I read a new book series a few weeks ago, and not only was it an amazing fictional story; it also enlightened me to a new way to look at one of the parables. The Mark of the Lion trilogy by Francine Rivers begins in A.D. 70 with the fall of Jerusalem. It is the story of Hadassah, a young Jewish girl taken captive by the Romans and sold into slavery to a family in Rome. She is not only Jewish, but also a Christian. She lives her life as an example to the family and tells them the stories of not only the Jewish people, but also the stories of Christ and His parables. I won’t give the gist of the book away, because it truly is amazing, but one part in particular was fascinating to me. And it was her telling of the parable about the Prodigal Son. It is not an unfamiliar story for most people; in fact I’m sure if you are old enough you may even have heard with a flannel graph! It’s just one of the most popular bible stories that are taught to children in Sunday School.
You know how the story goes, there’s a dad and two sons. The older son is faithful, follows direction and generally gives the dad no trouble. The younger son is rather wild, wants his inheritance ASAP and after the father acquiesces he goes and blows it all on “wine, women and fast camels”. Long story short, he loses all the money, has to tend pigs (not a kosher job for anyone Jewish), and then decides to offer himself as a slave to his dad. He heads home, and while a fair piece down the road, his dad sees him … and RUNS towards him with open arms. Dad then forgives, restores his son and throws him a party. This in turn really ticks off the older “good” brother. The father’s response is what we all remember, “my son who was lost is now found. All that is mine is now yours.”
We are always taught about the younger brother, who repented and was restored. We learn about the dad, who showed mercy and forgiveness and love. We even sometimes hear about the older brother and how he is both good and bad. Good in that he follows his father’s instructions, but bad in that he is resentful towards his brother. But how often have we looked at it from the 50,000 foot level? Suppose the older son represented the Jewish nation and the younger son the Gentiles. The Jewish nation was given the law, the prophets, King David and the lineage from which Messiah would come. They were given the scriptures about the prophecies of His coming, and like the older son, they KNEW in their head, but not in their heart. The Gentiles knew naught and lived however they desired until one day Jesus opened their eyes and ears to the reality of a forgiving Father who loved them and took them into His arms, even though they had disobeyed and misconstrued the examples given to them. Isn’t it fascinating how when Jesus said “he who has ears to hear, let him hear” he implies that it is not our physical ears but our spiritual ones that really need to listen up?
