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NASB | John 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 13:35 "By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one another." |
Subject: Do you have a Prodigal in your family? |
Bible Note: The Bible story is of a son who went away from home and wasted his money in riotous living. Somewhere along the line someone referred to that young man as a prodigal. The term was meant to refer to his wasting his money, not to the fact he had gone away from his family. As time went on people thought the word was referring to the fact he had left home and gone away, breaking ties with his family. A dictionary does not decide the meaning of a word. It aims to reflect what people mean when they use the word. Up to this point in time the word prodigal is recorded in the dictionary to let us know what people mean when they use the word. Clearly, some people are presently using the word in a manner different from what was originally intended. In time, dictionary makers may recognize the fact that a significant part of the population is using the word in a new way. They may then listen to those folks, determine what the word means when they use it, and record it as an additional meaning. At present, “prodigal” is not a Bible term. As has been noted, it is not found in any of the current translations. If the term continues to be used, as it has been here, it may well become a part of future translations. It may then come to represent both of the major aspects of the young man’s behavior. At the risk of offending someone (That is not the intent) these statements are made here for information purposes. The writer is academically qualified to make these statements. He is willing to risk the verbal attacks of anyone, qualified or not, in order to provide the above information to anyone who is willing to learn something new. Nor is he attempting to substitute academic qualifications for Bible knowledge. He hopes we can now drop the subject of word usage and return to the topic, which is worthy of attention, and which had been lying dormant for quite some time. Let it be understood that this writer would be in favor of redefining the term so that its use as here is accurate. It matters so little what we call these people, if we are able in some way to help them and to comfort those they leave behind. Some folks watch their children walk away. Some find out after the fact that they’re not coming home. This writer works with families in this way. The pain is apparently no less for those who, like Jacob, feel bereft of their children, or who, like David, are betrayed by a child. The question still seems to be, perhaps not yet fully answered, how the Lord would have us respond to such incidents. |