Prodigal vs. Lost Sons

The traditional interpretation of the parable of the prodigal son teaches us about the need for repentance and reconciliation in our lives. The story is about a son who seeks to receive his inheritance while his father is still alive. The father agrees and gives the son his third of the estate, which he promptly sells before he leaves the country. The story culminates with his return home in poverty and humiliation after all is spent.

Too often the focus of the parable is the son’s repentance and father’s compassion. The real question here is: what was Yeshua saying to the Jewish community of the day? The story doesn’t end with the younger son’s return; we see that the father throws a celebration for his wayward son and the older brother takes issue with the father’s forgiveness and generosity. Traditionally, those who have analyzed this parable have looked to the identity of the father to establish the focus of the message in the parable. Some have tried to identify the father as Yeshua, while others insist that the parable simply shows the immutable love and character of God the Father.

In this essay we will consider a different focus as we contemplate the identity of the sons. The Prophet Isaiah writes in Chapter 49 verse 6:

he says: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."

We see that Yeshua’s primary assignment was to restore the tribes of Jacob; those tribes of Israel that were scattered to the nations. God then tasked Yeshua to be a light to the Gentiles (Nations) with his salvation for all who would believe. Ten of the twelve tribes of Jacob (Israel) had been scattered to the Nations, while two tribes, Judah and Benjamin remained obedient to God’s covenant. Much like the prodigal son, they sought the Father’s inheritance without a commitment to stay at home and walk in obedience. The Prophet Ezekiel in Chapter 37 verse 19 makes direct reference to the two bodies that make up Israel; Ephraim, the lost sons and Judah the obedient sons.

say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim's hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah's stick, making them a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.'

The prelude to the parable in Luke Chapter 15 tells us a little about Yeshua’s audience during the telling of this story:

Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

Consider that the Jews of the day represent the older brother. Represented by the Pharisees in authority, these sons had been obedient to the Father, in their safeguarding of the Torah, while their younger brothers Ephraim ventured off to live among the Nations. On one hand we can view this scattering of Ephraim to the Nations as a consequence of their disobedience; or, on the other hand, the scripture says ‘that I have kept’, implying that we can view this as the details of God’s plan to preserve Ephraim and seed belief in Him (the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) throughout the earth.

There is, likewise, a Hebrew understanding of the older brother’s responsibility as a mediator in this story. When the younger brother made the request of his father, it was the older brother’s silence that reveals his true heart. Rather than insist that his younger brother repent to their father and stay at home, he said nothing and also received his inheritance early. Upon the younger brother’s return, the older brother is critical of his father’s celebration and restoration of the prodigal son to the family. Yeshua may have been sending a message to the Jews of the day in the same way that Matthew wrote of in Chapter 15 verse 8, when Yeshua quoted Isaiah saying:

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

God’s desire is for His obedient sons to come to their senses and realize that their responsibility goes beyond obedience, and that their destiny is tied to the relationship that they share with all of God’s sons, showing love for one another without judgment, and pursuing a deeper understanding of their Father’s compassion.

Today the lost sons, scattered to the Nations, are not only direct Israelite descendants, but also those adopted sons of Abraham by faith. God’s desire is for His lost sons to also come to their senses and realize that their inheritance is not a matter of earthly things, but that they are blessed when they return to the covering of His covenant instruction and desire for His presence.

How do you share your faith?

Lately, I have had lots of conversations about what it means to share your faith. Undoubtedly, most believers hear that as a call to enrollment. Last November I attended my youngest sister's wedding. I was pleasantly surprised to find that a Rabbi was performing the wedding ceremony. I say pleasantly because I consider myself to be a Hebrew; meaning, I am a Christian first, and have 'crossed over' to embrace much of what I consider Biblical Judaism. I say surprised because neither my sister nor her husband has significant ties to the Jewish faith. This was an opportunity to share what I believe theologically, but the question remains: Is that how you share your faith?
Friday evening, as we were beginning Shabbat dinner, the doorbell rang and two ladies asked me to read a couple Watchtower leaflets. They also asked if they could stop by sometime afterward to answer any questions I might have; I said yes. Does sharing your faith require a call to action?
In the past, when I hear the term 'laborers', I envisioned believers winning souls for Jesus, but I'm not sure that all Christians see laborers that way. Or for that matter, have the same perception of what the field/harvest represents. How do you share your faith? And, what does being a laborer mean to you?