Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Sons is probably the most beloved of all.
It is endearing and, you could say that it's the one story that gets under our skin. We flinch. We remember something similar in our own life. We may even weep.
The parable of the Prodigal Sons is my favorite. As a son and older brother, then a father, and now a grandfather, this great story presented by the Lord Jesus, never grows old for me. It is always fresh. It is timeless. It is poignant in that it truly describes God's activity in redeeming His supreme creation - mankind. This is a story of true life. It is a story that many of us have either lived or are living.
Please notice that the title uses the word "Sons" as opposed to "Son". As we will see, each sons is a prodigal in his own way. Each one needs the father's love. Each one is in need of redemption. Whether we like it or not, we are all prodigals in our own way.
"Jesus continued: 'There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son'.
"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"
Before we examine the parable, take a look at the modern version. Please click here for the video. Your browser will open a new window at the ModernParables.com website. After viewing the video, please return here to continue the discussion. Here is the outline: Download Modern Parables - 7.
Now that we've read the parable and watched the video, let's go through it and compare and contrast the two scenarios.
The settings. In Jesus' original parable, He is speaking to two distinct groups: tax collectors and sinners, and Pharisees and teachers of the Law. Those who were "purposefully" apart from God and the Law, and those who were purposefully "attached"to God and the Law, but were actually self-righteous. Both were Law-breakers in their own way. One deliberate, the other by the spirit of the Law.
In the Modern Parable, we have two sons, two brothers. Both "loved" their father, but there was a disconnect. One acted out of selfishness, the other out of "duty". In their own way, both were self-righteous.
Let's look at the individuals in a bit more depth.
The "original" Prodigal Son. I call him the "original" Prodigal Son, because most of the time that we read and study this parable, the younger brother who demands his share of the inheritance and runs away, is the "bad" brother. He squanders what he has been GRACIOUSLY given. He is young, spoiled and foolish. He wants to do what he wants, when he wants, without having to be responsible to anyone except himself. He doesn't care about consequences.
To a certain degree, he doesn't even care what his father had to do in order to let him go. He's left, and he doesn't plan on coming back.
The "other" Prodigal Son. The older brother, the so-called "good" son, stays behind to work the family business. He knows that what his brother has done is wrong. He feels that his brother has, to some degree, betrayed the family. He doesn't understand why he would do such a thing.
Even more perplexing is understanding why his father would give in to such foolishness. He doesn't understand his father's graciousness or his father's love for his brother. Even though he also received his inheritance at the same time, to him and his understanding, that's not the point. The older brother is the "responsible" one.
The father. Actually, let's save our discussion about him until the end.
Life in between the bookends. As Jesus continues with His parable, we see the younger son go out and live the good life. He lived it up. In the ancient world there would have been some sport or theater. There were the inns and other debaucheries of life. We don't know exactly what "wild living" was, but depending on who you are and what your mindset is, Jesus allowed His listeners to come to their own conclusions. The older son, the "good" son says that there were prostitutes involved. Could be, but that is just his opinion. Fair enough.
We can surmise that the younger son didn't work or invest his inheritance. He just seemed to spend it; every last denarii until, one day, it was gone. I have a funny feeling that there may have been even an unpaid tab at some inn or an unpaid bet at a sporting event. Who knows?
And just as things are looking down, Jesus tells us that there was a famine in the land. Bad enough to loose all that you have or had, but to be in a place where even opportunity is vanishing, that's really putting you on the downward slide. It would be difficult to find any kind of reasonable work. And remember that this is a rich kid. He wasn't accustomed to doing hard, heavy and dirty labor.
But when the stomach is growling, you do what you have to do. You'll even do what you thought you would never do. Before we hit bottom, we think that we can tolerate "undesirable" circumstances. And to a degree we do. We put aside our pride. We forget about our self righteousness because the belly is calling. We refuse to give in to defeat.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, literally, the older brother is working the family business. He's taking care of dad, he's in charge of the hired workers, his nose is to the grindstone. There's dad and the family to think of. Thoughts of his brother occasionally pass through his mind. He wonders what his brother is doing. He wonders what the "good life" is like. He is dutiful in all that he does, but there is a root of bitterness and jealousy beneath that duty. He'll never say anything, but he doesn't - he can't - forgive what his younger brother has done.
Hitting bottom. Hitting bottom is hard. We hopefully, discover who we really are. That final look in the mirror no longer is pleasant, heck, it's not even what we remember. We don't recognize the face. Even the "good" kind of pride is gone.
So the younger brother, the "original" prodigal son, finally comes to his senses and realizes back home (where he once felt trapped), his father's workers ate and lived better than he currently was. He comes to his senses and understands with all of his mind that home is a better place. He has come to understand that the only reason the grass was greener "over there" was because that grass was over the septic tank as it were.
The young man realizes his predicament. It's not good, he has to swallow any remaining pride and return home. It's a choice between starvation and pride. He will have to gather what few possessions he has left and return home, and hope his father will take him back. Maybe he'll be able to work as a hired worker. He'll have to face ridicule and scorn and his brother who warned him, but he's willing to do that because he has no where else to go. There is no other choice.
And so he does just that. He doesn't know what to expect, but it's a chance that he has to take. We can only imagine what went through his mind as the miles passed and home got closer and closer, and he repeatedly rehearsed his speech of repentance that he would give his father?
The Homecoming. As the "original" prodigal son arrives home, familiar sounds and sights greet him. Even familiar smells welcome him home. But that's not what he's looking for. What he longs for, at this time, is part of the unknown. It's around the next corner. It's just over the next hill.
With head downcast, he walks onto the family property. And to his surprise right into his father's open arms. I can almost picture him whispering his speech of repentance as his father embraces him with all of his might shushing him, with tears of joy streaming down each man's face. He realizes that even though he has sinned against God and his family, forgiveness is asked for and forgiveness is given. Forgiveness is one of the cornerstones of Grace.
The Prodigal's father. Forsaking any kind of pride or seeming self-respect, the father hiked up his robes and rushed out to greet his long lost son. He didn't care who saw him act this way. All that he knew was that his son was home safe and sound. He held him in his arms and loved him.
The father will now properly welcome his son home. Regardless of the past, this is his son. He is treated as his son. The fatted calf is killed. A party is put out. Fresh clothes are brought in and a ring is placed on his finger. A ring with the family crest or seal on it. This son is restored.
But what of the "good" son? What of the son that labored by his father's side? He didn't squander anything. He worked hard. He stood by and upheld the family name and reputation. He gave his all for the family. He didn't even ask for anything special. And now this... To a certain degree, he feels betrayed. He can't even bring himself to welcome his brother home.
And so now the father must also step into this son's self-centeredness. This is his son too. Reconciliation is needed here as well. Again, the father must put himself in a public position of possible embarrassment. Just a short time earlier, the father was looking magnanimous and gracious and "fatherly".
Frankly, the way that he was now being talked to by his "good" son would have been just cause to bring a left hook to the kid's chin. But no; that's not how the father operates. That's not who he is. He is the father. These are his sons. They are his beloved. Each boy needs his father. The father needs, as it were, his sons. They are the fruit of his loins. They are a part of him. He loves them.
And the father will do whatever it takes to restore each one to himself.
This is an amazing story of love, redemption, and restoration. It is the perfect example of how God looks at all of His children. Whether we are out of His will like the younger son or we are "in" His will like the older son, God will always accept us back into His grace and love, regardless of our sins. All we need to do is have the humility to ask His forgiveness.
We'll apply some of these lessons in our next post.
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Music Video: Mercy Me - "Homesick"
