The parable of music and dancing

This Sunday’s Gospel evokes deep human emotions, which Rembrandt famously depicted in his painting The Return of the Prodigal Son. In this piece, the artist captured the moment of reunion between father and son. The other members of the household, meanwhile, remain on the sidelines and appear confused by this heartfelt reconciliation. Jesus’ parable in Luke’s Gospel masterfully illustrates three characters, the father and two sons, each of whom provides an insight on the human condition. Several alternative titles could be given to this parable. I will offer three well-known interpretations and suggest a fourth that few have considered.

The best-known title of this parable is The Prodigal Son. This title suggests that the key element is the wayward trajectory of the youngest son and his eventual redemption. “Prodigal” means wasteful, as the younger of two sons wastes away his share of the inheritance on lewd and debaucherous choices (Lk 15:13). This title probably comes from a tradition in English-speaking Christianity that highlights “wastefulness” as among the greatest sins. Wastefulness is the sin to which the younger son confesses when he says to his father, “I have sinned against heaven and against you” (Lk 15:18). The denial of his former sense of entitlement makes him worthy of redemption and acceptance back into his household.

German speakers know this parable as Der verlorne Sohn, the “Lost Son.” This title draws from the biblical text itself. As the father says of his returned son, “He was lost and has been found” (Lk 15:32). By focusing on being lost, the German title suggests a deeper focus on the son’s loss of his deepest sense of identity. The son’s wasteful actions only skim the surface of the deeper alienation of his soul. On another level, the title Der verlorne Sohn may apply to both siblings. The parable portrays how lost and confused the older son remained in some unsatisfying and unresolved manner. “He became angry,” Jesus says of the older brother, “and he refused to enter the house” (Lk 15:28). 

A title that several recent commentators suggest is The Irresponsible Father. Little commentary is needed to argue that the father’s eagerness to shower mercy on his sons is the point of the parable. The father was so ready to forgive that he appeared reckless and wasteful with his mercy. The title might also be rendered The Prodigal Father, which one could imagine having been the perspective of the older son. 

A fourth suggestion would be to call it The Parable of Music and Dancing. What if Jesus intended the celebration to be the focus of this story? With the renewed connection between father and son and between the lost son and his true home, the father calls for a time of celebration. The older son, caring for his father’s property and unaware of his brother’s return, struggled to make sense of the strange noise coming from the household. “He heard the sound of music and dancing,” and he wondered what it all might mean (Lk 15:25). References to dancing are rare in the Gospels, and when they appear they are noteworthy. In this case, it is a foreshadowing of the kingdom of God. God’s reign is a time of joy, especially when a person who was lost returns home. 

When the joy comes from an act of reconciliation, it invites the participation of others. The older brother, however, does not and will not participate, “He became angry, and he refused to enter the house.” But the father did not alter his decision to throw a great reconciliation party and left his older son with an open-ended decision to enter or not into the festive space. For the father, the cause for joy is clear: “We must celebrate and rejoice” (Lk 15:32). For the older son to experience the fullness of the father’s mercy, he had only to enter the house.

The kingdom of God is this joy on a cosmic scale. Joining the celebration is the necessary step if we too are to experience the fullness of divine mercy.