YOUNGER
A man had two sons. The YOUNGER said to his father, ‘Father, let me have the share of the estate that would come to me.’
The hearers of Luke’s Gospel will have been familiar with the opening of this parable. In the literary conventions of the Old Testament, when a story starts with a man having two sons, it is usual to identify with the younger. We can trace a thread in the story of our salvation history through younger sons whose deeds, and at times, misdeeds, were part of the fulfilment of God’s promises.
The human dynamics in the parable of the Prodigal Son cannot fail to touch our own experience. The younger son’s choice to go off into the world with his dreams and a bag of money always stirs me. His barefoot and bedraggled return to his father, portrayed so poignantly by Rembrandt, is fixed firmly in my biblical imagination. What is less commonly portrayed is the son’s full restoration with robe, sandals and a ring. Every sign of the father’s acceptance and welcome is lavished on the younger son. The long sleeved robe is likely to be the best garment that the father has. The sandals mean that the father has restored him as a household member and not a slave. And the ring, likely used as a family seal, assures the son that his lineage is not in question. The son is now safe and secure in his father’s love. This love is to be celebrated with a feast.
How has God made his love known to you this Lent?
(Luke 15 1-3, 11-32. Saturday, First Week of Lent)