“Again Yeshua said, “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that will be mine.’ So the father divided the property between them. As soon as he could convert his share into cash, the younger son left home and went off to a distant country, where he squandered his money in reckless living. But after he had spent it all, a severe famine arose throughout that country, and he began to feel the pinch.
“So he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him any.
“At last he came to his senses and said, ‘Any number of my father’s hired workers have food to spare; and here I am, starving to death! I’m going to get up and go back to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired workers.’ So he got up and started back to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran and threw his arms around him and kissed him warmly. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son –’ but his father said to his slaves, ‘Quick, bring out a robe, the best one, and put it on him; and put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet; and bring the calf that has been fattened up, and kill it; let’s eat and have a celebration! For this son of mine was dead, but now he’s alive again! He was lost, but now he has been found!’ And they began celebrating.
“Now the older son was in the field. As he came close to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of his servants and asked, ‘What’s going on?’ The servant told him, ‘Your brother has come back, and your father has slaughtered the calf that was fattened up, because he has gotten him back safe and sound.’ But the older son became angry and refused to go inside.
“So the father came out and pleaded with him. ‘Look,’ the son answered, ‘I have worked for you all these years, and I have never disobeyed your orders. But you have never even given me a young goat, so that I could celebrate with my friends. Yet this son of yours comes, who squandered your property with prostitutes, and for him you slaughter the fattened calf!’ ‘Son, you are always with me,’ said the father, ‘and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead but has come back to life – he was lost but has been found.’” (Luke 15:11-32, Complete Jewish Bible)
This parable of the prodigal son has been examined and used to teach about forgiveness of our heavenly Father, and that’s valid. Our heavenly Father loves us dearly and we have been reconciled to God through the bloody and acceptable sacrifice of his Son, Yeshua the Messiah. There have also been sermons focusing on the reaction of the older son who, when hearing music and dancing “became angry and refused to go inside” (Luke 15:28). These include lessons about pride and thinking that one deserves a blessing because of obedience. There are those who also associate the older son to the reaction of the Pharisees and Sadducees during the time of Christ in that these religious groups took no pleasure in seeing the masses turn from their sin to follow Christ.
While certainly these are all important considerations regarding this parable, I believe there is another interpretation that offers us an opportunity to look into our own thoughts. I would like to try to understand this parable with the view of the prodigal son being the Jewish people.
We already know God was a loving Father to the Israelites when he made a covenant with Abraham that they would be his chosen people. “I am establishing my covenant between me and you, along with your descendants after you, generation after generation, as an everlasting covenant, to be God for you and for your descendants after you.” (Genesis 17:7, Complete Jewish Bible) It’s important to understand this is an everlasting covenant, and God, who cannot lie, will not break the covenant he made with Abraham, and subsequently with the nation of Israel.
In this parable the younger son returns full of guilt, shame and remorse. This reflects the attitude of the Jewish people once God revives his chosen people and begins the restoration process. “I will go and return to my place, till they admit their guilt and search for me, seeking me eagerly in their distress.” (Hosea 5:15, Complete Jewish Bible)
After being told his older son refused to join the celebration, the father comes out to plead with him. Rather than listen to his father, the older son tries to make a case for his father to reject the younger son (Luke 15:29-30).
I believe the pleadings of the father in this parable reflect what our heavenly Father is saying to the church. While there is an unspoken mindset that the church has somehow replaced the Israelites, God is planning a reunion with the Jewish people, and he wants to include the church. As the father is saying to his older son, our heavenly Father is saying to the church, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours” (Luke 15:31). There are those who do not want to include the Jewish people out of jealousy, thinking they squandered away their right to be his favorites. This attitude is reflected in the resentment of the older son towards his brother.
The Israelites did turn to other gods, prostituting themselves with the gods of other nations (Jeremiah 3:6). But God still yearns for his children to return to him, just as the father in this parable yearned for his younger son.
“We had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead but has come back to life – he was lost but has been found.” (Luke 15:32) God plans to raise up his people from the dead. “‘Then you will know that I am Adonai – when I have opened your graves and made you get up out of your graves, my people! I will put my Spirit in you; and you will be alive. Then I will place you in your own land; and you will know that I, Adonai, have spoken, and that I have done it.’ says Adonai.” (Ezekiel 37:13-14) “For if their casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation for the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead!” (Romans 11:15)
The father in this parable reminds his older son that they are brothers. It was not God’s plan to have Gentiles and Jews separate, but rather there would be a joint community of believers. “in union with the Messiah and through the Good News the Gentiles were to be joint heirs, and joint body and joint sharers with the Jews in what God has promised.” (Ephesians 3:6, Complete Jewish Bible)
The father also points out the younger son “was lost but has been found.” The father desperately wants the older son to rejoice along with him now that the younger son has returned. Replacement thinking and resentment will not change the fact that there will be reunification of God with his people. The choice is whether the church will embrace the reunion and celebrate along with the Jewish people, or whether they will refuse to join in the celebration and be left outside.
There is a passage in Luke when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple to fulfill the requirements for a firstborn son. A man named Simeon had been told by God that he would not die until he saw the Messiah, and on this day, he saw Jesus. He blessed him as the Messiah (Luke 2:29-32), and made the following statement to Mary, “…This child will cause many in Israel to fall and to rise, he will become a sign whom people will speak against; moreover, a sword will pierce your heart too. All this will happen in order to reveal many people’s inmost thoughts.” (Luke 2:34-35, Complete Jewish Bible)
It often takes some circumstance outside the norm to reveal what people really think because we have become a society of pretenders. The older son had resentment in his heart before his brother returned and it was on full display when his brother actually did return. Same with us today. What will be your reaction when God comes to reunite with his people?
“for God’s free gifts and his calling are irrevocable. Just as you yourselves [Gentiles] were disobedient to God before but have received mercy now because of Israel’s disobedience; so also Israel has been disobedient now, so that by your showing them the same mercy that God has shown you, they too may now receive God’s mercy.” (Romans 11:29-31, Complete Jewish Bible) “But when the kindness and love for mankind of God our Deliverer was revealed, he delivered us. It was not on the ground of any righteous deeds we had done, but on the ground of his own mercy…” (Titus 3:4-5, Complete Jewish Bible) “For judgment will be without mercy toward one who doesn’t show mercy; but mercy wins out over judgment.” (James 2:13, Complete Jewish Bible)
Now is the time to identify and address any hidden hostility towards the Jewish people. God the Father and his Son, Yeshua, want to include you in the celebration. “Rejoice with Jerusalem! Be glad with her, all you who love her!” (Isaiah 66:10, Complete Jewish Bible)