Reflections: Prodigal Perspectives

This week’s lectionary passage from Luke 15 brings us to the parable of the Prodigal Son.  During the weekly Bible study here at church, there was wonderful discussion about the story and participants were sharing things they were seeing or hearing with fresh eyes and ears.  This is a story that we are all so familiar with – and revisiting it with others really helps me to think about the story and reflect upon how it’s speaking to me personally. It helps me to really think about how we are teaching this story in Sunday school with our children. 

When I want to take a closer look at a scripture passage - I do have some terrific and very scholarly commentaries on my shelf.  But what I really like to do the most is pull out my favorite children’s story bibles and see how the stories are told and illustrated.

If you haven’t read the story in a while – here’s a link to the NRSV translation of the parable from  the Gospel of Luke. Luke 15

My three go-to story Bibles are:

The Spark Story Bible published by Augsbugh Fortress
Shine On: A Story Bible published by MennoMedia Brethren Press
Children of God Storybook Bible by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and published by Zonderkids

The Spark Bible starts the story with putting the emphasis on Jesus. “Jesus spent time with all sorts of people- even people who had done bad things. This made some people mad.” So, Jesus tells this parable to the “grumbling” people who questioned by he spent so much time with those types. This telling is accompanied by a picture of the younger son alone in the dark, surrounded by pigs, looking worried and restless.  There also is an image of a very happy father welcoming home the son. The story is concluded with the message that Jesus told the story to teach the “grumblers” that the bad people he spent time with can be redeemed. “Then the people understood,” concluded the story. “Jesus spent time with those people because even though they had done bad things, they decided to change their lives and live like God wanted.  This made Jesus so happy?”

Spark Bible

The question prompt at the end of the story asks “How would you have felt if you were the younger son, and your father was so happy to see you?"



Shine On: The Story Bible

The Shine On: The Story Bible titles the story as “The Loving Father” and the illustration features the father as the largest figure in the forefront of the picture.  The father, in the picture, is standing on the road with his arms open waiting to welcome the son who is small and seen in the distance walking down the road.  This version prompts the reader to focus on the father in the story and asks “How do you feel about what the father did?”  The Shine On story also features a “Connect” question at the top of the page and invites the reader to not only consider the father’s part of the story, but other characters and feelings as well. “Which character in this story is most like you? When have you felt jealous of someone in your family? When have you been warmly welcomed? 

The Children of God Storybook Bible

The Children of God Storybook Bible takes another perspective on the story’s message and says in it’s opening that Jesus told a story about God’s love and forgiveness. The story is titled “The Loving Father and the Son Who Came Home.” The sub title says “God Always Welcomes us Home” and the concluding prayer at the end of the story is thanking God “for always forgiving my mistakes and welcoming me home.”  The illustrations with this version shows the younger son with eating with the pigs and the father waiting with a colorful robe.

Spark Bible

The Spark Bible is the only one of these three stories that includes a picture of someone that might be the older brother in the story - and this is shown at the beginning of the story.

So what do I make of all this? It’s all a matter of perspective.  This is a story that we all think we know and have heard again and again.  We all enter scripture from different points and I think this is one story I can say that at different times- I have felt like all the people in the story.  I love that I am reminded of so many different messages from this one story. Jesus spent time with the “bad people” and there is hope for all people to change and grow and make mistakes.  God’s forgiveness is ready and waiting and we are always welcomed home.  Scripture meets us where we are. Sometimes we are the younger son. Sometimes we are the father. Sometimes we are the frustrated brother.  The Harper Collins Bible commentary edited by James L. Mays offers this:

“The father had two sons, loved two sons, went out to two sons. God is both/and, not an either/or God: to embrace sinners in not to reject Pharisees.”

Forgiveness is layered, hard, challenging, and all the things.  I am so grateful that whether I am feeling like the younger son- or the brother - or the father- God’s love will always welcome me home.






Here are some previous posts on the Bibles mentioned:
Bibles for Young Children
What's on My Shelf