The parable of the Prodigal Son is probably one of the best known stories in the world. It is easy to see why. Every time I read it I get some new insight, usually about myself. In one short story we get the point of view of the repentant sinner, the self righteous man who scorns the sinner and, most of all to my mind, the loving father who understands each all too well and loves them anyway ... God, the Father. Here are some of William Barclay's insights that enriched the meaning further for me.
THE YOUNGER SON
He came home; and, according to the best Greek text, his father never gave him the chance to ask to be a servant. He broke in before that. The robe stands for honor; the ring for authority, for if a man gave to another his signet ring it was the same as giving him the power of attorney; the shoes for a son as opposed to a slave, for children of the family were shod and slaves were not.
THE FATHER
This is not from Barclay as far as I know but from something I read and for which I can't remember the source. No man of dignity ever ran anywhere, certainly not an important man like the father in this parable. This father, however, not only was watching and waiting for his son but actually ran to him, abandoning all dignity in his joy. To me this is one of the greatest moments in the Gospels, picturing God's overwhelming eagerness to bring us home again.
THE OLDER SON
He stands for the self-righteous Pharisees who would rather see a sinner destroyed than saved. Certain things stand out about him.
(i)His attitude shows that his years of obedience to his father had been years of grim duty and not of loving service.
(ii)His attitude is one of utter lack of sympathy. He refers to the prodigal, not as my brother but as your son. ...
(iii)He had a peculiarly nasty mind. There is no mention of harlots until he mentions them. He, no doubt, suspected his brother of the sins he himself would have liked to commit.
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