The Paradox of the Prodigal Son
‘“Jesus continued: “There was a man with two sons”’ (New International Version, Luke 15.11). He continued; he didn’t begin, and he didn’t conclude. The tale of The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a confusing one when taken out of the context of the Gospel of Luke from the New Testament. A fool of a son returns to a father playing favorites and a party is held. Such a synopsis doesn’t seem to make for a good story, but the piece has inspired artists from Rembrandt to Iron Maiden with its message. The Parable of the Prodigal Son can be interpreted from each of the three main characters’ perspectives to end in contrasting conclusions by the reader; to repent their mistakes, to give forgiveness, and to not envy others.
To understand the interpretations, readers must acknowledge how much of the story relies on Jewish customs and culture. The story begins with the younger son insulting his father by wishing for his inheritance prematurely. In Jewish culture, to ask for such a thing is akin to wishing for his father’s death. The younger son acquires his fortune and leaves the family farm for a foreign land. Soon misfortune hits the land and having depleted his fortune, the son resorts to hiring himself as a farmhand who cares for pigs. Pigs are viewed as unclean animals, some worshipers even refraining from consuming its flesh, and the son is now tainted from his occupation.
Upon his return, the son begs for his father’s forgiveness, to let him become a slave to recant his sins. As a patriarch, the father is expected to force the son to work to earn his place back in the family, and to cooly wait for the son to approach him. Instead, “his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (New International Version, Luke 15.20) and orders for a celebration in honor of the son’s return. The elder son is upset over his father’s leniency. The elder son is intended to represent the Pharisees, a strict sect of religious officials of the time, who looked down upon Jesus consorting with lower classed sinners. The Prodigal Son is the second story of a trilogy, told by Jesus to the Pharisees “to call attention to deeper values” (Witherup) and the all encompassing love of their Father.
Like many young people, the younger son was anxious to begin his life. He pestered his father to give him his inheritance so he could explore the world and taste its wonder. “The younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living” (New International Version, Luke 15.13). From a religious perspective, the younger son is meant to represent regular followers who stray from their path and return to their faith asking for forgiveness. His story is meant to remind followers that even if they may make mistakes, if they genuinely ask for forgiveness it will be given without question. The Prodigal Son is the climax of the trilogy, saying “God knows what you have done, but you are forgiven. All you need to do is come home and accept the forgiveness that is waiting for you” (Barnes). Outside of religious context, the younger son’s story is about the typical quest a young person goes on to find themselves and the consequences of those adventures.
For the father, his religious role is a simple one. He represents God in story, and his actions are an example “that God loves His wayward children and longs for them to return to Him” (Strauss). The loss of a child is something no parent wants to experience. After the disappearance and sudden reappearance of his son , the father does not hold grudges and is merely grateful to have a person he loves resurrected before his eyes. The father explains to his elder son:
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 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.’” (New International Version, Luke 15.31)
Conversely, the father could be viewed as an overly doting and indulgent father, ignoring the wrongs of the wayward son to celebrate his return.
“The role of the elder brother is to demonstrate the dilemma of those who don't know how to get into the arms of the father that are outstretched to prodigals.” (Priest) He embodies those who question the situation; a dedicated son feels jealous when another son is given easier acceptance and a hard working individual will feel rage when another is forgiven for their mistakes without retribution. From the elder’s point of view, the father is unfairly giving the younger a break, playing favorites between the two. When confronting his father, the elder son said:
‘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. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ (New International Version, Luke 15.29)
Unlike the father, the son did not view his brother’s departure and return as the resurrection of a lost loved one having not experienced the lost as acutely.
Luke shared the story of the Prodigal Son as a reminder for the faithful to focus on those who need help the most, “Jesus replies, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” (New International Version, Luke 5.31) The characters of the story each embody how different people interpret this message with lessons to repent their mistakes, to give forgiveness, and to not envy others.
Bibliography
Barnes, M. Craig. “The Prodigal’s Brother.” Christian Century. 129.6 (2012): 35. Web. 7 Apr.
2014.
Strauss, Mark L. “The Parable of the Prodigal.” Bible Study Magazine. 6.4 (2014): 36-37. Web. 7
Apr. 2014.
The Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan House, 2011. Print. 7 Apr.
2014.
Witherup, John D. “Luke’s Special Parables.” Priest. 69.9 (2013): 93-95. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
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