The Prodigal Son By Luke - PDF

Reporter: Medica, Lindsay G. Em 13 - Survey Of Afro-Asian Literature Topic: 8.1 Hebrew Literature Topic: 8.2 Literary Works  The Prodigal Son by Luke  The Wisdom of the Fathers from Pirkei Avot...

Reporter: Medica, Lindsay G. Em 13 - Survey Of Afro-Asian Literature Topic: 8.1 Hebrew Literature Topic: 8.2 Literary Works  The Prodigal Son by Luke  The Wisdom of the Fathers from Pirkei Avot Background Luke was a Christian writer from the 1st century C.E., known as the author of two important books in the Bible — the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. He is believed to have been born in Antioch, a city of Greek origin, which is why he is thought to have been a Greek himself. Luke is considered a saint in Christian tradition and is known for his detailed storytelling and emphasis on compassion, forgiveness, and Jesus' love for all people. According to tradition, Luke died at the age of 84 in a place called Boeotia. His tomb was originally located in Thebes, Greece, but later, in the year 357, his remains were moved to Constantinople. Luke’s writings are still widely read and studied today because of the deep spiritual and moral lessons they offer. The Gospel of Luke is traditionally attributed to Luke, a physician and companion of the Apostle Paul. Written for a primarily Gentile audience, Luke's Gospel emphasizes the compassion of Jesus and His outreach to marginalized groups, including sinners and outcasts. Luke's writings are characterized by their detailed narratives and inclusion of parables that convey moral and spiritual lessons. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of his most notable contributions, encapsulating key themes relevant to both his audience and the broader Christian message. Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15, Verses 11-32) And he said, "A certain man had two sons. One day, the younger of them came to his father, saying, 'Father please give me my share of the inheritance.' Without further words, he proceeded to divide his property between them. "A few days later, the younger son gathered up all his wealth and went on his journey into a far away country. Soon, he squandered all his wealth and began to suffer in want. He went down to the country and met a man who employed him to work in his farm feeding swine. He was so hungry he even longed to fill himself with the pods that the swine were eating, but no one offered to give them to him. "Then he started thinking to himself, saying, 'Come to think of it, there are many hired men in my father's house who have bread in abundance, while I am perishing here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father's house and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; take me as one of thy hired men. And he arose and went to his father. "He was yet a long way off when his father saw him. The old man was so moved with compassion he ran to meet him and even fell upon his neck to kiss him. The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' Nonetheless, the father called out to his servants, saying, 'Fetch me quickly the best robe and put it on him, and give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. Also bring out the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; because this son of mine who was dead, has come to life again; he was lost and is now found. And they began to merry.' "At the time his elder son was returning from work in the field. And as he came and drew closer to the house, he heard music and dancing. He called out one of the servants and inquired what the excitement was all about. The serv- ant told him, saying, 'Your brother has come back. To welcome him your father had the fattened calf killed for a feast to celebrate his safe return.' When he heard this, he was very angry he refused to go in. "When he learned the older son would not enter the house, the father came out on his own and began to entreat him. Feeling cheated, he answered his father, saying 'Look, I have served you all these years, and in all these years I never transgressed any of your commands; and yet you have never let me have a kid brother that I could bring along to have merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, after squandering all his wealth on harlots, you even killed the fattened calf to welcome him back.'  "But he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours; but today we should celebrate, be merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead, and has come to life; he was lost; and is found.' Summary: The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) tells the story of a father and his two sons. The younger son demands his inheritance early, leaves home, and squanders his wealth in reckless living. After falling into poverty and desperation, he decides to return home, hoping to be accepted as a servant. Upon seeing his son from a distance, the father runs to him with compassion and joyfully welcomes him back, restoring him to his former status with a celebration. Meanwhile, the older son, who has remained loyal and hardworking, becomes angry at the celebration for his wayward brother. The father explains that they must rejoice because the younger son was lost and is now found. The Elements Characters:  The Father - Represents God, embodying unconditional love and forgiveness.  The Younger Son (Prodigal Son) - Symbolizes sinners who stray from God but seek repentance.  