A reflection on the Parable of the Prodigal Son · 11:47pm May 12th, 2019
In final few verses of the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), there is a very important conversation between the father and his first son, who had remained with his father.
Starting in verse 25, the firstborn son is working in the fields, when he hears of the celebrations going on. He asked a servant, who tells him that they are celebrating because the prodigal son has returned; indeed, the fattened calf, kept alive until a joyous occasion, had been slain and served as part of the meal. Angrily, the firstborn refused to go in and celebrate.
His father comes out to plead with him, only to hear a supposed tale of woe; "Look, these many years I have served you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. yet when this son of yours came, who devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!" (v.29-30)
The father patiently replies, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found (v.31-32)
It is important to mention the setting of this parable. Jesus had sat down to teach tax collectors (often corrupt and skimming extra money off the top for themselves, under the threat that they would bring the Romans to arrest the unfortunate victims for tax evasion) and sinners (whose sins are not specified before hand, but given that Jesus mentions prostitution and "reckless living" [v.13], it probably refers to general sin) about. The Pharisees (a sect that largely controlled religious life outside Jerusalem, wherein the Sadducees had control) and the scribes were complaining about Jesus receiving such people (v. 2). To them, these people had broken God's commandments, and were as such supposed to be off limits. Jesus responded with the parable.
It is also important to note the figures of the parable. The Prodigal Son represents the general population of sinners, who realized how far they were from God, and received the message Jesus was preaching. The firstborn son represents the Pharisees and similar religious authorities in the land, Given that Jesus "told them this parable" (v.3, including the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin) after hearing their grumbling, they were probably the primary (though not the only) intended audience. The father, of course, represents God, in as much as a man can in a parable.
The firstborn son's complaint that he had received nothing from his father after years of work is unjust. As a firstborn son, under Mosaic Law, he would receive a double portion of the inheritance when his father passed on. Furthermore, given how quick the father was to welcome the sinful son back into the fold, and the father's gentle reply to this outrageous complaint, it does not follow that this father was holding anything back from either son. This follows the Pharisees' lifestyle; working hard to keep the minute aspects of the Mosaic Law (paying tithes on various things like mint, dill, and cumin) while neglecting much more important things, like "Justice, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23)." The Pharisees' complaints against Jesus reflect their self-righteous resentment (ESV Study Bible, footnote to 15:29), as it does the brother's claims of righteousness toward his father, which according to him was supposedly without reward. It must be noted that the firstborn refused to refer to his brother as such, saying, "this son of yours" instead, probably reflecting the Pharisees' dismissal of "tax collectors and sinners" as incapable of being saved.
It's easy to think that the father would blow up at this accusation, among the other things the firstborn said, but he didn't. Instead, he gently tries to lead his firstborn back to the correct way; first off, he says, "you are always with me, and all that I have is yours (v.31)," a most generous and gracious response to the accusations his own son made against him. Then, he goes on, "It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found."
Given the often hostile relationship between Jesus and the Pharisees, and other Jewish religious leaders, it is refreshing to know that the father (representing God) still calls his firstborn (the Pharisees) back to him. God continues to call even the hard-hearted to Himself, that they might change their ways and repent of doing evil, even when the chances are slim (at least from a human point of view). Even if not everyone wants to be saved, God doesn't take pleasure in destroying the wicked, and always desires that they relent from doing evil and turn back to Him (Ezekiel 33:11).
It's not over yet. How will you respond to His invitation?
May Jesus go with and keep you all.
