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“And the father divided his property between his sons.”
– Jesus, “The Parable of the Prodigal Son” (Luke 15:12)

Jesus’ story of a father and two sons begins with the younger son’s scandalous request for his inheritance. A bigger shock follows: the father gives the younger son what he asks for! He actually splits the inheritance between both his sons.

In Middle Eastern culture, the older son would be expected to build a bridge between the father and the younger son and avoid public humiliation. But instead of trying to restore the family’s fellowship, the older son silently takes his part of the fortune. There is neither outcry against the younger brother’s action, nor passionate defense of the father’s honor. The older son pockets his inheritance and stays quiet. His silence is deafening.

Jesus is painting a picture of two types of lost people. The first is openly rebellious – the “in your face” sin of the younger son. Then there’s a more subtle type of sinner – seen in the older son. He represents someone who appears to be near God but is actually far away. He’s the church member who wants God’s blessing but could care less about God’s name being honored, or about being an agent of reconciliation. He doesn’t care about his father or his brother – only about himself and what he can get out of the situation.

Lost people generally fall into one of the two categories: openly rebellious (the younger son), and inwardly rebellious (the older son). Instead of filling the role of a family mediator, the older son turns out to be the greedy hypocrite, shirking his duty as a member of the family. Jesus will confirm the image of the older brother later on in the story, but for now, the drama will continue to center around the younger son and his atrocious actions.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2007 Kingdom People blog

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