A Guide To Storytelling - Part 3

One of Jesus’ most famous parables is the parable of the prodigal son. It’s a story about a father who has two sons. One son remains on his father’s estate, working the fields and obeying the will of his father. The other son demands his share of the estate now. So the father agrees to divide his wealth.

What follows is a tragic story where the son travels to a distant land and wastes all of his inheritance on vile living--squandering his money on prostitutes. After some time, the son returns home and asks to be hired as a servant. The son then said that he had sinned against heaven and against his father and was no longer worthy to be called his son. The father responds by offering his son the finest robe in the house, a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. The father orders the fatted calf to be killed so that they might celebrate the son’s return with a feast.

The older brother is angry and unhappy with the turn of events. He tells his father that he has worked hard for him and never once refused to do a single thing he told him to do. He feels an injustice has been committed. The father goes on to tell him that they are very close, and everything he has is the son’s. We are uncertain whether or not the son accepted his father’s response.

There is no question that Jesus could tell a good story. The prodigal son is all about conflict. The older brother was angry and upset at his younger brother for leaving the estate and throwing away his inheritance, while he had been loyal to his father and had worked hard. The younger brother has internal struggles and has to deal with his past mistakes of wild living. He also feels that he is a failure and a disappointment in the eyes of his father.

It is also a very dramatic story in which the son realizes he has made a mistake in his lifestyle choices and wants to return home. You can only imagine what the scene looks like when the father reaches out in compassion and offers everything he has to the son. It must have been a very dramatic and moving scene. The story is also about personal struggles. Why did the son feel the need to leave? What drove him to a distant land? What was his motivation? Was he unhappy at home? And what about his relationship with his older brother? I am sure that Jesus understood that by telling this vivid story his audience would be asking the same questions.

Jesus gave us the model for storytelling. Over the years, Christians have been telling boring and uninteresting stories. We have lacked imagination and intrigue. Our stories have not been mysterious but often appeared trite and conniving. Who do you think is doing a good job of storytelling? Hollywood has discovered the model. It’s an irony that they have embraced Jesus’ concept of parables to a much greater degree than the Church. Where is the heart of God in Hollywood? It’s in stories. It’s in Hollywood’s version of the parables. And, just like the parables, they are full of conflict, adventure, violence, drama, social issues and redemption.