Re-examining the message of the parable of the Prodigal Son in the light of its context

Abstract

As is the case with other works of literature, the importance of the context in understanding the message of a text or passage especially for the study of parables is being highlighted in this paper. The concept of context in interpretation is applied to the parable of the Prodigal Son and this results in a strong shift from the traditional understanding of the paper. The paper begins by examining the traditional understanding of the parable by looking at four authors. After this, the contexts of the parable as furnished in Luke 15:1-3 and 15:4-10 are examined both linguistically and culturally in the light of the 1st Century Palestine to bring out the contextual implication. In treating the context, words like ‘tax-collectors,’ ‘sinners,’ ‘Pharisees,’ and ‘scribes’ are examined to reveal what class of people they stand for. Having seen that the listed groups are samples of the two classes of people representing the socio-religious divide of the Jewish community in the days of Jesus and that they are all Jews, the principle of application is then applied to limit the application of the parable in the conclusion. In an earlier paper, “A Yoruba Reading of the Parable of the Prodigal Son” I have already stated that since all the members of the classes are Jews, as Edward also has done, interpreting the parable to apply to a believer versus an unbeliever situation as it is still done to date cannot be sustained. It points rather to a situation where two groups of Christians are involved with one class backsliding and the other thinking it is steadfast. Thus, this examination of the context and relevant literature sustains the earlier stand that the context of the parable cannot sustain a believer and unbeliever polemic.

Keywords: New Testament: Parables; Hermeneutics; Context; Application