The Prodigal Son

This one is a fairly common bible story taught in many Sunday school classes.   I know that I have heard it many times while growing up.   However, does it have a happy ending?   Is Jesus trying to tell us something more with this parable?

First a refresher of the parable found in Luke 15:11-32: Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons.  The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.'  So he divided his property between them.  Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.  After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.  So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.   He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. "

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I have am starving to death!   I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.'  So he got up and went to his father."

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son."

"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick!  Bring the best robe and put it on him.  Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it.  Let's have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  So they began to celebrate."

"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field.  When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.  'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'"

"The older brother became angry and refused to go in.  So he father went out and pleaded with him.  But he answered his father, '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.  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'"

"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  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."

Now, in biblical time's for a son to ask for his inheritance before the death of his father was a pretty severe offense.   It was generally equivalent to the son wishing for the father's death.  Knowing that, can you imagine how the father in this parable must have felt?

Despite this, the father relented and provided the son with his part of his inheritance and didn't stand in his way when he left.

There is no mention in the parable regarding what caused this outburst from the younger son.   Was the father:

• too demanding?
• unfair?
• argumentative?
• abusive?

Or was the son just selfish or suffering from too much pride?  Perhaps, he had decided he knew better than his father and was going to strike out on his own - a mistake we have all made from time to time - isn't it amazing how much smarter our parents get after we get a little older.  ;-).

Scripture is silent on the events leading up to the younger son's request and is also silent on how the father felt or went thru while the son was away.   It only focuses on the sinful behavior of the son while he is apart from his father as well as the realization by the son that his father's servants are living better than he was at the time.  

Doesn't this parable echo how we generally handle our relationship with God?   We believe that we have things under control.   We know what we are doing.  We don't need guidance from anyone else.  We tend to start doing things our own way and move away from God and his teachings/guidance.   I don't know about you, but I have found that things generally don't go very well when I do that.   I find that I make a mess of things and end up coming back to God each and every time and each and every time, God is waiting right were He was before and is more than happy to have me back.  Never have I heard an "I told you so" or "what were you thinking?" even though each of those questions would be more than justified.   God is constant and is true to his word - He waits for us and actively pursues us - just as a shepherd does his lost sheep.  

Which bring us to the end of the parable.  Here we have the father being ecstatic his son who had left has returned throws a party celebrating that fact.  We also have the reaction of the older son, who doesn't react with the same enthusiasm as the Father.  In fact, it's quite the contrary, there is more than a hint of resentment and jealousy that comes from the older brother.   "'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.  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'"

While it does seem that the father may have been being unfair, isn't the response the father has in the parable exactly what we would expect to hear from God?

"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  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."

The father is happy that the younger son has returned and is with them again.   This is the same happiness that Jesus has for each of us when we walk away from Him - either deliberately or accidentally.  Jesus is always there waiting and welcoming us with open arms.   In fact, the response the father and the reaction of the son is echoed in another of Jesus' parables - The Parable of the Lost Sheep found in Luke 15:1-7:   Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."   Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.  Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.  Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."  

Doesn't that parable sum it up perfectly?   God loves each and every one of us and there are great celebrations in heaven each someone makes a decision to give their lives to Jesus and follow Him.  We should join in the celebration - otherwise, we run the danger of being like the Pharisees who sit off to the side and grumble/complain about what goes on around us.