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In Revelation 22:18-19, the Apostle John gives a stern warning about changing his writings; it’s the “go-to” passage about altering God’s Word. Though preaching professor Dr. Fred Craddock was familiar with this passage, it still didn’t stop him from “tweaking” one of Jesus’ stories to make a point.
It proved to be a memorable experience….
The Parable of the Prodigal Son may be Jesus’ most well-known story. In it, Jesus tells of a father who had two sons, the older of which was a hard-working boy who strived to obey his father in every way and the younger who lived a reckless and wasteful life. In Jesus’ jaw-dropping story, the father not only forgives the sinful kid, but throws him a welcome home party when he comes dragging in from his chosen life of debauchery.
The Jewish crowd gathered around Jesus would have been stunned at the story’s ending.
To show just how stunned they would have been – and to make a much-needed point about grace – the famous preacher Fred Craddock “tinkered” with a few points of the story during a sermon long ago. Instead of putting the ring on the younger son’s hand, it went on the older son’s finger. The older brother also got the new robe, too! In fact, the fatted calf was killed and cooked, not because of the younger son’s return, but because of the older boy’s faithfulness and obedience.
In response to Dr. Craddock’s changes, one woman in the back of the church shouted, “That’s the way it should have been written!”
The Parable of the Prodigal Son was Jesus’ (crowning) story. There were many reasons why Jesus told it just the way He did, and the way He told it was perfect.
The woman who thought she could tell Jesus’ story better than Jesus was simply wrong.
Resource’s Origin:
What’s So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey. 1997, Zondervan, Page 54.
Topics Illustrated Include:
Bible
Christians
Forgiveness
God’s Word
Grace
Jesus’ Teaching
Judging
Mercy
Parable
Perfect
Self-Righteous
Stories
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
