The parable of the Prodigal Son
In studying one of the Lord’s parables that involves the broadest array of sentiments – The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) - we tend to focus on the events covering the prodigal son and his father. One can only imagine the suffering the father went through as he witnessed one of his sons making a decision that would result in a heavy cost. The pain of the separation, the risk of the future, the probabilities of physical and spiritual damage to the young person, these are feelings with which any of us – parent or not – can empathize.
Another perspective of this parable, and possibly as important, refers to the fellowship between the father and the oldest son. The parable doesn’t mention the reaction that the oldest son had upon his brother’s departure. The entire second half of the paragraph however describes his reaction to his brother’s return, and his fellowship with his father.
The oldest son was obviously unhappy with the father’s reception of his brother that “…had devoured your wealth with prostitutes...” showing the tenuous nature of the fellowship between them. He didn’t share the joy and satisfaction that his father so intensely cherished at that moment. He could not conceive that his father would run and embrace his son (forgiveness and acceptance), that he would give his younger son the best robe (virtues and gifts), a ring (the seal of the Holy Spirit), and sandals on his feet (the Evangel). But above all, he could not understand that his father would sacrifice the fattened calf to celebrate his brother’s rejoining the family.
In the final dialogue he referred to his brother as “…this son of yours…”. The father reestablished the family order, saying “…this brother of yours was dead and begun to live, and was lost and has been found” (NASB). The prodigal son had always been one of the father’s children, and the father insisted that his love for all of his children was and always would remain a tenant of the family fellowship.
This perspective basically brings us to examine our present fellowship with our father, the Lord. Are we sharing the same sentiments He feels, suffering with the suffering, and crying with the crying, but specially joy and happiness with salvation, forgiveness and embracing? Are we possibly jealous when the Lord does something that we think is even more astounding than what He did for us, in order to save, forgive and embrace others? Let us not ever forget that for us the Lord has sacrificed the Holy Lamb, separated and prepared from the beginning of times for this holy celebration.
At a higher level we may extend this perspective to compare the work of the Lord in the Old and in the New Testament. Would the children of the Law resent the fact that not even Jacob was allowed to be sacrificed on their behalf?