PAPER THE PRODIGAL SON

HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL MASTERS OF ARTS IN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEW TESTAMENT THE CALL TO REPENT: UNDERSTANDING THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF THE STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON A Lecture submitted to Graduate School Department, Holy Angel University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Religious Education RANDY GOPEZ QUENDAN 19 June 2017 TARGET AUDIENCE: Politicians or Prisoners SCRIPTURAL TEXT: Luke 15:11-32 The Parable of the Prodigal Son 11 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’ 20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate. 25 “Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ 31 Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’” Historical and Literary Understanding of the text The Parable of the Prodigal Son can be divided into two sections, the first about what happened to the younger son and the second about the older son and his anger toward his younger brother and toward his father for throwing a party for him. CONTEXT: It begins with the narration that the tax collectors and sinners were coming to hear Jesus and at the same time they were murmuring the Jesus received sinners and ate with them. 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. (Treybig) What does "prodigal" mean? It's basic meaning is "wasteful"--particularly with regard to money. It comes from Latin roots that mean "forth" (pro-) and "to drive" (agere). It indicates the quality of a person who drives forth his money--who wastes it by spending with reckless abandon. (Akin) NUTS AND BOLTS OF THE PRODIGAL SON Luke 15:12 “The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.” In Jewish society, there were laws regarding how inheritances were typically divided. The oldest brother got a double share (cf. Deut. 21:17), while the other brothers got a single share. That means he is asking for the 1/3rd of the father's possessions that he would ordinarily get when the father dies. (Akin) In both ancient as well as present times, inheritances are transferred to heirs only upon death. Requesting for the share would be shocking because the son would be desiring the father’s death and the obligation to care for him in his old age which is breaking the commandment honoring one’s father and mother. Moreover, the older son was expected to object to such requests and do his part in reconciling the brother to their father but he failed to do so. Likewise, the father was expected to refuse the request, become angry and discipline the younger son for his actions. Instead, he reacted in love by granting the request. Luke 15:15 “So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs.” The 1st century Jewish audience surely regarded the association with unclean animals such as pigs as downright detestable. Luke 15:17 “But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!” The next verse (15:17a) says “he came to himself” which may just refer to his “coming to his senses” rather than repentance. There are discussions as to what constituted the nature of hired servants. The 1st century Jewish household typically had three kinds of servants: bondsmen( douloi), who were slaves that were part of the family; slaves (paide), who were subordinates of the bondsmen; and hired servants (mivsqioi), who were usually day laborers With regard to his relationship with his older brother, his plan meant he did not have to rely on his brother nor did it necessitate any reconciliation with him. Luke 15:20 “So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.  The father knew that the village would mock and possibly physically abuse his son upon his return. So in his love and compassion, the father broke some rules to protect his son. It was considered undignified for an elderly man to run in public but the father did so. It brought dishonor to even expose one’s legs, but the father ran not only to welcome his son, but to protect his son from hostile villagers. The son must have been in awe to see his father’s willingness to be disgraced in order to protect him. The father embraced and kissed the son to publicly show his acceptance of him. Luke 15:21 “Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’  As he had practiced, the son proceeded to say his lines but he did not continue with the last line asking to be treated as one of the hired servants. It could have been that he recognized his father’s grace and love. Luke 15:25 “Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.  It was customary for the older son to welcome guests, offer compliments, and make sure that the feast went well. He was also expected to honor the guest, which meant, in this case, was his younger brother. He was to go in, embrace the brother and honor him. If he wanted to complain to his father regarding this favorable treatment, he should have waited until all the guests left. However, the elder brother chose to shame his father by getting furious while the guests were still around. His anger may also be due to the shame he felt because of the father’s gift of a fatted calf for the worthless brother, while he was not even given a goat to celebrate. People would have expected the father to react to such an act of public insult with anger, but he does not do so. He could have chosen to totally ignore the elder son during the feast, or punish him, or show displeasure, but instead, he left his guests to go outside to plead with him. He risked humiliation and shame by doing so. Luke 15:29 “But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ 31 Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.” The elder son replied insolently in many ways. He did not address his father as “father” and referred to his younger brother as “this son of yours.” In contrast, the father addressed him as “son” and referred to his younger brother as his “brother.” The word “son” used here is tevknon, which is more endearing and less neutral than the other Greek word for “son,” The father was trying to restore the broken father-son relationship with these words. The elder son referred to himself as a slave and demonstrated the spirit and attitude of a slave and not a son. The father however referred to him as the heir to