The teachings of Philip G. Roets & Lois Roets
Luke 15:11–32
Philip G. Roets STL, SSL
The parable of the Prodigal Son is well-known and popular. The literary form of the Prodigal Son is the parable and not the allegory. The major difference between the allegory and the parable is that an allegory looks for an application of every detail. The parable is interested only in the "punch line" or the moral at the end.
The story started on a beautiful rich farm. The farmer had two sons. One day, the younger son said, "Father, give me my share of the inheritance and I will make a life for myself." The father gave him his money and the boy went off with his friends. They had a riotous time. They partied and played and spent money until nothing was left. The "party friends" left and the son was reduced to tending pigs and eating what they did not want.
Finally, when he could go no lower, he took a good look at himself and felt sorry for himself. Servants in his father's household were better off by far than he was. The self-pity led to a strong resolution. "I want to go home." He knew he did not deserve to be received back as a son in a favored place. He had thrown all this away. He would simply ask to be admitted as one of the servants. He left for home.
When he was still a long distance from home, his father spotted him. His father had been anxiously waiting for him to come back. His father did not go looking for him. The first response had to be made by the son. The father ran out to meet him and the son did not get off more than the first few words when Dad took over.
The dad told the servants to draw a bath and get clean clothes and spread a banquet. His son who was "dead" has come to life. His son who was "lost" had been found.
Meanwhile the older brother was out in the fields working. He heard the noise and saw all the activity and wondered what was happening. When he asked, he was told that his brother had come back.
The older brother was hurt and angry. He refused to go inside. The father came out to him and asked him what was the matter. He blurted out his hurt. All these years he has been a faithful, hard-working, conscientious son. The father had never offered even a small goat for a party for him and his friends. Yet this spendthrift had taken his whole inheritance, squandered it on loose and riotous living, and now he came back and the "fatted calf" is killed. "IT'S NOT FAIR!"
The father answered: "My son, you are with me always and all that I have is yours. But it is right that we celebrate. Your brother who was dead has come to life. He was lost and has been found."
The point of this parable story has to be kept in mind: We should rejoice at the good fortune of others, especially when they pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get back on the right track. All the other details in the parable are the trimmings.
Many false conclusions have been drawn from the Prodigal Son story because it has been interpreted as an allegory. The story was not intended to approve any type of laxity, wasteful life or ingratitude. The three parables in this section of Luke — prodigal son, lost coin, and lost sheep — were all told in answer to the accusation of the scribes and Pharisees. They had complained because Jesus was welcoming sinners and eating with them. Jesus' answer was the same in all three parables — prodigal son, lost coin and lost sheep: "If the shepherd loses one sheep, he will leave the other 99 in safe keeping and go in search of the one that is lost." This conduct does not mean he had no care for the 99. Rather it showed that he cared seriously for each sheep, even the lost one. The same conclusion was drawn from the parable of the lost coin and the prodigal son.