2023-11-13

The Prodigal Son Parable - The Chinese Perspective

Younger, the Prodigal Son
  • accept his Father's love but ignore righteousness
  • "unconditional love" becomes his license to sin
  • The consequences become his teacher for him to realize his sin and the unconditional love gives him the confidence to return to his father.
  • Punishment may not lead to repentance.
  • Unconditional love does that. Else, the regrets and condemnation will lead to suicide
Older, the Self-righteous Son
  • performance-based acceptance
  • focus on righteous behavior and ignore his father's unconditional love
  • his performance mindset cannot accept "unconditional" love.
  • living under such a belief causes one to be:
    • proud - I did it all by myself
    • condemning others
    • anger and jealousy for others' success
    • unforgiving
    • a life of stress and anxiety - within himself, he knows he fails to live up to the righteous standard in some if not many ways.
The Chinese View
  • The balance of Love & Righteousness
    • Love has righteousness within
      • Romans 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
      • John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.
    • Righteousness must have love within
      • Romans 7:12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
      • Deuteronomy 28: NIV. If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
      • John 8:11 “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
      • Luke 15:24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
    • Love without righteousness leads to lust
    • Righteousness without love leads to brutality
    • The balance show of love (forgiving) or righteousness (discipline) will depend on the timing, situation, and the person involved
  • 从国学的观点看 浪子回头的寓言

    From the perspective of traditional Chinese culture, the allegory of a prodigal son's repentance can be understood as follows:

    • 浪子只要父亲的爱而忽略了父亲的义的教导 大哥只是看到父亲的义的教诲而忽略了父亲无条件的爱。 在国学的观点里,爱和义是不可分割的 (阴阳的观念) 爱中有义,义中有爱。 只有爱而没有义会造成溺爱,欲望的放纵。 只有义而没有爱会造成残酷和孽待。 爱与义的表现要依照天时地利和各人的人性。 对有些人要处罚,有些只是警告,有些是饶恕。
    • The prodigal son seeks his father's love and disregards his father's teachings on righteousness,
    • The elder brother, on the other hand, only sees the father's moral teachings and overlooks the father's unconditional love.
    • In the viewpoint of traditional Chinese culture, love and righteousness are inseparable (in the concept of Yin and Yang).
    • There is righteousness in love, and there is love in righteousness.
    • Having only love without righteousness can lead to indulgence and unrestrained desires.
    • Having only righteousness without love can result in cruelty and harsh treatment.
    • The manifestation of love and righteousness should be in accordance with the timing, the situation, and the individual's nature.
    • For some individuals, punishment may be necessary, for others, a mere warning, and for some, forgiveness is appropriate.
  Lim Liat (c) 2-Oct-23

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