Stories depicting real events in the Gospels have a particular power and appeal. It is a real grace to ponder what Jesus said and did and how others responded, even if the events come to us through the perspective of a particular Gospel writer. In addition, the parables of Jesus have a special power and appeal of their own. In the parables, Jesus is able to hand craft a story to perfection. We have one of the most famous and influential parables in all of the Gospels today, the parable of the prodigal son.
While the most remarkable element of this parable is Jesus’ depiction of the Father, I want to start with the two sons. They have a way of representing us all. Most of us find ourselves like one or the other at different points in our lives. The younger son struggles with being immature on several levels and wanting to find meaning in the pleasures of life. The second struggles with pride, thinking that he is better than the younger son and that he has it harder than the younger.
The younger son is quite brash. He basically slaps his father in the face. He asks for half of the father’s inheritance before the father has passed away. Then, he squanders that inheritance on a life of dissipation, foolishly pursuing pleasure without concern for others. He ends up broke and tending the pigs on a farm which, for a Jew, symbolized that he had reached the depths of despair and humiliation. When he has literally nowhere to turn, he decides to go home to his father and ask for a place among the hired hands.
The older son, on the other hand, has a hardened heart. He seems jealous of his father’s affection for the younger son. He can’t understand why the return of the prodigal is so important to the father when he himself has been so responsible over the years. He can’t bring himself to celebrate his brother’s return. He even gets angry with the father for being so quick to take the profligate son back into his home.
The power and the beauty of the parable lie in Jesus’ depiction of the father. The father starts by giving half of his inheritance to a young son long before his death, an unheard of act of generosity. While the son was still a long way off, the father catches sight of him, giving us the sense that the father was constantly looking down the road, anxiously waiting to glimpse his son in the distance. This father would not rest until he has his son back by his side. Furthermore, the father is “filled with compassion” upon his arrival, not anger or contempt. Then, the father runs to his son, embraces him and kisses him. The robe, ring and sandals were clear symbols for the Jew that the young man was being reinstated as a son in the family because what he had done earned the punishment of being cast out of the family and permanently banned.
What do you think was dearest to the father’s heart, his estate or his son, his reputation or his son, his frustration or his son?
This is certainly the family of which I want to be a member. This is the father I want to call my own. This is the house where I want to spend eternity.
We are invited by this great parable to ask ourselves some questions this Lent. Which brother do I resemble these days? Am I being young and immature with my use of the Father’s gifts? Am I in pleasure-seeking mode? Am I thinking that the world revolves around me? Am I convinced that life is all about good times? Am I aware of the needs of those around me? Am I forgetful of where my gifts come from and that I have been given them to use in the service of others?
Am I like the older, hardened son? Do I regularly look down on others with disdain? Am I frustrated because I try so hard and others do not? Am I proud of my progress on the journey of life? Do I constantly compare myself with others? Do I have a difficult time when others receive the attention of friends, family members or colleagues at work?
Jesus uses this parable to paint a picture of our heavenly Father whose mercy is deeper than the oceans and endures forever. With a Father like that, how can we ever be afraid to come home? How can we not be moved to look over our lives, see where we have gone astray, and come back to Him with humble and contrite hearts?
