Parable of the Prodigal Son

– The Return of the Prodigal Son () – Brooklyn Museum The parable begins with a wealthy man who has two sons, the younger of whom asks for his share of the man's estate. The implication is that the son did not want to wait for his father's death to receive his inheritance but instead wanted it immediately. The father agrees and divides his estate between the two sons. Upon receiving his portion of the inheritance, the younger son travels to a distant country, where he squanders his wealth through reckless living. He runs out of money just before a severe famine strikes the land, leaving him desperately poor and forced to take a low-paying job as a swineherd. He reaches the point of envying the food of the pigs he is feeding. At this time, he finally comes to his senses: This implies that the father was watching hopefully for the son's return. The son starts his rehearsed speech, admitting his sins, and declaring himself unworthy of being his father's son but does not even finish before his father accepts him back without hesitation. The father calls for his servants to dress the son in the finest robe and put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet and to slaughter the "fatted calf" for a celebratory meal. The older son, who was at work in the fields, hears the sound of celebration and is told by a slave about the return of his younger brother. He is not impressed and becomes angry. He also has a speech for his father: The parable stops with the father explaining that while the older son has always been present and that everything the father owns also belongs to the older son, because the younger son had returned, in a sense, from the dead, celebration was necessary: ==Interpretation==

'', a 1618 painting by Peter Paul Rubens portraying the son as a swineherd , 1538 The opening, "A man had two sons" is a storyteller's trope and would immediately bring to mind Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, and Jacob and Esau. Jesus then confounds the listeners' expectations when the younger son is shown to be foolish. While a number of commentators see the request of the younger son for his share of the inheritance as "brash, even insolent" and "tantamount to wishing that the father was dead," Upon his return, his father treats the young man with a generosity far more than he has a right to expect. Jewish philosopher Philo observes: The last few verses of the parable summarize the tale in accordance with the Jewish teaching of the two ways of acting: the way of life (obedience) and the way of death (sin). God, according to Judaism, rejoices over and grants more graces to repentant sinners than righteous souls who do not need repentance. Following the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Parable of the Lost Coin, this is the last of three parables about loss and redemption that Jesus tells after the Pharisees and religious leaders accuse him of welcoming and eating with "sinners." The father's joy described in the parable reflects divine love: and "God's refusal to limit the measure of his grace." and the process and blessings of repentance. The Father's forgiving embrace represents God's joy in receiving sinners who return to Him with humility and remorse. It is as an allegory of the Church, with elements like baptism and the Eucharist symbolized through the Father's gifts to his son. As Fr. Potapov cites, Saint Theophan the Recluse compares the sinner with a man sunk into a deep sleep, and in his turning to God he notes three psychological moments that correspond to the parable's events: 1. Awakening from the sleep of sin (); 2. The ripening of resolve to forsake sin and dedicate himself to pleasing God (); 3. Investing the sinner with divine power for this in the "Mysteries of Repentance and Communion". Fr. James Guirguis puts the message in both plainspoken terms, yet also quoting Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk: ==Commemoration and use==

based on the parable, Charleston, South Carolina Orthodox The Eastern Orthodox Church traditionally reads this story on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, which in their liturgical year is the Sunday before Meatfare Sunday and about two weeks before the beginning of Great Lent. One common hymn of the occasion reads: Roman Catholic In his 1984 apostolic exhortation titled, in Latin, ('Reconciliation and Penance'), Pope John Paul II used this parable to explain the process of conversion and reconciliation. Emphasizing that God the Father is "rich in mercy" and always ready to forgive, he stated that reconciliation is a "gift on his part". He stated that for the Church her "mission of reconciliation is the initiative, full of compassionate love and mercy, of that God who is love." He also explored the issues raised by this parable in his second encyclical, ('Rich in Mercy'), issued in 1980. ==In the arts==

