Luc 15: 11-32
11And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of thy substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country; and there he wasted his substance with riotous living. 14And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want. 15And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16And he would fain have been filled with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger! 18I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: 19I am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22But the father said to his servants, Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23and bring the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and make merry: 24for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
25Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26And he called to him one of the servants, and inquired what these things might be. 27And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 28But he was angry, and would not go in: and his father came out, and entreated him. 29But he answered and said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, and I never transgressed a commandment of thine: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 30but when this thy son came, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou killedst for him the fatted calf. 31And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine. 32But it was meet to make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
What does this parable reveal about the Kingdom of God?
In this parable, Jesus tells the story of a father with two sons exhibiting different behaviours, and through them, he demonstrates how the justice of the Kingdom of God differs from the law (Deuteronomy 21:18-21), and how this time of grace initiated by Jesus operates. In both behaviours, He shows the mistakes and successes of each, and how our Father acts in each of these situations.
Firstly, the younger son, heedless and not valuing what he possesses, and without honoring his father, asks for his share of the inheritance (even though the father is still alive). The father, without arguing, demonstrating free will, divides what he has and gives one of the portions to the son, who departs for a distant land.
Without knowledge, without wisdom, and without someone to guide him, he squanders all he has and starts experiencing hunger. When he reaches this state of need, he remembers his father, his brother, and the good life he had before. After reflecting, even considering the life of his father's servants, he gathers courage and decides to return to his father's house, even if it means being treated as one of the servants.
Upon arriving home, the son asks for forgiveness from his father and demonstrates his repentance, requesting to be treated as one of his father's servants. Surprisingly, the father receives the son with open arms, places a recognition ring on his finger, brings out the finest clothes, puts sandals on his feet, and throws a feast, for the son who was lost has been found, the one who was dead has come back to life. Here we have one of the most important messages of the Kingdom of God, its justice of mercy and forgiveness demonstrated by the father.
Next, the older son returns home and sees that there is a celebration going on. Instead of joining the party, he becomes apprehensive and asks one of the servants what is happening. Upon learning that his brother has returned, instead of being happy and celebrating, he becomes jealous and angry at the father's and his brother's actions. He refuses to enter the celebration, expressing that his father has never given him anything to celebrate with his friends.
This demonstrates how the older brother, despite being with the father, didn't have the mindset of a son to enjoy everything he had; he was leading a life of "slavery," as he himself mentioned. The mindset of the Kingdom is primarily one of enjoyment and mercy, savoring every moment of life, but at the same time, it's about responsibility, doing what needs to be done as requested by the father.
In the end, the father goes to the older son and explains that we should celebrate because the younger brother, who was lost, was dead and is now found and alive again. In other words, the Father is, during this time, with open arms, waiting for us to return, and surely He will receive us with great joy. But this return, this repentance, has to happen now, today, in life. We shouldn't wait for after death, thinking that God will accept back those who didn't repent and didn't turn to Him in life, as that won't happen. Repentance and change of attitude have to happen now, today, because after this time of grace passes, God's justice will be applied, just as in the parable of the ten virgins, where Jesus will simply say He doesn't know us.