Maybe we misunderstood the Prodigal son
The story of the prodigal son documented in the bible can be found in Luke chapter 15 verses 11 – 32. Jesus tells the story of a man that had 2 sons and at some point, the youngest son decided he wanted to become his own man. He asked his father for his own part of the inheritance and took it to a faraway land to start out his life. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t manage his inheritance properly and ended up squandering everything. He tried to find work but the economic situation was bad and the only work he could find was to feed pigs. Life became hard and unbearable for someone that grew up in a life of comfort so he decided to go back and beg his father for forgiveness. His father, on seeing him, was only too happy so he threw a party to celebrate his return.
This is one of the popular bible stories and it’s often used to teach a couple of morals in different churches. It’s a story I’m familiar with and I’ve often felt there are certain aspects of the story that don’t get enough attention. This is my attempt at shining some light on these areas so join me as I go over them.
The prodigal son was Inexperienced
At the very start of the story in verse 12, we find out that the younger son is the protagonist. While age may not be the best indicator of rating a person’s experience, it is a factor that is usually considered. I like to think that the story could have been told without emphasizing this point but given that his experience or lack thereof plays a great role in the turn of events, it gives us an indicator of why this was stated.
He wanted to become a HIS own man
In verse 13, the prodigal son decides he wants to become his own man and the way this is done is to leave his father’s house and move to another place. After all, the scriptures said:
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. — Genesis 2:24
The prodigal son may have had this in mind and just thought it was time. Besides, this is not an isolated case. It isn’t unusual for a man to leave his father’s house to go find his way. It can be observed throughout the bible as what was expected of you as a man.
Even away from the bible, it’s a pattern that can be observed in today’s society. Most people refer to society today as a Patriarchal society. This often means the man has more power and authority in society than the woman. More power comes with more responsibility and in most parts of society, the man is expected to take charge in terms of providing and protecting.
So the prodigal son wasn’t doing something niche, it’s a common theme to this day.
Inevitably, he faced challenges…
Just like everyone that has ever set out to do something, he faced challenges. He had probably set out on this adventure excited as to what he could achieve. It’s always exciting when you’re starting something new and I like to imagine this was how he felt. But due to his lack of experience, he failed to manage his finances properly and ended up wasting it, partying and women (cause what else does a young man do when he’s suddenly given so much wealth? invest?).
To make matters worse, just when he realized that he has run out of money and is probably thinking of what next to do, the economy is hit with a recession. There was a famine (verse 14). This is a challenge that is often not appreciated enough. Maybe he would have found his feet again if there wasn’t a famine but I guess we’ll never know. However, his experience was a significant factor in how he handled the situation.
Uncharacteristically, he swallowed his pride and asked for help
I use the word “uncharacteristically” here because a lot of the time, due to pride and ego, men won’t ask for help. I don’t know if we are hardwired that way or if there’s some science behind it but we don’t usually ask for help.
The young man tried to find a job but the only job he found was feeding pigs (verse 15). And even then, he could still barely eat to the point that he wished he could eat what the pigs ate! That’s a really low point for a person to get to. So he swallowed his pride and decided to go back to his father and ask him to take him back, as a servant (verse 18). His self-esteem at this point must have been in the mud, quite literally. Some people may say he took the “easy” way out by going back to his father. My question is “do you really like suffering that much?”
A father’s love
When his father spotted him from afar, he went and gave him a kiss and hug (verse 20). He threw him a party and showered him with love and affection because as far as he knew, the boy had died (verse 24). It’s not like they had social media or phones back in the day to keep in touch. Back then, once someone left for another country, there were really no easy ways of staying in touch. For all you knew, they could be dead and this was why the father must have been excited to see him again.
I really like the story of the prodigal son because there’s a lot of depth to it. There are many aspects and lessons that can be learned from it so it’s great to be able to drop some of the things I picked up on.
