One of Jesus’ most profound parables is that of the Prodigal Son. It truly sets forth a different image of God, who is represented by the father in the parable. The imaged father is one who is ever-ready to forgive because of His absolute and unconditional love. He does not need the son to confess his faults. He only wants the son to know that he loves him.

This image of the God stands in stark contrast to the image that seems to have emerged over the course of many years. Think about it. The image of God that has become popular in our modern world is much closer to that of the punisher – the one who necessarily disciplines the child who has been disobedient. This image of God emerged after humankind began to think of itself as intrinsically flawed because of the sin of Adam. This image of God came into existence when the Church began to feel that the only way to keep humans from living in accord with their more base instincts was to threaten them with the punishment of hell. This image of God came into existence when humans began making God in their own image and likeness. When humans began to believe that it was only fair that God should punish people who broke His laws that the image of an unconditionally loving God disappeared.

Think about the parable. By the very name that we give it places the emphasis is on the prodigal son and not on the loving father who forgives. This, I believe, is a tragic distortion of the parable and only speaks to our limited, human way of thinking.

God, according to Jesus, is not petty and vindictive. God does not want to scare people into believing in and loving Him. How could a God, Who spared nothing in order to let us know that He loves us, be the type of person who only wants to catch us being bad so that He can punish us.

I encourage my readers to ask: What are my thoughts about this parable? Do I think about the prodigal son OR do I think about the loving father? Am I fearful like the son that the father will not forgive me? OR, perhaps, am I like the older son who wishes that the father would punish the younger son?