A Story of the Waiting Father For His Sons' Home Coming (Lk. 15: 11-32)
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Date
2001-02
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
Parables are unique to Jesus' teaching. They are prophetic and demanding.
They call us to conversion and reveal that our lives belong to God. Jesus tells us
parables in order to break through our deafness and our hardness of heart. And then
he gives us himself, the clearest parable of the Father.
The parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk.15:11-32) is an artistic creation of Jesus.
In it, we see how Jesus reacted to some of the most disturbing issues of his day. In
this parable God by the lips of Jesus declares his forgiveness and mercy for penitent
sinners and tax collectors while at the same time very gently rebuking the selfrighteous
Pharisees and Scribes for criticising his association and table fellowship
with those outcasts and publicans. This is the story of two lost sons. If the younger
brother was lost in the distant country, the elder was no less lost behind the barricade
of self-righteousness. The chief character in the story is neither of the two sons but
the father. Right up to the very last scene, that final meeting with the elder brother,
the father bridges over the whole story. The father waits because he loves.
This Essay consists of four chapters. The first chapter speaks about the
parables of Jesus as a whole. In it, we look into the meaning of parable, the reason for
Jesus' teaching in parables, and the main message of the parables. The second chapter
treats specifically of the parable of the Prodigal son. There we will probe into the
Lucan creation of the parable, examine the Lucan context. Coming to the third
chapter, we will mainly look into the events that take place in the parable, namely,
the home-leaving and homecoming of the younger and elder sons, (for the elder
brother we can only speak of his possible return). In the fourth chapter we see how
the father waits in love for his sons' homecoming and when the younger son returns the father calls for a celebration. Thus we conclude that the father in the story is a
representation of God. Then, we will reflect on homecoming in Christian life.
Finally, we wind up the Essay with a general conclusion.
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Keywords
Sons' Home Coming, Father, Luke. 15: 11-32, Kingdom of God, God's Mercy For Sinners, God as the Mother, God as the Father