Author’s Note: This article is based on my journal article, “Finally Belonging: The Reception of the Parable of the Prodigal Son Among Asian Americans,” published in The Journal of Asian American Theological Forum.
Many churchgoers have heard the Parable of the Prodigal Son in sermons and have studied it in their Bibles. The third movement of a three-part parable that includes a lost sheep and a lost coin, the story in Luke 15:11-31 might be the most well-known of Jesus’ stories.
However, there are elements of the story that might be overlooked by those in majority American culture. These dynamics end up standing out when viewed by someone who identifies with the Asian American culture. By tapping into the Asian American experience, we can continue shaping our understanding of Jesus’ intended message. Here are four elements to consider when studying the story.
1. The Younger Son’s Departure
Preachers often discuss how shocking it would be to hear the younger son request his inheritance before his father’s death in verse 12. However, the request itself may not have been that unusual. Jewish tradition allowed for a patriarch to give money and property to his son before he died.
The more shocking part comes in verse 13, where the younger son takes everything and leaves home. Both in both Jewish and ancient Roman cultures, adult children were expected to care for their parents in their old age, much like modern Asian adult children are. By leaving with his possessions, the younger son abandons his duty to look after his father, especially by taking a large portion of his father’s livelihood. For many Asian families, a son’s abandonment of his duty would be an extremely dishonorable act that would lead to him being disowned and ostracized from the extended family.
2. The Younger Son’s Sense of Not Belonging
Many Asian Americans would resonate with the younger son’s experience of liminality, or not belonging anywhere. Like many immigrants, he finds himself facing difficulty in the new land that once held such great promise.
The younger son does not get the opportunities he needs to succeed, just like many people of Asian descent who are marginalized in America. He lacks the right network in his new home country and has to settle for the worst job. The reference to a “citizen of that country” (verse 15) reinforces the fact that he is treated as a foreigner rather than a fellow countryman in this new land.
Also, the son does not have a sense of belonging to his country of origin either. While away in the far country, the younger son abandons the ways of values of his own people. He is probably unable to attend a synagogue or keep the Sabbath and ends up feeding unclean pigs. He realizes he does not belong when he sadly evaluates his own worth: “I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (verse 19).
Asian Americans often struggle with feeling a sense of belonging. On the one hand, we are seen as perpetual foreigners, not accepted as Americans. In entertainment, sports, and business leadership, we still see low Asian American representation. On the other hand, we often feel the stigma of not being Asian enough. Many of us struggle to speak the language and express the culture of our ancestors. Like the younger son, we don’t feel like we belong anywhere.
3. The Older Son’s Angst
Asian Americans are known to be industrious, working hard and not drawing attention to themselves. This mentality is often found in cultures steeped in Confucian values. Confucius taught that social order is best kept when individuals fulfill their duties to their families and workplaces. This often means that the group (family, clan, nation) takes priority over one’s individual needs.
Many Asian Americans would relate to the older son in the parable, who has worked hard in his duty to the family (verse 29). He is shocked as he sees his younger brother not keep his duty, bring shame to the family, and disgrace the entire Jewish people. In the end, he becomes angry when his brother is welcomed back with a huge party. Despite his efforts, yet someone less deserving gets honored.
Many Asian Americans have experienced this kind of angst when it comes to university admissions or being passed over for a promotion in the workplace. There’s a sense that we deserve success because we’ve earned it. Like the older son, If we see those who are ‘less deserving’ get blessed, we feel cheated.
4. The Older Son’s Shameful Reaction
The older son’s angry reaction makes him guilty of insulting his father and shaming the family. By refusing to enter the party, he abandons his duty as the eldest son to have a major role in significant family events. With his angry speech, he embarrasses his father and denies him the honor of being a generous benefactor in front of the guests. Since the older son’s actions are done publicly at (what is likely) a big gathering, they bring disgrace to the father and the family.
Many Asian Americans, like the Jews in Jesus’ time, would consider the older son’s public treatment of his father to be shockingly contemptible. He has dishonored his father and brought disgrace on the family. Through the eyes of a family-based and shame-based culture, we see the wickedness of the older son. In the end, he is no more deserving of being in the family than his younger brother.
For many Asian American long-time churchgoers, we might relate more to the older son than the younger son. Like the older son, we’ve led lives that look devout: church attendance, saying the right things, and volunteering in ministry. But if that leads us to self-righteousness, a sense of entitlement, and feeling superior to others, we dishonor God and disgrace his reputation. The truth is, we are no more deserving of being in God’s family than anyone else.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son teaches that whether we’ve run away from God or not, we have all insulted and disgraced him. But God is a Father who, despite the grief we have brought to him, longs to welcome us. As we reflect on the father’s loving response to each son in Luke 15:22-24 and 15:31, we see that God desires to bring all into his family and love them.
For Asian Americans, many of us have acted like both the younger son and the older son in the story. But whether we are sojourners or hard workers, despite our rebellion we are invited to be in one family together with Jesus. That is good news indeed.