con-text
- noun
1. the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage, usually influencing its meaning or effect: You have misinterpreted my remark because you took it out of context.
2. the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc
When we want to go deeper in our understanding of Scripture one of the most important steps is to study the context. Failure to do so can result in at best a limited understanding of what is being taught and at worst a complete misunderstanding. It is important to try and understand what has been said both before and after the passage we are studying. It is also important to know as much as we can about both the historical and literary context of the passage in question. In this post, I hope to answer some of the questions of context when it comes to the parable of the lost sons.
When I read this parable the first thing I want to know is to whom Jesus is telling the parable. This seems to be a fairly important question as there could be two or three different emphases to the parable depending on how this is answered. In Luke 15:1 & 2 there are two groups of people mentioned; the tax collectors and sinners, and the Pharisees and the scribes. If we come to the conclusion that Jesus is speaking to the tax collectors and sinners then we will most likely focus on the younger son and assume that Jesus is teaching the tax collectors and sinners about the grace and mercy of God the Father. When we do this we will typically not know what to do with the elder son and just think his part of the story is either an afterthought or secondary. On the other hand, if we come to the conclusion that Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees and the scribes we will more likely focus on the elder son. We will do this because we will see that Jesus is telling the Pharisees and the scribes that they are like the elder son in that they cannot extend grace and mercy to the younger son who represents the tax collectors and sinners. A third option would be that Jesus is speaking to both the tax collectors and the sinners and the Pharisees and the scribes. If we come to this conclusion we would assume that Jesus has a message for both groups in the stories of the younger and elder sons. So, which is it?
I think the key can be found in one word in Luke 15:2; the word grumbled. The Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling about the fact that Jesus was defiling himself by hanging out and eating with the tax collectors and sinners. In Luke 15:3 we see that Jesus told "them" a parable, well actually three parables. Jesus had heard the grumblings of the Pharisees and the scribes and he answered them with the parables. We can also see evidence that Jesus was addressing the Pharisees and the scribes in Luke 16:14, which says that the Pharisees "heard all these things, and they ridiculed him." In other words, the parable of the two lost sons, along with several other parables surrounding such, is sandwiched between the Pharisees grumbling and their ridiculing Jesus. This should provide more than enough evidence to convince us that Jesus was speaking directly to the Pharisees and the scribes when he told the parable of the lost sons.
Why is this important? I think it adds weight to the argument that these parables were more of a warning than stories of what the Father is like. I'll get into this more in future posts.
Another contextual issue that I think is important is that of the societal structure during the time of Jesus. We who live in the Western world live very individualistic lives. We don't really understand the communal nature of most of the rest of the world. When we read this story through this individualistic lens we are going to miss much of what Jesus was saying. The family dynamics during that time were such that in the story both sons brought shame to the Father. This is an important factor that adds to the significance of the warning I spoke of above. I'll go into details of this factor more in future posts.
The final contextual issue that I think is important to understanding this story is the significance of the two parables that precede the parable of the lost sons; that is the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin. There is a strong connection between these three parables. In all three, something was lost. In all three, that which was lost is found. In the first two parables, someone went to find and recover that which was lost. This did not happen in the third parable and this is a very important factor, one that adds strength to my argument that these parables are more of a warning than they are stories of God's goodness and grace. But, I'll save that for future posts...
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