The Parable Of “The Prodigal Son” (Luke 15:11-32)

by Joey Backenstoe

“And he said, a certain man had two sons: and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of thy substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country; and there he wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called your son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and make merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called to him one of the servants, and inquired what these things might be. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. But he was angry, and would not go in: and his father came out, and entreated him. But he answered and said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, and I never transgressed a commandment of thine; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: but when this thy son came, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou killedst for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine. But it was meet to make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”

Even though the word “prodigal” does not appear in the text, the word is nevertheless appropriate when one considers its definition. Webster’s dictionary defines prodigal as “characterized by profuse or wasteful expenditure; recklessly spendthrift.” Our story begins with a man who has two sons. Initially, both sons have a good relationship with their father. The younger son requests that he receive his inheritance immediately! “Father, give me the portion of thy substance that falleth to me.” We see impatience in his request. Furthermore, we see impure motives as he wants to spend his inheritance on sinful activities. Towards the end of the parable, from his brother’s comments, we learn that the younger son spends time with harlots. The unfortunate and sad truth is that some people would rather live in sin than be right with God (Matthew 25:46). Things go from bad to worse in that he is now broke, and he has to take a job feeding swine. One cannot help but think of II Peter 2:22 (NASV) – “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.” The lure of sin is exemplified in this part of the story: one thinks that in sin he will find excitement, happiness and fulfillment, only to discover that what actually awaits him is misery and sorrow.

And then we arrive at the pivotal part of the story. The scriptures say that the young man “came to himself.” A modern way of conveying the same idea is: he came to his senses. Sadly, some people never come to this point in their lives; however, we know that it is God’s will for all sinners to come to this pivotal moment in their lives (II Peter 3:9). Just as we saw the lure of sin exemplified, we see repentance perfectly exemplified at this point. The young man realizes that even his father’s servants have life better than he does. He remembers that the life that he had with his father was better than what he now has. He has hope that his father will receive him back. Notice that the young man didn’t just think about returning to his father – he actually did it (James 2:20)! His repentance was genuine because he took action. At this point, one might expect his father to be full of wrath, and severely punish his son for his sinful ways. But, perhaps surprisingly, his father was “moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” This is one of the most beautiful and encouraging verses in the scriptures because it teaches us that the love and forgiveness of God is available to those that seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). “Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13 NKJV). (It is noteworthy that the rich man in Luke 16:19-31 could no longer change his status – repentance is an option only for those who are alive and able. The prodigal son did not make the same mistake that the rich man made – the prodigal son repented before it was too late.) Furthermore, the young man had a proper attitude of humility in that he said to his father, “I am no longer worthy to be called thy son.” This calls to mind James 4:6 (NKJV) which says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” The father then commands his servants to initiate a celebration (Luke 15:10), because his son was lost, and now is found.

At this point, there is an interesting twist to the story. Instead of rejoicing with the others because his brother was dead (in sin), but now is alive, the older brother is angry. One can infer jealousy in the older brother. The older brother essentially accuses his father of preferential treatment, “Lo, these many years do I serve thee, and I never transgressed a commandment of thine; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: but when this thy son came, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou killedst for him the fatted calf.” The father assures the older son that he loves him as much as the younger son – this is simply an occasion for celebration. In Luke 15, the fact that the woman rejoiced when she found the lost coin did not mean that she valued it more than the other coins, and the fact that the shepherd rejoiced when he found the lost sheep did not mean that he valued it more than the other sheep. Likewise, the father of the prodigal son did not value the younger son over the older son. A lesson that the older son needed to learn is that we have no right to expect preferential treatment from God if we are faithful for a longer period of time than someone else (Matthew 20:1-16). It is the lost that need saving! This was the needed lesson for the scribes and Pharisees who criticized Jesus for eating with sinners (Luke 15:1-2).

This parable is an encouragement not only to those who were once right with God and have returned to a life of sin, but also to those who have never been in Christ. The main message that applies to both groups is that if you turn to God and love Him with all your heart, soul, and might (Deuteronomy 6:5), then He will receive you with open arms.