Trinity Church Online Classroom

My thoughts surrounding the parable of the prodigal son always revolve around the relationships between the people in the story. So I would rename it the relationship parable. Because the relationships are so varied and because they change during the course of the story, I believe most everyone who reads it can identify with one or more of the characters depicted. We've all been the brash young son, the equitable father, the humbled young son, the worried grieving father, the compassionate forgiving father, the rejoicing father, the loyal older son, the cynical dissatisfied older son, the peacemaking father - and if not, we have certainly been close bystanders to these very relationship dynamics. I think this is why the story of the prodigal son always been popularly depicted in art and remains a favorite text for preaching and study.