A Man, Two Sons … & Us
What is it about this parable which has caught us, and not only us, but so many of our mothers and fathers along the way? The two best-loved parables – the father and his two sons, and the gracious, courageous Samaritan – are told in Luke’s Gospel alone, and they are the ones which have
What is it about this parable which has caught us, and not only us, but so many of our mothers and fathers along the way?
The two best-loved parables – the father and his two sons, and the gracious, courageous Samaritan – are told in Luke’s Gospel alone, and they are the ones which have not only found their way into our vocabulary, but 
caught our imagination and hope.
Like all good stories, we begin simply, A man had two sons. From this point the story goes downhill, and even when signs of hope and healing appear, more begins to hit the fan. This man (generous, gracious, faithful) and his two (callow and repentant, obedient and graceless) sons hold us enthralled.
And like all good stories, it leaves us hanging. Does the older son join the party, or maintain his rage? Does the younger son truly repent, or does he abscond again in a few months’ time? And what of the father; is his grace eventually exhausted?
Like all good stories we have found ourselves draw in, and discern our own answer, because we have found our role.
Luke surrounds this parable with at least two others shaped by hospitality, and leads into this story of two sons and their father with a lost coin and lost sheep. Is it any surprise that two sons are lost – and found?
So, why has this parable caught hold of us?
Is it because one of these char
acters reminds us of ourselves? Is this family our own, or living near to our hearts? How often is the story of inheritance and irresponsibility told across the generations of our community?
Perhaps it is also because we long to know this father of two sons. That he would wait, and watch, for his wayward boy, and run to him, welcoming him with all the love for which we could hope at our most desperate. That this father would leave the resurrection party to offer life to his unforgiving son.
So, reader of this story, participant in this parable of our own, how will this story end?