Three Kinds of Servants | Exegetical Fragments

Written by Douglas Wilson

Tuesday, 11 October 2011 09:34

In my reading this morning, I noticed an oddity in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It began with seeing that the older brother in effects identifies himself as his father's slave.

When the younger brother came to his senses, and says that he should be treated as one of his fathers "hired servants" (misthios). This is what he says to himself (Luke 15:19), but when he gets back to his father, he is unable to even get to that part of his prepared speech.

When the older brother comes home and hears the sound of music and dancing, he calls one of the servants (pais), which can be translated as child, or servant, or attendant (Luke 15:26). When his father comes out to plead with him, the son complained that he had worked for many years as a slave for his father (douleuo), and that he didn't think it was right (Luke 15:29).

The younger son offered himself as a servant, and thought it was better than he deserved. His older brother labored as a slave in bondage, and thought it was far worse than he deserved. But their father treats them both as sons throughout.

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dave matre

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 11:34 am

Does the prodigal son, having squandered his inheritance, get a new inheritance, as the robe and ring seem to imply? Or, will everything that is left in the father's estate go to the older brother, as implied in verse 31?

Rob Steele

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 7:15 pm

Dave: "Everything I have is yours" is simultaneously a rebuke to the older brother's slave mentality and reassurance that his inheritance is safe from re-division. The older brother now needs to repent and share. The point was that the Pharisees should repent of their hostility toward God and receive repentant sinners.

Jeremy Myers - We are all both sons

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 5:49 am

In some ways, I think we are all the older son, and all the younger son.

We all sometimes think that God gives us the short end of the stick, and treats us worse than we deserve.

In other ways, we all sometimes think that because of something we did (or are doing), God could never love us, forgive us, or welcome us back into fellowship.

Great post! Thanks.

Jane Dunsworth

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 7:30 am

Jeremy, I agree with you. I've recently been struck by the fact, though, that when read that parable, we all want to think ourselves as that other son -- the one who didn't run away, was generous in spirit toward the prodigal and gently compassionate toward the uptight older one. We stand back and analyze the older and younger one as though we're the righteous judges in the situation, when we're really the characters in the story. Food for thought!

dan soltys

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 8:28 pm

No offense intended, but Pastor Wilson notes an interesting oddity, and then the comments go off in the different direction of trying to place one’s self “in” the parable as one of the characters in order to better understand the main point. Why? This doesn’t seem necessary to me and it opens the door, in fact, to enabling one to see whatever they want to see by assuming whatever is necessary and projecting from there.

The parable is obviously in response to the Pharisees who complain that Jesus welcomes and eats with sinners. The three parables Jesus tells in response all have the same main point: that there will be rejoicing when someone repents. The remainder of the father’s inheritance is not at issue in this parable. Why ask detailed questions about that? The two sons are part of the story--we are not. Why insert ourselves into the story? By doing so, don’t you place yourself at greater risk to miss the main point of the rejoicing that will occur when someone repents? The two previous parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin make the exact same point. Why is there is no temptation to try to identify one’s self with the 99 sheep or with the one found coin? Since no one would think it necessary to see themselves as the lost sheep or as one of the 9 “non-lost” coins, why insist that we are any of the characters in the story of the prodigal son?
-Dan

dave matre

Thursday, October 13, 2011 3:52 am

Dan,

My question was not intended to distract from the main point of the parable, but to wonder if the parable has anything to say about the correlation between forgiveness and allowing someone to experience the consequences of a poor decision. For example, if an elder has abused his authority and then repented, it is reasonable to forgive that person and yet maintain that he can no longer serve as an elder?

dan soltys

Thursday, October 13, 2011 4:45 am

dave,
that's a great question...just not one that the parable speaks to. It would be like reading the parable of the vineyard workers and trying to glean insights about Contract Law or Compensation Policies. Once you ask questions of the parables that they cannot answer, don't you set yourself up as if to see whatever shape you wish to see in the clouds? Haven't you heard people allegorize in ridiculous ways, or divine esoteric insights from the parables that completely miss the main point?
-Dan

dave matre

Thursday, October 13, 2011 9:25 am

Dan,

Point taken.

dan soltys

Thursday, October 13, 2011 8:00 pm

nice to meet ya, dave!