The Parable of the Father’s Story
A dream I had this morning:
The Parable of the Father’s Story
There was a certain father who had six children — three sons and three daughters.
When the father died, some of his children kept his ways, but others denied him.
Among them was a son named Paul, who held to the father’s truth though many did not believe him. Paul sought to tell a story, but the world denied him the chance.
Yet the father, though gone, made a way: he purchased for Paul a story of his own, and gave him the right to direct it.
The father’s will was read, and an inheritance was given.
To those who believed and honored him, the father entrusted great riches — enough to fulfill every purpose, a treasure beyond counting.
To those who denied him, he gave a lesser portion — still a gift, yet far less than what could have been theirs, had they remained faithful.
And the people marveled, for they saw that the true wealth was not in the coins or land, but in the story given by the father — a story meant to be told to the world.
The Parable of the Father’s Story — Annotated
1 And Jesus spoke to them, saying:
Sets the tone like the Gospels — Luke often opened parables this way.
2 There was a certain father who had six children, three sons and three daughters.
3 And it came to pass that the father died, and his house was divided.
Six children → Biblically, the number 6 often represents mankind/human imperfection (Genesis 1:27, Revelation 13:18).
Father dying → Can symbolize God’s apparent absence (like the parable of the talents where the master “goes away” — Matthew 25:14–15).
House divided → Echoes Matthew 12:25 — “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined.”
4 Two of the sons denied the father, and three daughters denied their brothers;
5 but one son remained, keeping the words and the ways of his father.
Denial → Reminiscent of Peter’s denial (Luke 22:61) and the broader theme of rejecting God’s covenant.
One faithful son → A picture of the faithful remnant in Israel (Romans 11:5).
6 Now this son sought a place to tell a story, to direct and to bring forth a work;
7 but the world would not receive him, and the rulers of the stage cast him away.
The world rejecting him → John 1:11: “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”
Rulers of the stage → Could symbolize earthly powers or gatekeepers who decide what “stories” are told — hinting at cultural/spiritual opposition.
8 Yet the father, though departed, prepared for him a story to direct,
9 and set it in his hand as a treasure, saying, “This is yours, my son; tell it.”
Father providing despite absence → Mirrors John 14:18 — “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
Story as treasure → Could be the Gospel itself (2 Corinthians 4:7: “we have this treasure in jars of clay”).
10 And the will of the father was read before them all:
11 to those who believed and honored him, he gave the fullness of the inheritance,
12 a wealth beyond counting, riches in the measure of threefold perfection.
Fullness of the inheritance → Romans 8:17: “If we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.”
Threefold perfection → The number 3 often symbolizes divine completeness (Father, Son, Spirit).
13 But to those who denied him, he gave a lesser portion—
14 still a gift, yet not the treasure that could have been theirs, had they kept his name.
Lesser portion → Echoes the prodigal son’s older brother (Luke 15:31–32), and also Matthew 25:28–29 (“to everyone who has, more will be given…”).
Shows God’s common grace — even the unfaithful benefit from His generosity in some measure.
15 And those who were wise understood that the true reward
16 was not the coin nor the land, but the story given by the father—
17 a story meant to be told to the whole world.
True reward = story → Suggests the calling, the mission, the Gospel itself is the inheritance, not just material blessing.
Told to the whole world → Matthew 28:19, the Great Commission — “Go and make disciples of all nations…”
💡 Big takeaway:
Your dream-as-parable lines up closely with biblical themes of:
Faithfulness vs. denial
God’s provision despite rejection from the world
Inheritance as both eternal reward and present calling
The mission being more valuable than the material