all that he owned. The son argued that he had never disobeyed the father’s commands despite just having insulted him by refusing to join the party. He claimed that he never had a goat to feast on with his friends while the younger brother was given the fattened calf. There is a hint of envy in this statement. Scholars suggest that his attitude was one of false humility and sarcasm, but it is more likely that he was accusing his father of playing favorites. The elder brother’s idea of joy was to have a goat to celebrate with his friends whereas the father, like the shepherd and the woman in the preceding two parables, considered finding what was lost to be the source of his joy. The elder brother attempted to insult the younger brother further by accusing him of devouring the father’s living with harlots. As mentioned earlier, the description of the younger brother’s loose and wasteful living made no mention of squandering his money on harlots. Again, contrary to the expected reaction of one who had been greatly scorned and deeply humiliated, the father overlooked all the offenses and responded in grace and love by calling him “son”. This reminded the elder brother of his status as a son instead of a slave. He reaffirmed the right of his son to the inheritance despite the return of the younger son. He pled with his son to rejoice at his brother’s return. The older brother is so angry that he refuses to go inside and join the party. Naturally, his father hears about it and comes to talk to him. When that happens, we discover that he's not just angry with his brother, he's angry with his father, too. (Akin)He points out that he has never disobeyed his father's commands but that his father has never given him a kid (a young goat) so that he could slaughter it and have a party with his friends. In contrast, the younger brother has "devoured your living with harlots" (wasting a third of the father's estate!), but when he comes back "the fatted calf" (that is, the best, most tender and delicious animal, specially raised to be so) is killed! (Akin) Luke 15:31 “Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. He tells him: "Son, you are always with me." This seems to be a reassurance to the elder son that he has not lost his place in the family. His place is secure. Moreover, he tells him: "and all that is mine is yours." This is because the division of property has already taken place. The younger soon took his third, so the two-thirds that remain will go entirely to the older son. This means that the current celebration does not represent a threat to the older brother or his inheritance. Instead, it is a celebration of joy occasioned by the return of the son. Luke 15:32 “But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’” His return is something to be celebrated! He is to wear a fancy robe! A fancy ring! Shoes! There is to be a fancy feast for everyone! There is to be music and dancing! Why? Because "This my son was dead, and is alive again" and "He was lost, and is found." This shows us God's reaction when we return from being lost in sin. He doesn't begrudge us what we have done. He doesn't take us back reluctantly. Like the father in the parable, he takes us back joyously! Eagerly! (Akin) RELIGIOUS MESSAGE Jesus used this parable to reply to the Scribes and Pharisees regarding his dealing with the sinners. Knowing the 1st century worldview is helpful in determining what specific sin the son was referring to. Some may think he was referring to his profligate way of life in the far country. However, looking at the situation his greatest sin was his dishonoring of his father by asking for his share of the inheritance. The main themes of this parable is all about the unique characteristics of the father towards the son – loving, compassionate and gracious. He extends his love even before we ask for it. Even with the celebration of the coming of the son is a good reflection of God’s love for us. A response towards the grace of God that He celebrates those who are willing to repent and go back to His love. How many fathers would receive that suggestion well today? How many would comply with it if one of their children asked it? In a society that highly reverenced parents, it would have been equivalent to saying: "Father, I can't even wait for you to die. Give me 1/3rd of everything you have right now." This reflects the amazing indulgence that God shows toward us. Even when we are acting as selfishly as the prodigal son, God indulges us. But he knows that the misuse of our freedom will have no better results than it did with the prodigal son's misuse of his freedom, and God trusts that we will learn our lesson and come back to him. What do the actions of the prodigal son teach us? They teaches us the depths to which our own misuse of freedom will bring us. If we are bent on leaving God, things will go badly for us. We will be humiliated in the uncaring world. The farther we get from the Father's loving care, the worse off we will be, and our best course is to return to God and his forgiveness. (Akin) What are the spiritual lessons for us? From this parable we can draw a number of spiritual lessons: We can be a genuine son of the Father--who is spiritually "alive"--and be "lost" through sin. We can turn our backs on our heavenly Father and leave him of our own free will. Mortal sin is a real possibility. Mortal sin inevitably lands us in a far worse state than we were in originally. We can, however, return to the Father and be accepted by him with great joy. In fact, he is ready and eager to accept us back and forgive us, no matter what we've done. Christians who have never fallen should not resent those who come back. They should share in their Father's joy. God loves them just as much as he loves those who come back through a dramatic conversion. (Akin) God will never be tired in accepting us, we are the ones who are tired of going back to the Lord. He’s love is always open to those who are willing to repent. 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. (Treybig) It is an imaginable love that brought us to realization that we need to understand that God’s love is unconditional. We just need to repent and be aware that we are not alone, but we have a loving God who push us to become good despite of our sinfulness.