The despised “tax collectors and sinners” were welcome to draw near..
But he said to them this parallel, stating, “What man among you, having a hundred sheep with one of them destroyed, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the lost one until he may find it? And having found, he places it upon his shoulders, rejoicing. And, coming into the house, he calls together the friends and the neighbours, stating to them, ‘Rejoice together with me, in that I found my sheep, the lost one.’ Similarly, I state to you that there will be more joy in heaven over one mind-changed sinful person than over ninety-nine nine righteous who have no mind-change.”
“What man” would? A flock of “sheep” replenishes itself at lambing. Why bother about “one”? Why leave 99 at risk? Why waste celebration money?
“Or what woman, having ten drachmae, with one drachma destroyed, does not touch a lamp and sweep the house and seek carefully until that one she finds? And having found, she calls together the friends and neighbours, stating, ‘Rejoice together with me, in that I found that destroyed drachma.’ Similarly, I state to you, joy comes to be before the angels of God over one mind-changed sinful person.”
“What woman” would? A drachma, at today’s silver price is worth about £6. That’s a couple of flat-whites. Why waste celebration money?
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But he said, “A certain man has two sons and the newer of them said to his father, ‘Father, give to me the set share of the existence!’, and he divided the human-living between them.” |
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Now the “parallel” moves to “a certain man” with “two sons.” Asked by “the newer” for his “set share of the existence,” the “father” gives that to both. Yes, to both – keeping nothing back. He divides all “the human-living.” Has anything like that been given to you? From birth onwards?
“And not many days later, the newer son, gathering all, journeyed away into a long distant region and there he wasted his substance, living life carelessly. But, having spent everything, a mighty famine came to be throughout that same region and he began to be lacking. And, going, he joined himself to one of the citizens of that same region and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to fill his belly with the pods which the pigs were eating and no one was giving to him.”
“The son” exhausted and enslaved himself. His identity became porcine.
“But, having come to himself, he declared, ‘How many of my father’s employees abound in bread, but I destroy myself here in famine. Rising up I will go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I sinned into heaven and in your presence. I am no longer deserving to be called your son. Make me like one of your employees!’ And rising up he came towards the father of himself. But he still being far distant from him, his father saw him and was compassionate and, running, fell upon his neck and kissed him. But the son said to him, ‘Father, I sinned into heaven and in your presence. I am no longer deserving to be called your son.’”
“The son” was “no longer deserving” of anything from “the father of himself.”
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“But the father said to his slaves, ‘Immediately bring out the first robe! And clothe him! And give a ring onto his hand and shoes onto his feet! And bring the grain-fed offspring! Sacrifice! And, eating, we may celebrate because this my son was dying and is alive again, he was destroyed and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.”
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Why “the first robe”? Why “a ring”? Why “shoes”? Why “the” sacrificial lamb? Why “celebrate”? “The father” had the answer - within himself.
The other son also was a “parallel.” See next Info BZ
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