The Gospel of Luke
The Lost Sons: Lk 15,11-32
Overall Reading
Each scene is about one of the brothers. The first scene (15,11-24) is about the younger brother and the father. The second scene (15,25-32) is about the elder brother and the father. Thus only the father appears in both scenes. In both cases, the scene begins with the son and ends with the father's response.
The continuity with the previous parables is given by the simple beginning "then he said" in verse 11. This story shares with the previous two parables the introduction given in the first two verses of the chapter.
We can also see that 16,1 is a new beginning with a different audience, "Jesus said to his disciples". Where that leaves 15,32 as an ending is something we will need to consider.
We can now return to the main page to begin our reading.
The Younger Son: Lk 15,11-24
A listener to this story could well think of a story like Esau and Jacob in the book of Genesis where God's favour rested on Jacob the younger son.
The younger son's attitude to his father is outrageous, in effect he is saying he wished his father were dead. He is certainly not honouring his father and his mother, the ten commandments as quoted by Jesus himself (18,20). He just wants his independence from his father, which his father is willing to give him, despite the advice of Sirach 33.
The second sentence of verse 12 shows the story teller glossing over details for the sake of his story: we are told that the father divided the property between them and yet we hear nothing from the elder son at this stage.
Proverbs 29,3 is an appropriate comment on the story up to verse 13: the son is chasing prostitutes instead of seeking wisdom.
Even to this day, the Jews are well known for their care of each another. Yet this debauched son at the time of the famine goes to a foreigner who puts him to looking after pigs. As these are unclean animals for the Jews (Lev 11,7), the younger son could hardly have sunk lower.
However even at this lowest point, the son can still think of his father as Father. That's something the elder son won't be able to manage (verse 29). Thus there is a real movement towards repentance, even if the reason is notably self serving. Verse 21 are the last words we hear from that younger son.
"Still a long way off": the Father's reaction in verse 20 is utterly amazing. Sirach (Sir 19,30) again gives a clue. Running is unexpected and even undignified behaviour for a senior gentleman. What follows in verses 22 to 25 are the abundant, generous, loving response of the Father to his son who has given no more than a simple statement of repentance.
At this stage, we can give a Christian dimension to the story because the Father standing for God will not be far from any Christian's mind. 1 John 4,7-12 provides a Christian background: in this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us.
The Genesis reference (Gen 41,42) tells of Pharoah giving Joseph his authority. With robe, ring and sandals, the younger son is restored to his authority in the household. Sandals were a sign of a free man. As in the previous parables, what was lost has now been found.
So in verse 24 the party begins - but of that younger son we are told no more.
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The Elder Son
As the servant tells the story in verse 27, he naturally refers to "your brother" and "your father". This will have significance when the elder brother makes his response to the father.
In verse 28, the father shows the same generosity and openness as to the younger son (verse 20) by coming out to meet his son who refuses to go in.
The elder brother insults his father by refusing to give him his title "father". He talks about "my friends" and rejects his brother as "this son of yours".
The father still calls the elder brother "son" and his reply in verses 31 and 32 would have been a very pointed comment to the Pharisees who did not approve of Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners (15,1-2).
No more is heard from the elder son, just as no more is heard from the younger son. The story is left open; that is the genius of Luke's story telling.
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The Chapter Overall
Tradition calls this story the parable of the Prodigal Son. Like all titles it just focuses on part of the story and Christian tradition is right to celebrate the father's love for the repentant son.
Yet our reading has shown just how important is the elder son. Indeed in the setting of the Gospel and the controversies with the Pharisees, he is perhaps the more important son and the real point of the parable. The message of the parable is to be like the Father, reaching out without judgement to prodigals, older or younger.
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