The Cross & the Prodigal

Luke 15 Through the Eyes of Middle Eastern Peasants

Kenneth E. Bailey

• Publisher: IVP
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9780830832811
• eBook ISBN: 9780830868070
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

Preaching Magazine Year's Best Book for Preachers

Where is the cross in the parable of the prodigal son?

For centuries, Muslims have called attention to the father's forgiveness in this parable in order to question the need for a Mediator between humanity and God. In The Cross and the Prodigal, Kenneth E. Bailey--New Testament scholar and long-time missionary to the Middle East--undertakes to answer this question.

Drawing on his extensive knowledge of both the New Testament and Middle Eastern culture, Bailey presents an interpretation of this parable from a Middle Eastern perspective and, in doing so, powerfully demonstrates its essentially Christian message. Here Bailey highlights the underlying tensions between law and love, servanthood and sonship, honor and forgiveness that grant this story such timeless spiritual and theological power.

PART TWO

“Two Sons Have I Not”

A ONE-ACT PLAY IN
FOUR SCENES

Introduction

This play is an attempt to read between the lines of the story of the prodigal son. I have tried to add detail with a sanctified imagination, reading in only that which will both be faithful to traditional Middle Eastern village life and will illuminate the theological and emotional content of the parable.

Cast requirements: eight actors/readers

Time: early in the first century

Place: a small Galilean village

The Cast in the Order of Appearance

SHALUK:	The family head steward (male or female)
OBED:	The younger son
ADAM:	The older son
ABU-ADAM:	The father
SERGIS:	A Greek pig herder
ANTIPAS OR ATHENA:	Sergis’s son or daughter.
THE MAYOR:	Mayor of the home village (man or woman)
THE PRIEST:	Leader of the local synagogue. His title is “Abuna,” which means “our father”

Most of the characters have some symbolic meaning. These are as follows:

SHALUK: This person’s name is from a Hebrew word that means “messenger.” The Greek translation apostolos, became our English apostle. He or she is a person of great stature, who shares the confidences of both the father and Obed. He or she has served faithfully for many years and is perhaps fifty years old.

OBED: This young man is anxious to live life to the fullest and is quite sure he understands all that this means. At the beginning he is defiant and rebellious. In scene two he is shaken and subdued. The light dawns in scene three. His name is from a Hebrew root meaning “to be lost” ( )bd). He is lost to all around him and to himself until he sees the unexpected outpouring of his father’s love.

ADAM: The older son symbolizes proud self-righteousness. As a religious sinner he is rebellious within the law. Confident of the righteousness of all he does, he is sure of his opinions—all of them. Young and hard, he is the first Adam.

ABU-ADAM: In the house the father is a symbol for God, and later in the play he becomes a symbol of God in Christ. “Abu-Adam” means “the father of Adam.” In him holiness and love fuse. Righteousness and justice are brought together. Anyone playing this part should prepare himself by reading the first essay in P. T. Forsyth’s little classic God the Holy Father (Naperville, Ill.: Allenson, 1957)....

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents
• Introduction to the Second Edition
• Preface
• PART ONE: Commentary on Luke 15
• PART TWO: “Two Sons Have I Not”
• Production Notes
• Music for Shaluk’s Song
• Bibliography
• Notes
• Praise for The Cross & the Prodigal
• About the Author
• More Titles from InterVarsity Press
• Copyright Page