The Prodigal

It fascinates me how we read stories. We usually focus in on one main character and develop our ideas and emotions centered on what they say and do. In Luke 15, the prodigal usually draws attention to the younger son, his leaving and then coming back home. But there are 3 main characters, there is the older brother and the father, all significant players in this story. We also read this story from a western point of view and interpret the relationship according to our cultural context. (Ummmm, America did not exist when this was written just in case you forgot) This is how we often navigate stories . . . we become the center, we are the interpretation piece that gives meaning to stories outside of our own. This of course is our basic selfish attitude and mindset that assumes everyone sees and thinks just like us. We then get frustrated with people who think differently because they should know better. I'm curious what it takes to remove ourselves from being the center of our universes? If we are ever going to understand stories beyond ourselves, we must learn to see things differently. Here is the challenge, to read this story with a new set of eyes.