One of the more popular parables of our Lord is the story of the Prodigal Son. The parable is a reminder of the inexhaustible mercy of God for the sinner. St Luke presents Jesus’ most beautiful illustration of this. At the same time, the parable shows the dark side of the human heart, that is, even the good man has a hard time to accept the repentant sinner. Our ability to forgive and willingness to accept the sinner are strong indicators of how much we have become God’s true image and likeness.
The parable makes us identify with both sons. We need forgiveness to be saved, and we also have to forgive to be saved, as we pray so often in the Our Father. The parable tells us that the Father had more trouble in the end with the attitude of the older son, for he was not open to God’s love and mercy. Jesus won over the sinners, but he met resistance from the Pharisees because of their self-righteousness. The parable is consoling for us if we are the younger son. God never rejects a sinner who comes back to him, no matter how deep his fall or how shallow his sorrow.
The parable may cause us discomfort if we are the older son, for we are not as joyful in forgiving as the Father.