The Older Son - Represents self-righteousness and those who struggle with jealousy and resentment. Setting: A wealthy household where inheritance is divided, highlighting familial relationships and societal expectations. Plot:  The younger son asks for his inheritance prematurely, leaves home, squanders his wealth on reckless living, and eventually returns in desperation.  The father welcomes him back with open arms, symbolizing God's joy over a repentant sinner.  The older son's anger at the celebration for his brother's return illustrates human tendencies toward jealousy and self-righteousness. Themes:  Repentance - The younger son's realization of his mistakes prompts his return.  Forgiveness - The father's response to his son's return exemplifies divine forgiveness.  Family Dynamics - The contrasting reactions of both sons highlight different responses to love and acceptance. Conflict The main conflicts in the parable are:  Internal Conflict (Younger Son) – The younger son struggles with guilt and regret after realizing his mistakes. His decision to return to his father shows an internal transformation driven by humility and repentance.  External Conflict (Younger Son vs. Father) – The story begins with a conflict when the younger son asks for his inheritance. This act is seen as selfish and disrespectful to the father.  External Conflict (Older Son vs. Father) – The older son becomes angry when his father celebrates his brother's return. He feels his loyalty has been overlooked, highlighting a conflict over fairness and jealousy. Point of View The parable is told from a third-person omniscient point of view, allowing the reader to understand the thoughts and motivations of all the characters:  The younger son's point of view is shown as he realizes his mistakes and decides to return home.  The father's point of view is revealed through his actions of welcoming his son back and celebrating his return.  The older son's point of view is seen through his resentment towards his father's forgiveness of his brother. Symbolism  The Father: Represents God, embodying unconditional love and forgiveness.  The Younger Son: Symbolizes sinners who stray from God but seek repentance; his journey reflects the path of many who seek fulfillment outside of divine grace.  The Older Son: Represents self-righteousness and those who struggle with jealousy and resentment towards others’ redemption. Message The parable conveys a powerful message about God's unconditional love and forgiveness for repentant sinners. It emphasizes:  The importance of repentance and humility before God.  The danger of self-righteousness and resentment towards God's mercy.  God's love for lost sinners who return to Him in faith. Conclusion Jesus told this parable to the religious and the Jewish crowd there to help them understand that salvation does not come by works, but by the grace of God. The reaction of the crowd was most likely extreme upset and outrage, similar to that of the eldest son. Jesus was teaching against their tradition and for that they would have been offended and astounded. As stated in the opening of this commentary, the Jewish people would have disinherited the son or even stoned him to death. The son’s behavior was highly insulting to the father, as a matter of tradition. Jesus needed to tell this parable to the Jewish leaders because Jesus came to fulfill the law, thereby making Jewish tradition of a works-based salvation unnecessary. THE WISDOM OF FATHERS FROM PIRKEI AVOT BACKGROUND: Pirkei Avot (70-200 C.E.) literally, Chapters of the Fathers, is a compilation of the ethical teachings and maxims of Synagogue which summarized the anguish, ecstasy and understanding they had experienced in their penetrating study and practice of the Law. Their maxims record their reflections on what constitutes God-fearing, civilized conduct and thought. TYPE OF MEN There are four types of men: One who says, "Mine is mine and thine is thine": This is the common place type. Some say: that is the sodom type. "Mine is thine and thine is mine": The Am Ha-Arez. "Mine is thine and thine is thine": The Saint. "Mine is mine and thine is mine": The Wicked. "Mine is mine and thine is mine": It is impossible to say that such a person is "the commonplace type" if he refrains altogether from giving charity. Why, that's absolutely wicked!... What we are dealing with here is a person who gives charity only out of fear of the Lord, by nature is really uncharita- ble. Since he does after all lend a helping hand to the poor and the needy, what difference does his nature make to us? Such behaviour is commonplace (Rabbi Jonah). The Sodom Type: The men of Sodom did not want to take anything from anybody, but they also did not want any poor man to benefit from their possessions as it is written, Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and careless ease was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy (Ezekiel 16:49) (Vitry). The ones who say that this is the Sodom type are not in controversy with the first view, but make an additional point, namely that such an attitude of mine is mine and thine is thine is very close to the behaviour of Sodom....A person who lets no one enjoy of what he has, once he gets into such a habit will eventually refuse to let people enjoy even of what costs him nothing (Duran). "Mine is thine and thine is mine": That is to say, he does want his neighbor to derive some benefit from him but he also wants to derive benefit from his neighbor... and this attitude is fairly common to most people.... However, there are certain commenta- tors