The blog of theologian Maggie Dawn has an interesting post on the Prodigal son parable here. She wonders how it was the son learned to spend money so lavishly in a culture where the chance of getting spending money without his father's assent was impossible. Who but his father must have if not encouraged him, at least silenty assented to his spending wastefully? How come his Father agreed so freely to give half of his wealth since giving half of his wealth implied that the Father was dead and only the two sons remained.
Something else came to me. How come when all the money was gone the son settled on doing a very dirty job instead of stealing or robbing. Was it that he was shameless (proof of that is easy - he asked for all his money from his living father). Was it this excess of shamelessness in him that encouraged him to think that he could at least have a space as a servant if he returned to his father's house or was it something in the character of his father
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