The Non-Prodigal Son

We all know the story of the prodigal son from St. Luke’s Gospel. It’s a beautiful tale of forgiveness, of return, and it teaches us about God’s mercy and love. Jesus made a point to teach about God as Father, not some distant being managing the cosmos. No story brings it home better than the Prodigal Son.

But I confess over the years, since I was a young man, I have considered this story many times from the point of view of the other son, the “Non-Prodigal”. When his prodigal brother returns he is out working on his father’s land. He hears the din of celebration, and calls out to a servant who tells him his brother has returned and the fatted calf has been killed for him. The Non-Prodigal becomes angry and refuses to go to the celebration.

I have put myself in his place. Here is a son who has remained faithful to his father. He’s stayed and worked for him for years, and he has never been celebrated in like manner. It seems he has been overlooked at best, perhaps mistreated at worst. Why has his father not ever thrown a celebration for him?

I’m not a biblical scholar, but there are some things I think we can see in this story if we read between the lines. And by this, I don’t simply mean the obvious theme of sibling rivalry or jealousy. No, there is more to the story than that.

First, the older, “Non-Prodigal” son made a choice to remain with his father. This was a good choice. I read recently an article by Jimmy Akin that indicated in the ancient Hebrew culture the older son received two thirds of the estate, while the younger, in this case the “prodigal”, received one third. This was supposed to occur on the death of the father.

The older “Non-Prodigal” son, therefore, knew he would inherit and what his share would be. So his father was not cheating him by giving the younger son what he asked for.

But, I think what really bears examination is the celebration that the Non-Prodigal asks about. Apparently, from his point of view, it was up to the father to celebrate him. I wonder if it ever crossed the Non-Prodigal’s mind to ask for a kid goat to celebrate his life with his father? Think about it. The sound of celebration surprised the older son. He had to ask a servant to tell him what was going on. It sounds like celebration was not the norm at this estate. What this further tells me is that perhaps, for the Non-Prodigal son, working for his father might have been a drudgery that he put up with on a daily basis, because he did not want to lose the inheritance that his father had for him. And this means, too, that there would not be a celebration for this Non-Prodigal son until his father died. Perhaps, he was waiting for that.

I am not trying to be harsh on the Non-Prodigal son. Remember, this is a parable. And I think we should look at the parables of Jesus from as many points of view as we can.

Are we prodigals or non-prodigals? If we are non-prodigals, do we look at the labor we do for the Lord, who is our true Father, as drudgery? Do we attend Divine Liturgy (Mass) because we want to praise and thank our Father and let Him know we are pleased to be there with Him? Or do we go because we don’t want to lose out on a promised inheritance, i.e. Heaven?

Do we rejoice with our Father when we learn of a person who has turned his/her life around and embraced the Gospel of Christ? When someone at our Church is celebrated, do we join in happily, or do we feel a tinge of jealousy?

I certainly believe that the place of the Non-Prodigal son is a better place. It is better to never stray from a life with our Father. But we should be joyous, happy, and glad to work for our Father and rejoice and celebrate Him and His victories as prodigal souls come home.