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This story Jesus told, (Luke 15:v11F) may have been misnamed
and often used as "The Parable of the Prodigal Son,"
a better and more accurate title is "The Parable of the
Two Lost Boys," but the best and most accurate title
is "The Parable of the Loving Father."
The story is of a father's love rather than a son's sin against
him. The main character in the story is the father.
Under Jewish law a father could not leave his possessions
and property as he liked. A Jew with two sons would be required,
in law, to leave his goods two thirds to the first and one
third to the second. (cp Deut 2:17) It was an accepted thing
for the father before he died and wanted to retire, to divide
up what he had.
There was no filial devotion or loyalty but callousness about
the conduct of this younger son. He demanded from the father,
"Give me NOW what would be mine when you die and let
me get away from here." The father did as he was asked
for a son has to learn about life and sometimes the only way
to do that is in the school of experience for to live is to
learn whether the lesson is heeded or ignored.
The fellow took the cash and off he went. Soon his money
gone and some hard experiences behind him, he was forced to
take a job forbidden to the Jew, feeding pigs - the "unclean"
animal. Worse than that his hunger reduced him to eating the
pigs swill. In this state he concluded that he would be better
off as a slave in his father's house than to go on suffering
in this strange and cruel land. And so he made for home. While
he was on the way up to the house his father saw him and welcomed
him fondly.
This parable, "an earthly story with a heavenly meaning"
uses the characters in it to say, - the father is God; the
prodigal son is the sinner estranged from God; the elder brother
is the pharisees to whom Jesus addressed the story.
The first insistence of the parable is that a person is only
truly himself when he is at peace with God.
The second insistence is that he can only be at peace with
God when he sees himself as he is and sin as it is.
The story emphasises the son's repentance and the father's
forgiveness. There is the immediate response of God to the
repentance of the sinner.
There is often all the difference in the world between the
forgiveness of God and that of people. It is only when they
reach the heights of commitment to God that they can exemplify
the forgiveness that is like God's.
US President Abraham Lincoln when asked how he would treat
the rebels he had defeated in battle, replied: "I will
treat them as if they had never been away."
The prayer of Jesus on the Cross was echoed by Stephen, the
first Christian martyr, "Father, forgive them ....!"
Jesus is saying here that God treats every returning sinner
as this father treated his wayward son with open arms and
all the blessings and benefits of a father's love. And "forgiveness"
is explained. It is the "restoration of a right relationship
in which the parties can genuinely feel and behave with one
another, as though the unhappy incident had never taken place."
The story underlines the realities that repentance is necessary
and pardon follows on repentance, What of the elder brother?
The parable is an attack on the pharisees who were tied to
the dead letter of religious observance without sincerity,
sympathy and generosity. The elder brother is an unattractive
character, selfish, proud, insensitive and the reminder that
"The greatest fault a man can have is to be conscious
of no fault." Self-righteousness is a common sin among
religious people.
Humility is the desirable Christian quality - the call of
Christ to people is always to service for their fellows never
to selfish ambition. And that service may be in prominent
positions but far more likely it will be in the humdrum obscurity
of ordinary living.
There is the reminder, too, that very much of Christian service
is done by humble citizens who live out their faith in their
lives of selfless devotion to God and people.
Whole-hearted goodwill is the most desirable quality of the
Christian.
This story of "The Loving Father" tells us of the
love of the Father, God; the need of the son, people; and
the renewing of the family relationship, Father and Son, God
and people.
Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long
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