ebs001

I, too, agree that there are a number of ways that this parable can be interpreted and that has been my experience. I,like many, like definitive answers but this one I will just have to accept that there will be none.

BillM, each time Jesus talks to the Pharisees he is attempting to critical of them and rabbinical Judaism. I can certainly see that Jesus would believe that His message was for everyone including gentiles but where most interpretations for me break down is dealing with the elder son in the final two verses. 31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 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.’” Nothing has changed. We had to do it. The implication being that the younger son is not with him and still gets nothing. We didn't want to throw a party but we were obligated to.

In a our discussion group we are discussing a book "We make the road by walking" by Brian D McLaren. The last chapter of which has a commentary on the parable of the prodigal son. It is a story I never could quite get my head around and everything I read, still make no sense. The usual explanation is that the father is God, the elder son is/are the Pharisees and the younger son is a wayward soul. The younger son looses his way and then repents comes back to his father who welcomes him back to the family and throws him a party because he has admitted his sins. He gets salvation as we will because Jesus died for our sins. The elder brother stays with the father and has done nothing wrong in fact has lived a good and decent life, honouring his father throughout but he has a bad and selfish heart because he didn't welcome home his brother so he doesn't get his own party. Jesus is talking to the Pharisees putting down their way of thinking. I doubt that they would identify with the older son. I think they would far more easily identify with the father who rushes out to greet the younger son, gives him the trappings of being once again in the family and then throws a party using the same sacrificed animal that is used at Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. The father then goes to the elder son and says don't be angry everything that is mine is yours. At this point the father has put on a new hat, the Jesus hat. Now, he's saying it's not quite that easy. The true reward, the kingdom of God , comes to those who are good and faithful children. Any thoughts?