The parable of the prodigal son is about a young man who demands his father’s inheritance while he is still living. He takes the money and foolishly squanders it.
He comes back and repents to his father and is taken in with open arms. Meanwhile, the father has a second son, who becomes jealous of his father’s decision to forgive his other son.
This parable is significant to me because it points out the foundation of Christianity, which is to forgive. The father forgives his son despite the fact that he has cost him a lot of money.
We always hear examples of Christian families forgiving someone who has murdered their son or daughter. When a person forgives someone for making a mistake or doing something terrible it makes the healing that much easier. I believe that many Christians heal from hard times through this parable.
This story also teaches us that God expects all of us to be like the father in this parable. He wants us to forgive people for their actions because if they repent and truly are sorry then they can learn from their mistakes.
Meanwhile, God does not want us to be like the jealous son who claims to have remained faithful. A frequent theme in the parables told by Jesus is that one should not pretend to be something they’re not.
The son who remains faithful should not be angered by his father’s decision to forgive. Another theme of God in these parables is a theme of forgiveness, by God and humans, towards one who has sinned but has since repented.