who insist that in describing the attitude "mine is thine and thine is mine" as characteristic of the am ha- arez, dispraise is intended, that is, that such an attitude reflects deficiency in a man's character even though he is not altogether wicked. I do not think this is so. Nevertheless, even according to this interpretation, it seems to me we can say that such a person, while not so wicked as to rob and indulge in violence, is nevertheless deficient in his character. And this deficiency will lead him to covet the wealth of other people, even though he cannot find it in himself to rob others, since he is not entirely wicked. But because of his coveting he is always thinking in his heart that the next person's wealth is greater than his own.... O how many people there are in whom you can find this affliction! It almost impossible to find even two brothers or two partners who have taken their respective shares, not each other's portion (Aknin). Literary Analysis of the Four Types of Men 1. Symbolism: The four types of men represent different moral attitudes seen in society. 2. Theme: A central theme is generosity vs. greed. 3. Characterization: Each type of man represents a different character trait — from generosity to greed. 4. Moral: Pirkei Avot encourages us to reflect on our own actions and strive to be more selfless and fair. KINDS OF TEMPERAMENT There are four kinds of temperament: Easily angered and easily appeased: His gain is cancelled by his loss. Hard to anger and hard to appease: His loss is cancelled by his gain. Hard to anger and easy to appease: The Saint. Easily but hard to appease: The Wicked. There are four kinds of temperament: Actually these temperaments are in man's power either to improve or to make worse. Otherwise you could not call a a saint for the one tempera- ment and wicked for the other (Duran). Note well that, the Mishna describes as a saint the person who is extremely long-suffering, to the point where he is free of all stirrings of anger; while the person who has the fault of proneness to anger is called wicked (Maimonides). The difference between character- istics and temperaments is this: characteristics are within a man's power. For example, saying "mine is mine" so on. Temperaments, on the other hand, are something implanted in man's nature. But it is possible for a person to control them by the teachings of wisdom, until a complete change of heart takes place in you (Aknin). It is not necessary that a person should never grow angry for there are times when a man needs to get angry for the sake of the Lord, as was Phineas. That is the Mishna uses the expression "hard to anger": that is to say, there are times when it may be necessary for a person by all means to get angry, when he is not permitted to be without anger; but the anger should come with difficulty. It is of this that the ethical have said, "Do not be sweet, lest you be swallowed up" (Rabbi Jonah). Easily angered and easily appeased: His loss is cancelled by his gain.... and contrariwise a person who is hard to anger and hard to appease, his gain is cancelled by his loss (Aknin, who adopts the following variant reading in the Mishna: "Easily angered and easily appeased his loss is cancelled by his gain. Hard to anger and hard to appease his gain is cancelled by his loss"). Literary Analysis of the Four Types of Men 1. Symbolism - The four temperaments symbolize emotional control and self-discipline. They represent the different ways people handle anger, patience, and forgiveness. Each temperament reflects the internal struggle people face when dealing with their emotions. 2. Theme - A central theme is emotional self-control. The teachings emphasize the importance of controlling one's anger and striving for patience. It highlights how emotional balance is key to moral living. People are encouraged to avoid impulsive anger and embrace forgiveness. 3. Characterization - The four temperaments reflect different aspects of human character. The Saint is the most virtuous, showing self-control, patience, and compassion. The Wicked is the opposite, driven by uncontrollable anger and unwilling to forgive. The other two temperaments represent people with a mixture of strengths and weaknesses. 4. Moral - The moral lesson is to control our emotions, especially anger. People are encouraged to strive to be like the Saint, who is slow to anger and quick to forgive. This teaches us that mastering our temperament leads to healthier relationships and a more peaceful life. TYPES OF DISCIPLES There are four types of disciples: Quick to understand but quick to forget: His gain is cancelled by his loss. Understands with difficulty but forgets with difficulty: His loss is cancelled by his gain. Quick to understand and forgets with difficulty: The Wise. Understands with difficulty and quick to forget: This is an evil lot! On the subject of disciples Rabban Gamaliel the Elder spoke of four kinds: The unclean fish, the clean fish, the fish from the Jordan, the fish from the Great Sea. The unclean fish: who is that? A Door youth who studies Scripture and Mishna, Halakah and Agada, and is without understanding. The clean fish: who is that? That's a rich youth who studies Scripture and Mishna, Halakah and Agada and has understanding. The fish from the Jordan: who is that? That's a scholar who studies Scripture and Mishna, Midrash, Halakah, and Agada and is without the talent for give and take. The fish from the Great Sea: who is that? That's a scholar who studies Scripture and