Philo Trust

What, in the briefest terms, is the parable of the Prodigal all about? The answer is that it is a celebration of grace. If we define grace as ‘unconditional kindness given to an undeserving recipient at an uncomfortable cost’, we see that the parable illustrates all three aspects. We see in the younger son someone who is utterly undeserving. We see in the father, both in the gift of unconditional kindness and in the way he humiliates himself to bring the rebellious son back into the family, something of the uncomfortable cost of grace. These clearly show aspects of how God – Father, Son and Spirit – sacrificially pours out his love on us.

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By Dr Chris Walley

The brilliance and variety of Jesus’ teaching poses a challenge to Christian communicators. Faced with the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount or the Parables, we are forced to say ‘how on earth do we follow that?’ Writers and speakers must steer a course between two perils. The first is to expound Jesus’ lively and compelling words with worthy but wearying commentary: that is unhelpful. The second – the very opposite – is to seek ear-tickling novelty at the expense of truth: that is unhealthy.

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