There are some theologians who think that when Jesus was telling the story of the Prodigal Son he was intentionally re-imagining the story of Jonah.
If we think about Jonah sitting on the hillside, angry at God’s mercy toward undeserving people, we can see how similar it is to the Older Brother, refusing to join the party the father throws for the prodigal son.
Both Jonah and the older brother refuse to participate in God’s Grace because in both cases their paradigm is too focused on their own idea of Goodness. And so both fail to hear the father telling them “All I have is yours.”
When sin and pain are overwhelming, may you focus on the freely given, undeserved, and healing goodness of Christ that invites you into repentance and to the party.
Worthy of Imagination 