Mishna, Midrash, Halakah, and Agada, and has the talent for give and take. TYPES OF DISCIPLES There are four types of disciples: One wishes that he might study and that others might study too: The liberal. One wishes that he might study but not others: The grudging. One wishes that others should study but not he: The commonplace type. Some say: that's the Sodom type. One wishes that neither he nor others should study: that's the thoroughly wicked. If one says, "I shall go and study Torah, for such is my obligation", he is a worthy person. Inferior to him is one who says, "I shall go and study Torah, perhaps others will see me at it." A middling person is one who says, "I shall go and study Torah: perhaps I can learn something and then come and teach it to everyone else." If one says, "I shall go and study Torah so that I may be called a disciple of the wise," he is trash. Note well that the Mishna does not call the intelligent person with a good memory a saint, because this is an intellectual capacity. Therefore it calls him a wise man. Nor has the Mishna called a person who has difficulty understanding and suffers from a bad memory wicked, because this is not his power. Such abilities are not within a person's power to acquire (Maimonides). The Sages of the Talmud (Niddah 70b) say: What should a man do in order to become wise? Let him study diligently. But many have acted in this way and it did not help! In that event, let a person plead for mercy from Him to whom belong wisdom and perception, as it is said, For the Lord giveth wisdom, out of His mouth cometh knowledge and discernment (Proverbs 2:6) (Nahmias). Literary Analysis of the Four Types of Men 1. Symbolism - The four disciples symbolize the ways people approach learning and wisdom. They show how some people are quick to learn, slow to learn, forgetful, or wise. Each type reflects how patience, effort, and persistence affect learning. 2. Theme - The main theme is the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. Pirkei Avot teaches that true wisdom requires patience, persistence, and generosity. The different types of disciples show us the ideal way to learn and the dangers of selfishness and laziness. 3. Characterization - Each disciple represents a type of student. The Wise is seen as the most admirable, while The Evil Lot represents a failure to grow. The other types show us that while some people face challenges in learning, persistence can lead to growth. 4. Moral - The moral of the story is that wisdom requires effort, patience, and humility. While some people have a natural gift for learning, others must work hard to achieve it. Everyone has the potential to grow, but it requires dedication and support from teachers and mentors. TYPES OF CHARITY GIVERS There are four types of Charity Givers: He who wishes to give but that others should not give: Begrudges what belongs to others. That others should give but not he: Begrudges what belongs to himself. That he should give and others too: The Saint. That neither he nor others give: The wicked. Things were said of men: One gives charity; may blessing come upon him! Superior to him is one who lends his funds. Superior to all is one (who forms a partnership with the poor) on terms of one half the profits (for each) or on terms of sharing what remains. Note well: the Mishna calls a man of great compassion: who is not content merely to show compassion himself, but wants others also to join him in this: a saint, and the heartless person it calls wicked (Maimonides). The sages are right in saying that charity may be of three kinds: there is charity that is like gold, there is charity like silver, there is charity like brass. The kind of charity that is like gold is the charity a man practices in secret.... Charity that is like silver is hardly a credit to a man: it is the kind a man. gives when he is in trouble, or when he has a favorite son who is sick, or when his wife is giving birth with difficulty, or when he is on board ship at sea and storms come up. Charity that is like brass is the following: the man is totally hostile to it, that is to say, he is grudging and will not give charity at all. But when his time is up and he must depart from the world, he realizes his end is at hand, that there is no escape; then he puts his mind to it and orders the members of his house- hold to use his wealth for charitable purposes, imagining that the charity will deliver him from death (David the Prince). Begrudges what belongs to others: He does not want others to practice charity, lest thereby their wealth increase; nor does he want them to enjoy a good name (Vitry). Literary Analysis of the Types of Charity Givers 1. Symbolism - The four charity givers symbolize human attitudes toward generosity. The Saint represents the ideal giver, while The Wicked represents selfishness. 2. Theme - The main theme is generosity and compassion. Pirkei Avot teaches that true charity is not just about giving wealth but about inspiring others to give too. 3. Characterization - Each charity giver represents a type of character found in society. The Saint is an ideal figure who lives with compassion, while The Wicked represents greed and selfishness. 