The power of a second chance
A conversation beneath Rembrandt’s Prodigal Son
For those who have visited our St Francis House in Redfern, you may have noticed the print hanging in the dining room—Rembrandt’s The Return of the Prodigal Son.
If you’re unfamiliar with this work, or just need a refresher, here’s a link: The Return of the Prodigal Son (Rembrandt) – Wikipedia.
The following is a reflection received from one of our volunteers that we thought might interest our supporters:
I was having a coffee in the dining room with a long-term Redfern resident and member of our community. His name is John. He looked at the print for a while, then asked me who I most identified with in the scene that Rembrandt had created.
Having never thought about it, my immediate response was to nominate the reckless son who, having wandered off course, having misbehaved, having stuffed up, was returning home seeking forgiveness and a second chance. We’ve all been there!
I suppose I could have also nominated the obedient son—who did the right thing, who did what was expected of him, and who was so indignant that his brother was being treated to things he didn’t deserve, things that were rightly his. Don’t you sense his outrage!
John asked about the father figure in the scene. I thought he was meant to represent God. John wasn’t so sure. He thought, maybe, that the point of the parable was to challenge us to be more like the father figure—offering unconditional love, forgiveness, and generosity.
Our dealings with each other can be so transactional. If you behave in a certain way, this is what you can expect in return. If you misbehave, you’ll suffer the consequences.
Just like the father figure, Cana explicitly strives to be relational—which can often be really hard, and in today’s world can sometimes seem quite irrational.
When we’re quite deliberately relational in our engagement with others—when we genuinely strive to offer dignity, forgiveness, and acceptance, when we offer another chance—we fuel real hope and the possibility of renewal.
