’s parents confessed to throwing out the smut, reminding their prodigal son that he was warned when he moved in not to bring porn. The son sued, claiming his collection was worth $25,000, and a district judge ruled in his favor. The parents argued that they had done their son a favor, riding the evil from his life. The judge disagreed and said, “This defense fails on both the facts and on the law.”
Perverted justice. A demonic decision. The law recognizes something called “qualified immunity,” which has been applied to public officials who break the law. This judge might have considered something like that. There is also an ethical distinction between the right legal decision and the practical legal decision which judges frequently consider. Again, this judge had no concern for the pragmatic application of moral law. Just one more example of how close we are to the time of the Judges when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). Werking may get his money and replenish his porn. But unless he repents and withdraws his lawsuit, there will be no eternal Father to welcome him Home. He’ll end up in eternity with the swine of Satan!
