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Parable - The Rebellious Son





There are thirty one unique parables, found in the first three gospels only(the synoptic gospels). They reveal just enough truth to raise intense curiosity, promising more for interested listeners and seekers. The uninterested will leave uninspired while the truth seekers will leave inspired. They are not to be taken as doctrines or prophecies, rather they must be studied in context.

The parable of the 'prodigal son' is one of the most well known stories of the world. George Murray said that this parable is "the most divinely tender and most humanly touching story ever told on earth." Charles Dickens described it as "the finest short story ever written." Many theologians have described it as "the Gospel within the Gospel." Jesus spoke the parable of the lost son after he told the parable of  a lost sheep that was part of a group of one hundred and a lost coin out of ten. I would like to call them as one percent parable and the ten percent parable. The parable of the lost son can be called the fifty percent parable - one of two children are lost. But if you study deeper you can see that the other son was lost also.  The older one lived with his father dissatisfied and disillusioned.  Just like one sheep was lost away from home, the younger son was lost away from home.  Just liket the coin was lost in the home, the older son was lost in the home.

There are three main characters in the story. A rebellious son, a responsible son and a remarkable father. There are three simple scenes in the parable. Rebellion and Rejection of the home, Remembrance of the home that led to  Repentannce and Return to home. Each scene is about a loving father and his grace.

The younger son rebelled against the father’s traditions and claimed and received his inheritance from the father and ran off to a far away place. He returned after squandering his inheritance, yet received acceptance from the father with restoration of his full inheritance. Even though the older son did not run away, but was lost in self centered hatred toward his brother. We can be part of the best family or church and still can find ourselves lost. The older brother probably thought and hoped that his brother would never return. Sometimes, we want to hold on to what we have and feel glad that we don't have to see the poor and the needy. We are joyfully comfortable at home serving our self gratification.

Rejecting the joy of the home is a personal choice, at home or away from home. Starting with the rejection of a beautiful home leading to revelry in a foreign land and then to ruin. The Rebel is even bold enough to ask for his share of the inheritance. More often, we find ourselves rejecting the home for temporary gratification. In Jewish customs inheritance is distributed after the death of the father. In other words, the younger son wished if the father was not around any more so he can have his own life.

There is a part of each one of us that has played the rebel or continues to think that being rebellious to God means freedom to what ever we want to do. It started in the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve wanted more freedom.  They wanted to be like God. The devil told them that God was lying and if they ate from the tree their eyes will be opened, and they will be like God. The first man and woman thought that becoming like God is better than what they they were enjoying. They believed the devil more than their Creator.

We want to do what pleases ourselves and wish God wasn't around. Rebellion is equated to freedom and lack of accountability. People want to do their own thing and do not want to be controlled by a supreme moral authority. Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden of Eden. We cannot live in the garden in hiding and wishing God was not around. When a person or society keeps God away, life is not human any more. People and societies that rejected God have historically seen moral and social decay.

Freedom without restraint is chaos. It is like a kite who wants to go free. The owner uses the string to keep it in check not to be tossed away by the wind. Instead of blowing away with the wind, they rise against the winds to achieve great heights. One kite wished as it soared up, "Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!" and succeeded in breaking loose. "Free at last" it seemed to say. "Free to fly with the wind." Yet freedom from restraint simply put it at the mercy of an unsympathetic forces of the wind. It fluttered ungracefully to the ground and landed in a tangled mass of weeds and bushes.  The creator has placed certain restrictions on us biologically, socially, culturally and spiritually. Restraint is a necessary counterpart to the winds of destruction. Some of us tug at the rules so hard that we never soar to reach the heights we might have obtained.

God gives us adversity and restrictions, rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength. When we recognize and accept some of the restraints that the creator has in place, we will be able to rise to the great heights in store for us. Freedom without order is anarchy. Freedom without restraint is rebellion. Freedom without responsibility is foolishness. Freedom without consequences will lead to wickedness.

Blessings

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