The Prodigal Son

Luke 15:11-32

The Gospel reading for this week from the Book of Common Prayer’s lectionary is a passage that is familiar to many. It is the parable that Jesus told of the Prodigal Son.  Jesus told many stories to the people that taught spiritual lessons. The Prodigal Son and The Good Samaritan are perhaps the most beloved. Let’s take a closer look at this parable today, and see if we can learn something new.

As the parable begins, we are introduced to a small, but very wealthy family consisting of a man and his two adult sons.  The younger son comes to his father and demands his share of the inheritance (vs. 12). This son asking for his inheritance while his father was still alive was basically saying that he wished his father was dead, as he was not entitled to anything until then.  The father divided the inheritance, though probably reluctantly, and gave this young man his share. The younger son took it and promptly left, going to a far country to live a “wild” life (vs. 13). The Greek word for “prodigal” means “dissolute”, conveying the idea of a totally debauched lifestyle.

After an unspecified length of time, the younger son had spent all of the large inheritance he had been given.  About the same time a famine came, leaving him destitute (vs. 14-16). The only job he could find was as a farmhand, feeding the pigs.  Feeding pigs would have been abhorrent to any Jew. He had fallen to the lowest rung, and was so destitute that he was willing to eat pig slop.  “No one gave him anything” - all of his so-called friends were around when he had money, but left when he was broke!

Finally, in this lowly condition, the younger son started to think straight.  He came to his right mind, his right senses (vs. 17). Destitute and hungry, he is a picture of one who is a candidate for salvation, knowing that he can do nothing to help himself.  He now understood the gravity of his transgressions against his father (vs. 18-19).

In this parable the younger son is the picture of the penitent sinner who returns to God the Father.  The father is a picture of God, who is eager to forgive, and longing for the return of the sinner. God has great joy, and there is celebrating in heaven when a sinner repents. However, the elder son illustrates the wickedness of the Pharisees’ self-righteousness, prejudice, and indifference toward repenting sinners, as we will shortly see.

The father had been waiting and looking for his son’s return (vs. 20). Daily he must have stood looking out across the fields towards the road, looking for his son’s familiar form.  Every time he went into town he must have looked around, asking if anyone had news or knew about his boy. Finally he sees the son coming, and he gathers up his robes and runs to welcome him back! (vs. 20-21).  God is not indifferent to sinful man, but is a Savior, longing to see sinners repent, and rejoices when they do.

God is always eager to forgive.  As represented by the father, rather than take the son back as a servant, making him grovel because of his sins, he embraces him as a son. He would not take his son back as a hired hand, but only as a beloved son.  The father gave him a robe to wear (vs. 22). This was traditionally reserved for guests of honor. The ring was a symbol of authority. The son got an honored position back. Sandals were not generally worn by slaves back then. The fatted calf (vs. 23) was reserved for the most special of occasions.

What about the elder son?  How did he react when his brother returned home? (vs. 25-32) He represents the Pharisees, who were seemingly close to God in outward appearance, but who had no real, genuine love for Him.  They had no joy, no interest in repentant sinners. This son was angry, just like the complaining scribes and Pharisees. He does not recognize or admit his own sins, acting very self-righteous, just like the Pharisee in Luke 18:11.  He had deep contempt for his brother, not even calling him his brother, and also for his father, begrudging the love that the father had to his brother.

There are many people who have wandered away from God and have ended up in Satan’s pigpen, feeding off of his slop.  How many people are out there, thinking they can never go back home, never go to God the Father, not after the life they have led?  Leaving God’s will takes us into a far country, one ruled over by Satan, a place where we make foolish decisions and end up in trouble. However God is waiting with open and outstretched arms to receive you! Do not hesitate another day, but like the prodigal son, return to the Father. And for those who already dwell with the Father, we need to be sure to welcome the repentant sinners into the fold, not with any self-righteous, pharisaical attitudes.