220 THE PRODIGAL SON
this, the celebrations begin with
the slaughter of a fattened calf—a
lavish expense—followed by
feasting, singing, and dancing.Undeserved welcome
Meanwhile, the prodigal son’s older
brother, who has spent the day
laboring in his father’s fields, hears
the music as he approaches home.
A servant tells him why his father
has ordered such rejoicing.
When he learns the reason for
the celebrations, the older brother
becomes infuriated. He refuses to
join the party, despite his father’s
pleadings. He tells his father that
while he, the elder brother has
worked tirelessly and obediently for
his father for many years, he has
never been rewarded. In contrast, he
says, “when this son of yours who
has squandered your property with
prostitutes comes home, you kill the
fattened calf for him!” (Luke 15:30)
However, his father does not see it
this way. “My son,” he says, “you
are always with me and everything
I have is yours. But we have tocelebrate ... [your brother] was
dead and is alive again; he was
lost and is found” (Luke 15:28–31).
When engaging with the
parable of the prodigal son for the
first time, it is easy or even natural
to identify with the helpless rage
exhibited by the elder son. His
belief that he has suffered an
injustice is certainly not unfounded
and, having worked hard for hisfather for years with little to no
acknowledgment, his resentment
is understandable. This sense of
identification with the plight of the
elder brother only heightens the
power of the parable’s conclusion.
While the older brother has been
open and honest in his assertions,
his self-righteous and self-centered
attitude is condemned by Jesus. In
the older brother’s fury at the lack
of recognition that his father has
given to his good deeds, or works,
he is unable to exhibit the grace of
his father and welcome his brother
home. What is more, the older
brother cannot share in his father’s
gratitude that the prodigal son has
owned up to his mistakes and
sought out forgiveness. We never
learn whether the older brother
repents for his behavior.Lost but redeemed
In the Bible, important principles are
often repeated for emphasis. This is
exemplified by Luke 15, which, inThe Return of the Prodigal Son by
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1618–1682),
painted sometime around 1667–1670.
The riches of the father contrast with
the son’s dirty feet and ragged clothes.Familial relationships and inheritance
In the ancient world, land was
a family’s most important asset.
For this reason, laws evolved
that governed the rights of
inheritance. Though the Bible
varies in what it says these laws
stipulate—probably because the
texts setting them out were
written at different times—it is
clear that a man’s principal heirs
were sons born to him by his
wife or wives. As stated in
Deuteronomy 21, the eldest son
inherits a double share. So if, for
example, there were four sons,the oldest would get 40 percent
of the estate and the others
20 percent each. Daughters did
not inherit, but were provided
with a dowry that went to their
husband’s family when they
married. They could only inherit
their father’s estate if there were
no sons to do so.
Contrarily, the New Testament
focuses on spiritual, rather than
physical, inheritance. Indeed, in
Luke 12:13–21, Jesus specifically
states that life “does not consist
of an abundance of possessions.”US_218-221_Prodigal_Son.indd 220 27/09/17 5:59 pm
THE GOSPELS 221
addition to the prodigal son,
contains two other parables linked
by a common theme—the lost sheep
and the lost coin. In the first of
these parables, Jesus is not worried
about the sheep that are safe—all
99 of them; he is concerned about
the one sheep that is lost. The point
is reiterated in the second parable,
about a lost coin which, when
rediscovered, becomes all the more
treasured. Throughout these first
two parables, Jesus repeatedly
states the possibility of forgiveness
and redemption, saying: “there is
rejoicing in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner
who repents” (15:10).
In the parable of the prodigal
son, this message is taken further,
with the lost being contrasted
against the faithful. The prodigal
son represents any person who
has—one way or another, through
greed or negligence—strayed from
God. His older brother represents
the loyal believers who, basking
in their self-righteousness, may
be blind to the sin of their own
arrogance; his presence in the story
reminds those who hear it that the
grace of God is above petty human
notions of justice and fairness.The father figure represents God
Himself. Despite having been
wronged by his son’s actions,
he loves him and welcomes him
home with open arms—just as
God, throughout the Bible, forgives
His people for their misdeeds
on the basis of His grace. The
message of the Prodigal Son is
clear. It is the people who are lost
that need to be shown God’s mercy
and forgiveness the most, so that
they may be found again.Context of Luke
Though Luke was not present with
Jesus at the time of His ministry—
in all likelihood, he did not convert
until after the resurrection—it is
notable that his Gospel account is
the only one to include the parable
of the prodigal son. While the
Synoptic Gospels of Matthew,
Mark, and Luke are broadly similar
in content, the Gospel of Luke in
particular addresses a specific
challenge often put to Jesus—that
in associating with sinners, He
Himself is acting sinfully. It is
therefore perhaps not surprising
that Luke alone would focus on
a tale that encourages forgiveness
of the wayward sinner, regardless of
any transgressions in his past. ■Lost and found
As well as the three parables
in Luke 15, the notion of
things that are “lost” and
“found” features elsewhere
in the Bible, such as Luke
19:10 and Psalm 119. In Psalm
119 in particular, the idea is
highly relevant. This acrostic
poem is a prayer to God, which
tells Him: “I have strayed like
a lost sheep. Seek your servant,
for I have not forgotten your
commands” (Psalm 119:176).
Isaiah 41:10 sums up God’s
reaction to all such pleas from
the lost who pray for guidance:
“So do not fear for I am with
you; do not be dismayed, for I
am your God. I will strengthen
you and help you; I will uphold
you with my strong right
hand.” Solomon, the son of
King David, also preaches
about the need to trust in
God, and to do so fully,
“with all your heart and lean
not on your understanding”
(Proverbs 3:5). He goes on to
say that if you acknowledge
God “in all your ways” and
“submit to him,” then God will
“make your paths straight”
(Proverbs 3:6). According to
Solomon, by following the
word of God and obeying His
will, His people will be guided
through life and not become
“lost” or sinful.When he came to his
senses, he said, ‘How
many of my father’s hired
servants have food to
spare, and here I am
starving to death!’
Luke 15:17His father saw him and
was filled with compassion
for him; he ran to his son,
threw his arms around
him, and kissed him.
Luke 15:20US_218-221_Prodigal_Son.indd 221 12/10/2017 15:02