We see dynamic story at work in the Gospel of the so called prodigal son, though with a twist. The younger son is indeed prodigal – wasteful and dissolute. He has forgotten his father, his family and even his faith as he is reduced to working as a swineherd. It is there, at his lowest ebb, that he “comes to his senses”: he remembers, and the key thing he remembers is his father – his father’s house, his father’s goodness, his father’s love. The twist is that Jesus told this story to the scribes and Pharisees who were grumbling that Jesus was mixing with tax collectors and sinners and eating with them. They are represented in the figure of the elder son who cannot countenance forgiving the younger son. He can only remember the wrong his brother has committed, and so he is unable to forgive.
We are invited to bring resolution to this unfinished story. It is unfinished because we don’t know what the elder son did next. As the camera fades out, we are left wondering what the elder son will do, and importantly: what I will do? Jesus poses this startling challenge to us: will you embrace the way of forgiveness in your own life, and so join the celebration of God’s mercy, or do you prefer to stay outside, clinging to your memory of hurts, anger and offenses?