“So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him…. But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet…. for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate” (Luke 15:20, 22, 24).
Mulling over this passage for the past several days, I have reached the conclusion Yeshua intentionally alludes to the story of Joseph in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The father’s falling on the neck of his son and showering him with kisses (Luke 15:20) repeats nearly word for word the Greek translation of Genesis 45:14-15 which tells of the blessed reunion of Joseph with his brothers. The father’s command to clothe his son with a fine robe (Luke 15:22) is remarkably similar both in word and plot structure to Pharaoh’s dressing of Joseph with a royal robe (Gen 41:42). By the time we hear of the father’s tear-jerking words:
“This son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found” (Luke 15:24) it is impossible not to think about Jacob’s tear-filled reunion with his beloved son Joseph: “Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; as soon as he appeared before him, he fell on his neck and wept on his neck a long time. Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive'” (Gen 46:29-30).
By drawing a parallel between the indescribable joy of the father in this parable with Jacob’s joy when he received Joseph back from the dead, oddly enough Yeshua also draws a parallel between Joseph and the prodigal son. To reject these prodigal tax collectors and sinners (Luke 15:1) is to play the part of Joseph’s older brothers who jealously and maliciously rejected Jacob’s beloved son (Genesis 37). And so it is today. Our attitude toward the down-and-outers of this world is a direct reflection of our attitude toward the Messiah son of Joseph (Yeshua). To our turn our backs on sinners is quite literally to turn our backs on him.
“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me'” (Matt 25:40).
