(slideshow) These 9 Details in the Parable of the Prodigal Son Would Have Astonished Jesus’ Audience

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The son demanding his inheritance means so much more.

“The younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them.” (Luke 15:12) The Jewish custom of the day was to wait until after the death of a father to gain any inheritance. Thus, by demanding his inheritance prematurely, the younger son is basically saying to his father, “You are dead to me.” Jesus’ audience would have seen the son’s wish as a huge disrespect toward his father.

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