1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.
Continuing his journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, near the end of his ministry and following his hard teachings on what is required in order for the people to become a disciple of his, many sinners are drawn to Jesus including individuals like tax collectors. Some versions like KJV translate this as publican but the Greek word “telōnēs” actually denotes an individual employed by a publican (an official representative of sorts) who does the grunt work of actually going to individuals and establishments to collect the taxes on the publicans behalf.
You would dislike the man in charge for using your hard earned money but you would really despise the face of the person who turned up at your door trying to collect it. A tax collector was a detestable class of people for many reasons and that is why they are allotted in the same grouping of individuals as sinners.
From the gentile perspective these people took your money and in many cases lined their pockets by claiming you owed more than you did and from the Jewish perspective were both that and were serving the enemy hostile force that had taken over the promised land given to them by God. From the Jewish perspective the tax collector was betraying the commandments, stealing from neighbour, and idolatry because the money they collected was used by gentiles for pagan worship.
2 And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
3 So he told them this parable:
Both Pharisees and scribes are legitimate teachers of the law Matthew 23:2 and they are murmuring or more literally “grumbling indignantly” as the word “diagongyzō” is almost always used in this context. The same word is used in Exodus 16:2 “2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness”. And is reminiscent of Numbers 12:1-16 where Aaron and Miriam, Moses’ siblings, murmured against him due to his marriage to a Cushite woman. A perceived injustice at rightful authority in this context because Jesus “received and eats” with people the Pharisees consider to be unclean this indicates the incorrect assumptions about God’s intentions towards his people. It is to them that he directs the parable. He actually tells more than one but the lectionary today skips the first and jumps to the Prodigal Son story.
11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons;
12 and the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.’ And he divided his living between them.
The parable introduces a wealthy family of a father and two sons. First of all a little introduction to traditional family structures in the ancient world. The eldest son gets gets a majority of the inheritance typically articulated as a “double portion” he also inherits the patriarchal crown of the families legacy. When the father dies, the eldest son becomes to de-facto leader of the family house. That detail of “when the father dies” is important. In the parable not only is the son that asks for his portion of the inheritance not the eldest but he is asking for something that he is supposed to get when his father dies. He doesn’t realise it but he essentially saying “you’re dead to me” to his own father by doing this. He does not notice because of his preoccupation with his material desires.
13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living.
14 And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want.
To prove by action how much his father is dead to him, he gathers all his inheritance and leaves the house. He wants the inheritance of his family without the family home or obligations, extra insult to injury. On top of all this he then uses all this wealth on “loose living”.
The Greek word for “loose living” is “asōtōs“, it is an adverb meaning recklessly, wastefully, prodigally, dissolutely. In Greek literature it often describes lavish and self-destructive lifestyles, including excessive feasting, drinking, and sexual immorality. Philo, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, uses it to describe the wastefulness of foolish individuals who indulge in excess. The term also connotes moral corruption, which may include sexual immorality, drunkenness, or general debauchery. So the worst of behaviours are being pursued with this wealth.
Once he has used up all his wealth, the foreign land he occupies enters into a famine. So he becomes financially destitute in a land that is in itself destitute.
15 So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything.
He seeks refuge as an indentured servant with one of the citizens in the foreign country. Although it is not said specifically, because of the context the characters of this parable are Jews. The son has gone to a Gentile country. He as a Jew has put himself under bonds of a Gentile landowner, this is a humiliating position to be in but it does not stop there. His job has this indentured servant is to feed pigs, an unclean animal from Jewish purity beliefs. He has reached such a low point in his life that he hungers even for the food of the unclean animals.
17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;
19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’
Becoming aware of his incredibly low situation, he comes to his senses and realises that even the servants of his father back home are not left wanting, if he is going to be a servant he might as well go back there where he can at least be fed fully. In order to do this he realises he must make amends with his father first so he runs through his mind the confession that he will bring to his father. He has sinned against him and by extension, against God because in order to sin against his father he had to dishonour him, breaking one of the commandments and his other behaviours have broken other Jewish Laws. He says to himself that he will tell his father he is willing to come back as a hired servant as he is not worthy to be his son.
20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
So he rises from his foreign squalor and returns home to his father but while even at a distance his father, who has been waiting for his return this entire time, looks on him with compassion, runs to him, takes him in his arms and kisses him. He says his rehearsed lines to his father, likely expecting a scolding but at least permission to be a lowly servant in his fathers household.
22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet;
23 and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry;
24 for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to make merry.
The father calls to his servants to bring the best robe, a sign of authority and status and put it on his returned son. He is also to be given a ring, this is likely a family ring of authority like those used by kings to sign off official documents but it could also just be a sign of wealth. The son is shoeless, typical of the poor back then but the father tells his servants to give him shoes. Basically a whole bunch of things that the son does not think he deserves. The father explains that, as the sons behaviour essentially expressed the statement “you’re dead to me father”, the father actually saw the behaviour as the son spiritually killing himself. Now he has returned home he is “alive again, he was lost and is found”. The father sees this as a moment to celebrate not punish.
25 “Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant.
27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.’
The elder son, the obedient one who did not leave his father, has been working in his fathers fields and hears the celebrations. He asks the servant what is happening and they tell him the good news that his son has returned to their fathers household. At this point it should be obvious that not only is this parable that of sinners come to repentance but also that of the Old Covenant people and the Gentiles. The Gentiles losing their inheritance at Babel and Abraham, along with his descendants, inheriting the status of the first sons of Yahweh.
28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,
29 but he answered his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends.
30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!’
The elder son who never left the fathers house and responsibilities, instead of rejoicing with his father, is indignant at his brothers return and refuses to join the celebrations. He points out his reasoning being that because he has served his father this whole time and has never received such a celebration he should be angry. This is pointing as we have mentioned toward sinners and the Gentiles. Many Jews despite their scripture saying rather explicitly that the Gentiles will re-join in the Covenant with God, their shallow human “wisdom” perceived this as undeserved. Of course it wasn’t it was their lack of understanding of God’s extreme mercy. A mercy that has always been extending to them but they in their normalising of it started acting like fish not being aware of the water they live in.
31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
32 It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”
The Father, just like the Father in Heaven points out that the elder son has always had everything he ever wanted and his current feelings are coming from a place of envy. Negative feelings because someone you don’t like has something. He explains that his younger brother has been dead and lost but now he is alive and has been found. It is in time a moment to rejoice.
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