Jesus’ two tales of things lost and found, and of the return of the prodigal son lets those who will hear know how much each person, each soul, means to God. In this case, he lets us know the meaning of the parable right up front:
"7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."
Jesus is the shepherd in the first part of the parable – the one who carries a full grown sheep back to the community.
Jesus is also the woman who sweeps through her house to find the one lost coin, and joins with her community to celebrate.
I have a special fondness for the story of the prodigal son, as one who was “away” from church for a number of years. As I have learned more about this story and how it would have been heard in the culture of Jesus’ time and place, I am even more amazed at how much meaning is packed into little more than 500 words.
Jesus tells the now well known story of the prodigal (wastefully extravagant) son, who demands his share of his expected inheritance from his father, taking it to a far land, wasting the money with dissolute living. He is in contrast to the faithful son who stays with his father helping to run the farm.
After spending his inheritance, reaching bottom and hiring himself out feeding pigs, he comes to his senses, and returns home, practicing his words of repentance. Before he could get all the words out:
“22…the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.”
The older son is not happy at all. This wastrel brother of his gets the big party, while he, the hard-working faithful son gets nothing. The father replies:
31…‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”
The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Bailey, who spent much of his professional life living and teaching in the Middle East, has written several books looking at the New Testament through the eyes of the culture of the Middle East. In The Cross & The Prodigal Dr. Bailey argues that this parable is really the story of God’s radical love for us, later expressed on the cross.
According to Dr. Bailey, the very idea of a son asking for his share of the inheritance indicates he wishes his father was dead; only on his father’s death would he be entitled to his share.
His father complied with his request, and liquidated one-third of his estate in just a few days. His father showed unconditional love in this act.
When the son returns, he is not required to work as a slave, or to sit outside the village or the father’s house, as might be expected.
Instead, the father races to meet him. This is undignified and humiliating in the extreme, Dr. Bailey tells us, and this is as good a representation of God incarnate Christ as we can find.
The father has compassion on his son, embraces and kisses him. We have just witnessed complete and unconditional reconciliation, which all of humanity experiences through Christ’s journey to the Cross and beyond.
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| The Return of the Prodigal Son - Rembrandt |
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