The Prodigal Son – Twenty-first Century Version

The story of “The Prodigal Son” is one I learned as a child and there is a very good chance you’ve heard it as well for it is a story that is over 2000 years old. For any who may not have heard it and who might be curious, I’ll end this short piece with a synopsis of the original story. The thought occurred to me (to write how today’s version would likely read) as I followed a particular story line in the media.

There was a fairly well off middle-class father that had two sons. One day the younger one said to his father, “Hey dad, I shouldn’t have to wait for you to die before I get my share of the estate, gimme it now and then I’m outta here.” So, despite the hurtful nature of that comment, the father divided his property and gave the younger son his half.

“Not long after that, the younger son got all his stuff together and set off for a distant country where he blew his whole inheritance on partying and wild living. After he had spent it all, there was a severe famine in that whole country, prices of everything shot way up and the young man began to be in real need. In desperation he agreed to work, for a citizen of that country, on a farm . He was given the job of feeding the pigs. The young guy was so hungry by this point that he even considered eating the pig’s food, but this time there was no one to come running to his rescue.

(Now at this point, the story changes somewhat from the original)

When he finally took a good look at his current circumstances, he said, “The old man is rich, he’s got tons of money and even his hired servants have more than me, and here I am starving to death!” He thought to himself:

“Screw this, I’m outta here. I’m going back to my father and say to him, ‘Look at the mess I’m in because of you. When you gave me that money a while ago, it wasn’t enough and now the cost of everything is going up. You ripped me off man and I want more – at least enough to live in the style I’ve become accustomed to!’” So he got up and went back to his father’s home.

While he was still some distance from home, his father learned he was coming and feeling a burst of excitement as well as a huge sense of relief, he started out to meet his wayward son. 

After a quick “Hello” and brief hug, the son started in with his demands. The son said to him, “Look at the mess I’m in because of you. When you gave me that money a while ago, it wasn’t enough and now the cost of everything is going up. You cheated me and I want more – at least enough to live in the style I’ve become accustomed to!”

The father said, “I want to help you son – and I will. First, let me explain the situation here and why I can’t meet all your demands.” The father tried to tell his son that the remaining portion of the estate was (as agreed before) to go to the older brother and therefore the father could not give any of that to him. He told him that times were tough here as well and he didn’t have any extra money to give him but he’d gladly give the young man some work to do and would provide him with a place to stay, clothing and good food to eat.

The young man felt enraged and said, “Why should I work for you? I’m entitled man. You owe me and I’m gonna get what’s mine!” He didn’t want to hear about how hard everyone else (including his older brother) was having to work to pay the bills and make ends meet – he just wanted what he figured he was owed; even if the old man had to borrow in order to give it to him.

The young man then stormed out and got a bunch of his dead-beat friends and together they all went back to his father’s home. There they all set up a huge protest and demonstration. The father tried to reason and compromise with the son but just as the son was unwilling to work for his father, he was also unwilling to compromise or consider anything except getting what he felt entitled to.

As the days progressed, the protest grew. More riffraff joined the crowd and they started to get both destructive and even violent. They set fires, destroyed property and even prevented those in the father’s home from coming and going freely. Some of the protesters took note of the fact that some of the neighbouring homes showed promise for protesting – as far as they were concerned, the problem had spread well beyond some kid and his old man. They decided to expand their extortionist ways and protest all the neighbours (who they now referred to as the “one percent”).

Unfortunately this is where the story stops because it’s still being written. How it ends…I don’t know…stay tuned…

Now, the original story goes like this:

A man who has two sons and the younger of the two asks his father to give him his portion of the estate as an early inheritance. The father gives it to him and the son then sets off on a long journey to a distant land where he wastes his fortune on wild living. After the money runs out, a severe famine hits the country and the son finds himself in dire circumstances. He takes a job feeding pigs. He is so broke that he even considers eating the food assigned to the pigs.

The young man finally comes to his senses and remembers his father. In humility, he recognizes his own foolishness, decides to return to his father and ask for forgiveness and mercy. The father who had been watching and waiting, receives his son back with compassion and open arms. He is overjoyed by the return of his lost son! Immediately the father has his servants prepare a giant feast in celebration.

Meanwhile, the older son is not one bit happy when he comes in from working the fields and discovers a party going on to celebrate his younger brother's return. The father tries to dissuade the older brother from his jealous rage explaining, "You are always with me, and everything I have is yours.” He adds that they had to celebrate the return of the younger brother, “because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

If you've read them both, you will recognize that one is a story of redemption and the other is a story of entitlement. You should be able to recognize the difference.