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Of all the parables that Jesus spoke, the one featuring the prodigal son (Luke 1-3, 11-32) may be the most touching and best remembered. The story is brief. A father has two sons, and when the younger son comes of age, he asks for his share of the family inheritance. The father obliges the request, and this son quickly departs to another country, where he wastes his wealth on profligate—sinful, wasteful, and extravagant—living.
After the young man’s money is gone, he barely survives by taking a job feeding pigs, a job that would have been repulsive for a practicing Jew. Hungry and penniless, he comes to his senses. He decides to go back to his father and apologize for his foolish conduct. He hopes his father will accept him back as just one of his servants. To his surprise, and to his older brother’s disdain, their father welcomes the younger son home with a great celebration.
When we understand that a parable is an imaginary story to illustrate a spiritual point, we can quickly perceive that Jesus is using this account to teach us of God the Father’s love for each of us. And while we are all sinners, as was the prodigal son, it is heartwarming, comforting and, yes, almost incomprehensible that God the Father is willing to accept us back, given the mistakes we have made.
Considering the background of a biblical passage often helps us to better understand its meaning. The setting for this parable is provided in Luke 15:1-3, where we find the Pharisees and scribes (again) deriding Jesus, this time for receiving and eating with sinners. These Jewish religious leaders of the first century did not think it was appropriate for a godly person to interact in such ways with those who were ungodly. Did the religious leaders, in fact, recognize Jesus as a godly person?
This accusation by the Pharisees and scribes set the stage for three parables (the third being the one with the prodigal son) in which Jesus taught these Jewish authorities, and us today, how God deals with sinners.
The first parable was about a lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7). In this story, the shepherd had 100 sheep. When one became lost, he left the 99 to search for the errant sheep. After finding it and bringing it home, he rejoiced with his friends and neighbors. The point of that parable is that God desires to bring those who are lost (sinners) into a relationship with Him, and He rejoices when they repent.
The second parable is that of a woman losing one of 10 silver coins (Luke 15:8-10). The woman lights a lamp and sweeps her house as she carefully searches for the missing coin. After finding it, she also rejoices with her friends and neighbors. Some have wondered why such importance was placed upon the loss of a single coin. Commentaries have suggested two possible reasons. First, the household may have been poor, and the coin, although not worth that much by itself, would have, under these circumstances, still been very important to the family. Second, and in my opinion the more likely explanation, that the missing coin may have been part of a 10-coin frontlet that was used to symbolize a wedding vow, similar to what a wedding ring represents today.
Note the common theme of all three parables. Whether it was a lost sheep, a lost coin or a lost son, there is rejoicing when that which was lost is recovered.
There is also an interesting progression in these parables from a mathematical perspective (remember, I am a scientist by education) and from a value perspective. The lost fraction increases from one-hundredth to one-tenth, and then to the whole, but the intrinsic value of the loss rises in a corresponding series. In the first it was a lost sheep, a loss which might soon be replaced, and which would soon be forgotten; in the second it was a lost coin, which, as we have seen, meant the loss of what was more valuable than gold, or even honor, or character, while in the third it is a lost child.
All three of the parables clearly answer the question raised by the Jewish authorities and typified by the older brother in the third parable—whether it was appropriate for Jesus to care about and even to mingle with sinners. The parables show that God does care about humans and rejoices when they are rescued from trouble. And so should we.
While many have noted that the parable of the prodigal son and the two parables preceding it all point toward God’s love for mankind, many have missed the teaching within them that is the basis for God’s celebration.
After He spoke the parable of the lost sheep, notice Jesus’ explanation: “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who REPENTS than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” After speaking the parable of the lost coin, Jesus said: “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who REPENTS” (my emphasis added).
THE REJOICING THAT GOD THE FATHER AND HIS ANGELS HAVE IS PREDICATED UPON REPENTANCE.
Jesus’ emphasis on repentance was not a new subject for Him to address in these parables. He often spoke of the need for us to repent. When He began His public ministry, Jesus said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 4:17). Summarizing four major elements of Christ’s teaching, Mark recorded Jesus telling people: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). And on two occasions when people died of unexpected events, He noted: “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5).
Because repentance is such an important subject for all who wish to be part of God’s eternal family, it is not surprising that Jesus included this teaching in the parable of the prodigal son and in the two parables that precede it in Luke 15.
One more thing. When it comes to the various names that have been given to Jesus’ parables, we note that they are not so designated by Christ. The Bible does not specifically give us names for the parables. We humans have come up with names to help us identify and remember them.
The parable of the prodigal son is not a bad name, for it does assist us in remembering Christ’s teaching. But this parable could have been titled differently. It might, with equal propriety, be called the Parable of the Bereaved Father, for the whole story crystallizes around the father (the surrogate for God the Father), repeating reference to him, in one form or another, no less than twelve times.
Jesus said that He came to reveal the Father (Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22), and the parable of the prodigal son surely does this. We do indeed have a Heavenly Father who greatly desires for each of us to repent of our sins so we can be part of His eternal family.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!