The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most well-known parables of Jesus, but it’s also one of the most overfamiliar. Most of us skim past the rich details that Jesus includes when he tells it, so we miss the deeper truths and invitations of this story. By slowing down, we see that this parable is actually about two sons. The Younger Son represents all of us who are driven by desire. When we orient our life around what we think will make us happy, we end up farther from God and others. The Older Brother represents those of us who are driven by duty. When we attempt to earn the free love God offers us, we grow resentful and bitter towards those who we consider lower than us. Both of these sons are lost, and both are in need of their father’s love. But what we learn from this parable is that regardless of which brother we relate to, the solution to our search for love is simple: repenting by returning home.
