The Prodigal Son and Redemption

[Hovannes]

So the father in the parable is a Christ figure, not a God figure? That makes much more sense. Funny that I never hear that in sermons. Or maybe I was asleep.

[Del]

So the father in the parable is a Christ figure, not a God figure? That makes much more sense. Funny that I never hear that in sermons. Or maybe I was asleep.

Christ is God, of course.

But the senses of forgiveness and restoration are attributed to Christ.

[Hovannes]

So the father in the parable is a Christ figure, not a God figure? That makes much more sense. Funny that I never hear that in sermons. Or maybe I was asleep.

Christ is God, of course.

But the senses of forgiveness and restoration are attributed to Christ.

Christ being both fully divine and fully human, right? Sort of different people in the trinitarian scheme.
God is always referred to as the Father, which makes it easy to confuse with the father in the Parable, and Christ referred to as the son, which further confuses the Parable's cast.

[Del]

So the father in the parable is a Christ figure, not a God figure? That makes much more sense. Funny that I never hear that in sermons. Or maybe I was asleep.

Christ is God, of course.

But the senses of forgiveness and restoration are attributed to Christ.

Christ being both fully divine and fully human, right? Sort of different people in the trinitarian scheme.
God is always referred to as the Father, which makes it easy to confuse with the father in the Parable, and Christ referred to as the son, which further confuses the Parable's cast.

The disciples hearing the parable didn't know about the Trinity yet.

Just as the Apostles, first hearing the Lord's Prayer and "Give us today our daily bread," didn't know about the Eucharist yet.

Chesterton suggests that Jesus was barely able to contain his laughter at all of the great wonders He was setting up.

Joy, which was the small publicity of the pagan, is the gigantic secret of the Christian. And as I close this chaotic volume I open again the strange small book from which all Christianity came; and I am again haunted by a kind of confirmation. The tremendous figure which fills the Gospels towers in this respect, as in every other, above all the thinkers who ever thought themselves tall. His pathos was natural, almost casual. The Stoics, ancient and modern, were proud of concealing their tears. He never concealed His tears; He showed them plainly on His open face at any daily sight, such as the far sight of His native city. Yet He concealed something. Solemn supermen and imperial diplomatists are proud of restraining their anger. He never restrained His anger. He flung furniture down the front steps of the Temple, and asked men how they expected to escape the damnation of Hell. Yet He restrained something. I say it with reverence; there was in that shattering personality a thread that must be called shyness. There was something that He hid from all men when He went up a mountain to pray. There was something that He covered constantly by abrupt silence or impetuous isolation. There was some one thing that was too great for God to show us when He walked upon our earth; and I have sometimes fancied that it was His mirth.

[gaining_age]

Wos is right.. there are always layers with a parable.

The father ran to meet the son ... this is not tradition- -this breaks the mold and image of a "dignified sitting at the ranch" but expresses the excitement of return and reconciliation. Perhaps reconciliation is the "R" word of focus in this parable.

The other son is judging and wants no part of the reconciliation/party but the father has time and patience with him too as he rebukes him gently-- a word for the pharisees that were listening. A changed heart is worth celebrating... the focus, perhaps, this time, is not about the method of the change but the behavior of each. One reflects internally and says my father's servants had it better-- a change of heart and one of humility with confession. He planned his response of contriteness and approach. The other reflects out of jealousy "what's all this now?"... "where's my fatted calf? "

Reflection.. .another "R" word for the parable. Plenty going on in this one to sit down and think about.

G.