From the tavern to the pig sty
In less than 550 words, the Master Teacher Jesus narrates a powerful redemption story. This story has a hero, a villain, a seemingly unimportant character with a critical role to play, an underdog and the one who reports the big news. This story has a painful beginning, a long wait, the climax and the thought-provoking ending. This parable is found only in the Gospel according to Luke and is never lost even among around 30 parables. At different points of my life, I have been able to relate to the 5 different characters mentioned: The father who made a decision to let go of something he could not keep forever, the son who sought out his own path, the unimportant character of the son’s employer who was critical in God’s plan, the older brother who resented being the responsible one and the servant who carries the great news! This story stands out poignantly, because even if you do not relate to anyone in this story, it still has the potential to be the story of all of us. 1. ...