yeah a story to teach people obedience to the "authority"(i.e. father or religious leader) even if the authority is treating you like shit. Stop bitching about unfairness/inequality! Your reward is awaiting you in a parallel universe!
Don't you think throwing an epic/unaffordable party is a bit too much?
1. He came home empty handed. This doesn't really mean he won't leave again nor that he will make up for the damage he's done.
2. Why the other brother has to work like a slave with no reward? Not even a promise to change the current affairs. Just the old empty/vague encouragement "what i have is yours <but not now, later...>, we must all work <but actually you work and I watch.. >".
Let's make this a modern story about the financial crisis in 2008. The party guys get bailed out by the hard working people. Big Party?
Fast forward 2021: party guys will be rewarded even more.
Inheritance is central to the story. The older brother is working to increase the value of the estate, because he’ll inherit half one day. The younger brother asked for his half up front in cash and wasted it. The older brother is pissed because he cares about doing the right thing, and he’s not especially rewarded for doing it when others don’t.
There’s another story in the Bible about this, the vineyard workers. Workers are hired for the day with the promise of a day’s wage. Some are hired in the morning, others at noon, afternoon, and an hour before dark. The morning workers are angry because everyone got paid the same, and the vineyard owner reminds them that they were paid fairly, and that they should not let what others receive damage their contented-ness.
Christianity’s emphasis of forgiveness and full welcoming has been criticized by many austere and rigorously just religions and philosophies.
No, it is a tale about our nature. Think about it, say you lost 20 bucks but later find it, aren't you happier that you found it than when your predictable paycheck arrives every month?
You might be so happy as to celebrate and use that money on something frivolous. Does that mean you should treat all your money this way all the time?
