The prodigal son story in 2019

There is no more important story in the development of Christianity than the story of the prodigal son. Read the story in chapter 15 of the Luke gospel. It is a story about an irresponsible son, a gracious and forgiving father, and a bewildered older brother. Can the story be traced to Jesus? Probably not.

How could the prodigal son story get from unwritten Aramaic in Galilee to written Greek in Judea? The task of discovering the path of a particular story from language to language and area to other areas is not only difficult, it seems almost endless and a bit frustrating.

However, translation from one language to another is not the only difficulty. Jesus was a story teller. He told his stories in Aramaic. He understandably told his stories in the historic and cultural setting in which he lived. It was a very different setting in contrast to our modern world of 2019. A major challenge appears when translating his stories from an ancient culture to a modern culture. He lived in rural Galilee. We live in modern, largely urban America.

How can we reliably assume that Luke’s version of the story of the prodigal son actually came from Jesus? In his introduction, the Luke writer says that many people had attempted to write an account of the life of Jesus. He decided to join in this research and writing challenge. Luke was a researcher. It is here that the Luke writer and I hook up. I too am a researcher. We have the same goal. We want to get as close to the Jesus of history that we possibly can.

When the Luke gospel was written, the writer had Mark and other written sources in front of him. He selected what he wanted to report. He did not find the story of the prodigal in Mark or in any other known source of which we are aware. The conclusion? The Luke writer did a bit of creative writing.

The basic story is familiar. It has a classic plot. There is conflict between a son and a father with an added conflict between brothers. Can such conflicts be resolved? In the Luke story, conflict is resolved, not by judgements or penalties but by abundant grace. The inherent discomfort with such a solution is a part of the story.

We can speculate why the Luke writer would tell such a story. The times in which the Luke gospel was written were filled with tension among followers of Jesus. The Luke writing took place after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple by the occupying Romans. Until the temple destruction, followers of Jesus saw themselves as reforming Jews. They used the temple and the synagogues of Judaism. With the destruction of the temple, everything changed. Followers of Jesus carved out a distinct faith that did not need a temple or a priesthood. The truest identity of Jesus was debated with new intensity. The Luke writer was in the middle of the debate. The same writer wrote the gospel of Luke and then wrote the story of the great separation of Christians from Judaism in the book of the Acts of the Apostles.

More than any other part of the book of Luke, the parable of the prodigal son laid down the key issue with which the followers of Jesus faced. Luke says it plainly. The people who follow Jesus are to be a people of abundant grace. No judging; no condemning; no penalties. The goal is restoration. The goal is making whole. The Luke writer made his point by telling a story. We might argue with the story; we might side with the older brother. But Luke brought his perspective. It does not matter whether or not Jesus ever told the story.

There was no shortage of Jesus followers who felt that Luke’s perspective goes too far. Are there no penalties for wrong living? Are there no consequences for foolishness? Should reparations be required? Is there at least a period of probation? Should not an offender be required to earn their way back to full acceptance?

The parable says to throw a party and celebrate the return of the foolish, separated son/brother.

The world and America need a full dose of the prodigal story and message in 2019. We are now in the Church’s Easter season. We need a new birth of love, joy, peace, kindness, forgiveness, grace and mercy. These are the appeal of the Jesus gospel. Luke wrote a great story. He got it right.

The End

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska. He is pastor emeritus of Church of the Covenant. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.