Communication Happens!

My college speech professor used to say, “Words don’t mean, people mean.” He would go on to explain that communication happens when the message intended by the speaker is received by the listener. I often recall that aphorism, especially when miscommunication happens. 

A memorable failure to communicate occurred in the early 1990s when I invited a guest preacher to speak at our church. The preacher’s topic was the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Near the end of the sermon he proclaimed that the father in the story is like God, who is a prodigal God. The speaker emphasized that the parable should be known as the Parable of the Prodigal Father, for, like the father in the story, God is wastefully extravagant, lavishing his riches upon us.

But a member of the congregation heard something quite different that morning. When the speaker referred to God as prodigal, the congregant apparently thought he was saying that God is like someone who runs away from home and squanders his resources on illicit pleasures. 

After the service, the disgruntled man came to me and stated unequivocally that I should never invite that preacher to speak at our church again. He was incensed that our guest would use the word prodigal to describe God. The listener missed the message intended by the speaker.

I was reminded of that incident when I read a passage from the novel Les Misérables recently. Eight-year-old Cosette, sent out into the darkness by Mdm. Thénadier, is enchanted by a large doll nearly two feet high dressed in a robe of pink crepe with gold garlands on its head. The doll had real hair and enamel eyes. This marvel had been on display throughout the day to the amazement of young children. Yet, we’re told that there was not a mother in Montfermeil “rich enough or prodigal enough to give it to her child.” An apt use of the word prodigal. 

The preacher was right: Our God is prodigal! If we think of this story as the Parable of the Prodigal Father, we won’t miss Jesus’ point; and we won't be misled about the meaning of prodigal. 

When I discovered recently that the well known pastor and writer, Tim Keller, published a book titled The Prodigal God, I wondered if that disgruntled parishioner would read the book and get the message. 

It’s also worth noting that my speech professor communicated well, for I remember his message fifty-plus years later: communication happens when the message intended by the speaker is received by the listener.

© Stan Bohall 

February 21, 2022