, The Return of the Prodigal Son 1662–1669 (Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg) , 1623, like many works of the period, allows a genre scene with moral content. Visual art Of the roughly 30 parables in the canonical Gospels, the Parable of the Prodigal Son was one of four that were shown in medieval art—along with that of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, the Dives and Lazarus, and the Good Samaritan—almost to the exclusion of the others, though not mixed in with the narrative scenes of the Life of Christ. (The Laborers in the Vineyard also appears in Early Medieval works.) Scenes of the prodigal son were a popular subject in Northern Renaissance art. Albrecht Dürer's 1496 engraving is a famous example. In the seventeenth-century, Rembrandt depicted several scenes from the parable, especially the final episode, which he etched, drew, or painted on several occasions during his career. At least one of Rembrandt's works—The Prodigal Son in the Tavern, is a portrait of himself as the son reveling with his wife. The Prodigal Son is a sculpture in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, by George Grey Barnard that depicts the loving reunion of the father and son from the "Parable of the Prodigal Son." Theater In the 15th and 16th centuries, the theme was such a sufficiently popular subject that the 'Prodigal Son play' can be seen as a subgenre of the English morality play. Examples include The Rare Triumphs of Love and Fortune, The Disobedient Child, and Acolastus. Notable adaptations for performance • Many of these adaptations added to the original Biblical material to lengthen the story. For example, The Prodigal (1955) film took considerable liberties, such as adding a temptress priestess of Astarte to the tale. Music • A 1680 Filius prodigus, H.399 & H.399 a, oratorio by Marc-Antoine Charpentier • An 1869 oratorio by Arthur Sullivan; • An 1880 opera by Amilcare Ponchielli; • A 1884 cantata by Claude Debussy; • A 1929 ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to music by Sergei Prokofiev; • A 1957 ballet by Hugo Alfvén; and • A 1968 opera by Benjamin Britten. Popular music The parable is referenced in the last verse of the traditional Irish folk tune "The Wild Rover": "Jump Around" by the Los Angeles rap group House of Pain (1992) includes a verse by member Everlast, who references the parable as well as the Bible itself: Other references and semi-adaptations include • "The Return of the Prodigal Son" by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard appears as the second track in his album Backlash (1967). • "Prodigal Son" by Reverend Robert Wilkins, which tells the story of the parable, is probably better known by the Rolling Stones cover version, which is featured on Beggars Banquet (1968). • "Prodigal Man", written by Ted Nugent, was performed by The Amboy Dukes as the second track of their third album Migration (1969) • "Let Me In" by The Osmonds presents a version of the parable as part of their Mormon concept album The Plan (1973), and was a hit song in its time. • "Prodigal Son" by Steel Pulse, featured on the British Reggae band's debut album Handsworth Revolution (1979), recreates the Biblical story as a Rastafarian parable. • "Prodigal Son" by British heavy-metal band Iron Maiden appears on their second album Killers (1981). • "The First Time" by U2, featured on Zooropa (1993), is based on the parable but suggests an alternate ending to the story. • "Make Me A Servant" by Kelly Willard (1982) could be argued as being based on what the son says to his father when he returns home. • "The Prodigal Son Suite" by Keith Green is featured on his The Prodigal Son (1983) album and is one of the first posthumous releases by the late piano player and gospel singer. • "When God Ran" by Benny Hester (1985), which is based on the parable, is another such song from the 1980s Christian music scene. • "Who Cares?" by Extreme was influenced by the parable and appears on the album III Sides to Every Story (1992). • "Prodigal Son" by Kid Rock appears on his second album The Polyfuze Method (1993). The Detroit musician later re-recorded the track for his History of Rock (2000) compilation album. • "She Walked Away" by BarlowGirl was influenced by the parable and is featured on the Christian rock trio's 2004 self-titled album. • One, a progressive rock concept album released by Neal Morse in 2004, is based on the prodigal son story. • "The Prodigal Son" by the indie rock band, Two Gallants, as part of their What the Toll Tells (2006) album. • "The Prodigal Son's Prayer" by country artist Dierks Bentley, featured on the album Long Trip Alone (2006), is based on the son's perspective of coming home after he's ruined himself in the world. • "Please Come Home" by Dustin Kensrue is the titular song of the album of the same name released in 2007. • "Prodigal Son" by Bad Religion is featured on New Maps of Hell (2007). • "Prodigal Son" by rock band Sevendust is featured on Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow (2008). • "Modern Day Prodigal Son" by Brantley Gilbert is featured on the album of the same name from 2009. • "Prodigal Son" by Gideon appears on the post-hardcore band's second album Milestone (2012). • The parable is used as inspiration for several songs in The Oh Hellos' album Through the Deep Dark Valley. • "Prodigal Son" by Jamie's Elsewhere, a post-hardcore band. • "Left Hand Free" by English indie rock band alt-J (2014) references the parable in the first verse. • "Prodigal" by Sidewalk Prophets is included in the Christian band's Something Different (2015) album. The song is uplifting, with lyrics that are directed towards the titular Son from the parable, or any person who is or has felt like they are in a similar situation. • "When the Prodigal Comes Home" by gospel artists Tribute Quartet (2016). • "Fire in Bone" is a retelling of the parable by the rock band the Killers, featured on their album Imploding the Mirage (2020). • "Prodigal" by Texas southern rock band Blacktop Mojo on their album Burn The Ships (2017). Literature , Louvre, Paris) Another literary tribute to this parable is Dutch theologian Henri Nouwen's 1992 book, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming, in which he describes his own spiritual journey infused with understanding, based on an encounter with Rembrandt's painting that depicts the son's return. The book deals with three personages: the younger, prodigal son; the self-righteous, resentful older son; and the compassionate father—all of whom the author identifies with personally. An earlier work with similarities to the parable is "''Le retour de l'enfant prodigue''" ('The Return of the Prodigal Son'), a short story by André Gide. Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem giving an interpretation of the younger brother's perspective. The poem appears as the heading to the fifth chapter, titled "The Prodigal Son", of his 1901 novel Kim. The parable is a recurring theme in the works of Rainer Maria Rilke, who interpreted it in a different way to the conventional reading. Rilke's version is not so concerned with redemption and the forgiveness of family: the love of the family, and human love in general, was seen as less worthy than unreciprocated love, which is the purest form of love. In loving the family less, the Son can love God more, even if this love is not returned. The theme of the Prodigal Son plays a major role in Anne Tyler's novel A Spool of Blue Thread. The parable is also referred to in two comedies by William Shakespeare, specifically The Merchant of Venice and As You Like It, as well as in Shakespeare's romance, ''The Winter's Tale''. In one of his clemency petitions to the Bombay Presidency in 1913, the Indian independence activist Vinayak Damodar Savarkar described himself as a "prodigal son" longing to return to the "parental doors of the government". ==Similar parable in Mahayana Buddhism==

A parable of a lost son can also be found in the Mahayana Buddhist Lotus Sutra. The two parables share the premise of a father and son being reunited after a time apart, and several scholars have assumed that one version has influenced the other or that both texts share a common origin. However, an influence of the biblical story on the Lotus sutra is very unlikely given the early dating of the stratum of the sutra containing the Buddhist parable. As the decades pass, the father gradually conditions the son to his company and gets him accustomed to special honors. Close to death, the wealthy man reveals his kinship with a public announcement to the whole community. ==See also==