In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus tells the Parable of the Prodigal Son and teaches us of God the Father’s love and mercy. However, this tale of a son who demands and squanders his inheritance, only to be welcomed back with open arms by his father, is full of little details that a first-century Jew would have found shocking.
Here are just a few parts of the parable that would have astonished—and even scandalized—those listening to Jesus.
And today we celebrate...