An Explanation of

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Acceptance, Forgiveness, and Hope: The Parable of the Prodigal Son Explained

In the first century AD, Jesus told a parable to the Pharisees, who believed they were better than the common sinners of the world. This has since come to be referred to as The Parable of the Prodigal Son. In this parable, Jesus tells of a family consisting of a father and his two sons. The older son appears to be very well mannered and level headed, while the younger seems somewhat rebellious. Jesus uses this story to try to teach a lesson to the Pharisees that everyone deserves the hope provided by a second chance in life if they are willing to swallow their pride, admit their mistakes, and ask for forgiveness.

The younger, rebellious son, the story's protagonist, discovers the forgiveness which is key to this parable, as he moves from ignorance to knowledge despite his pride. The stage is set for his fall in the beginning when he asks his father, "Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me" (8-9). He wants his inheritance in advance, which seems inappropriate and is an obvious foreshadowing of the mistakes that are to come.

It quickly becomes evident that the boy's inexperience with money will lead to his downfall when Jesus t

Everyone in the story does not willingly accept the second chance that is given to this rebellious one of the two brothers. The older brother is disturbed by his father's readiness to forgive his sibling:

With this parable, Jesus is trying to show the Pharisees that they already have all the gifts of God, that they are a godly people, and that there is reason to celebrate when the ungodly, or lost sinners, are found. The prodigal son's life was that of complete sin due to his ignorance, but as he moved from this ignorance into knowledge, he realized what a loving father he had and knew that he would be accepted back home.

Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment, and yet thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friends: but as soon as this thy son has come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou has killed for him the fatted calf (9).

He puts his plan into effect and we once again see the similarities between the father/son and God/man relationships. Before the son arrives home, the father sees him coming and the story says the father "had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him" (9). The son tells the father what he has rehearsed telling him, but before he can finish, the father is gathering everything to celebrate his return. The father knows his son is sorry befo

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Approximate Word count = 929
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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