From the artist:

I have, like many, often resonated with the elder son in this parable. And, like many, I read it with frustration and a bit of righteous indignation. Why shouldn’t good behavior be rewarded? Why should such callousness be dismissed without consequences? For all of my life, I have felt the tug of responsibility much more strongly than the pull of rebelliousness. As author Kate Bowler might say, I have developed my own version of a prosperity gospel where I expect to be rewarded for my good deeds and treated well for doing the right thing.

In nerdy pastor circles, we talk about a theological concept called “prevenient grace.” It means that God’s grace precedes human decisions and behavior. Before we can do anything right or wrong, God’s grace abounds. This sounds so lovely in theory. And then situations resembling this parable come along and I cling to my prosperity-based, transactional version of the gospel.

In Luke 15:20 we see that the father is moved to compassion as soon as he glimpses his youngest son along the horizon line. He does not wait for an apology. He does not require retribution. Instead, he is moved simply by his son’s return.

Perhaps this parable should be renamed, “The Prodigal Father,” for he doles out grace just as lavishly as his son squanders his wealth. Perhaps then I might be less angry about prodigal waste and more thankful for prodigal grace.

—Lisle Gwynn Garrity