4. Moral - The moral is that generosity is about both giving and encouraging others to give. True charity comes from a compassionate heart, not from fear, pride, or jealousy. The most valuable charity is done in secret, and the greatest giver is one who inspires others to do good as well. TYPES OF STUDENTS There are four types among those that frequent the study-house: There is one who attends but does not put to practice: He receives the reward for attendance. There is one who puts to practice but does not attend: He receives the reward for practice. There is one who attends and puts to practice: The Saint, Neither attends nor puts to practice: The Wicked. There are four types among those that frequent the study-house: One takes his place close to (the sage), and is rewarded; one takes his place close to (the sage), and is not rewarded. One takes his place at a distance (from the sage), and is rewarded; one takes his place at a distance, and is not rewarded. One engages in discussion, and is rewarded; one engages in discussion, and is not rewarded. One sits and keeps quiet, and is rewarded; one sits and keeps quiet, and is not rewarded. If one takes his place close to (the sage) in order to listen and learn, he is rewarded. If one his place close to (the sage) so that men may say "There's So- and-so close to and sitting down before a sage," he is not rewarded. If one takes his place at a distance so that he may honor someone greater than he, he is rewarded. If one takes his place at a distance so that men may say "So-and-so has no need of a sage," he is not rewarded. If one engages in discussion in order to understand and learn, he is rewarded. If one engages in discussion so that men may say "So-and-so engages in discussion in the presence of sages," he is not rewarded. If one sits and keeps quiet in order to listen and learn, he is rewarded. If one sits and keeps quiet so that men may say "There's So-and-so sitting quietly in the presence of sages," he is not rewarded (ARN). Note that the Mishna calls one who more and more acquires good qualities a saint, and one who neglects to acquire them, wicked (Maimonides). One who attends but does not put to practice: This does not mean that the person does not at all put to practice what he has learned in the study-house; why, even a person who simply refrains from carrying out the commandments is thoroughly wicked, even if he does not commit outright. But the meaning is this: he does not go out of his way to carry out the command- ments; he puts them to practice only by chance if the opportunity happens to present itself to him. Putting to practice and not attending is not attending the study-house to find out the detailed implication of the commandments, so that one may be most meticulous with them; the person who does not attend simply carries them out in accordance with his own limited knowledge. For such practice he will receive some (limited) reward (Rabbi Jonah) Attending and not putting to practice, that is, the person is con- stantly on the move from one place of Torah to another and does not achieve results. In other words, he does not prosper in his study and does not master it. Nevertheless he receives the reward for attendance. Putting to practice and not attending refers to a person who does not take the trouble to go to a place where Torah is taught, but engages in study at home; he succeeds at his study, although, had he attended a place of Torah he would have mas- tered more and more of it. Nevertheless he receives the reward for achievement (Meiri). It is possible to interpret "attends but does not put to practice" as engaged in the study of Torah but not in acts of loving kindness (Duran). Literary Analysis of Types of Students 1. Symbolism - The four types of students represent different ways people approach learning and personal growth. The Saint symbolizes the ideal student who balances attendance and application. The Wicked symbolizes those who neglect learning altogether. 2. Theme -The central theme here is the importance of both learning and applying knowledge. The Mishna teaches that real success in life comes from not just acquiring knowledge but using it for the betterment of oneself and society. 3. Characterization -The students are characterized by their actions, but more importantly, by their intentions. A student’s growth is not just about what they do but why they do it. This emphasis on motivation highlights the ethical side of learning. 4. Moral -The moral of the story is that true learning involves both effort and application. Whether you are attending classes, learning from experience, or practicing what you learn, the most important factor is your dedication to becoming a better person. Key Takeaways  Our actions define who we are — Saint, Wicked, or Commonplace.  Our emotions and temperament shape our character.  Charity and learning are key measures of personal growth.  Being selfless, calm, and eager to learn are marks of a righteous person. The teachings of Pirkei Avot remind us that our actions and attitudes define who we are in life. Whether we are seen as a saint, wicked, or somewhere in between, it all depends on how we approach our emotions, actions, and how we interact with others. Our temperament and emotions play a huge role in shaping our character — being quick to anger or easily appeased can affect the way we are perceived and how we impact the world. Charity and learning are also key measures of personal growth. The way we give to others and how we approach our studies reflect our inner development. A righteous person is not just someone who follows rules but someone who is selfless, calm in difficult situations, and eager to learn and grow. These teachings encourage us to reflect on our behavior and strive to improve, both for our own well-being and for the benefit of those around us.