In an alternative reading of the parable of the Prodigal Son, I always wondered that there was something odd about this Father figure. A father who didn't raise his sons well. A father who forgets to invite the older son for the party...
Well, the Jewish Scholar A.J. Levine encourages us to read this parable in the light of the other two parables in Luke 15. Summarizing Levine -
The first parable is about a shepherd who "loses" one sheep. Only when you count all the 99 you realize that you lost one.
The second parable talks about the woman who has 10 coins and "loses" one. She counts & comes up one coin short.
So, 99 out of 100, 9 out of 10.
Jesus has now cleverly setup the plot-line, and he proceeds.
There was a man who had two sons...
Immediately, any Jew listening to this knows the plot line, Cain & Abel, Ishmael & Issac, Esau and Jacob, go with the younger son.
Towards the end of the parable comes one of the most profound lines when the older brother is out in the field, hears the sound of music and dance, and asks the servant what the party's all about.
They had enough time to call the band and the caterer but nobody called the older brother,
“because the man had two sons and he forgot to count.”
Whom have we made to feel dis-counted? Who have we overlooked? Have we failed to count? Have we failed to make everybody feel counted?