Introduction 

One of the most famous parables of Jesus is called the Prodigal Son. He told of a young man who committed several awful sins against the morals of the Jewish society. The parable stars the loving father who welcomed back his wayward son and reinstated the young man in his position of sonship. But, what happened to the wayward son?

The Story

A young man got tired of living on the family farm. Before his father even died, he asked for his share of the inheritance. He converted it into cash and left. 

He wasted his money on immoral living until he was reduced to enslavement to a Gentile pig farmer. The farmer didn’t feed him well. He would have gladly eaten the pigs’ food. Changing his thinking about home, the young man got up and made the journey back to where living conditions were better. 

His father so mourned the departure of his son that he watched the road to the house and saw him from afar. The old man ran down the road, embraced his filthy son, and called for a party to celebrate the young man’s return.

Meaning of “Prodigal”

As usual with English Bibles, the use of the word “prodigal” is inaccurate. In the vocabulary of 1600 English, to be prodigal meant to freely spread abroad. The Creator was known to be prodigal in spreading seeds widely so that all kinds of plants and trees flourish all over (where conditions allow them). Luke used the Greek word “diaskorpizō” to describe how the young man scattered abroad the seeds of his wealth. The KJV translated that as wasting his substance on riotous living.

The son totally ignored Yahweh’s instructions (torah) to give support to the poor, widows, and orphans. He ignored the laws that required helping out poor relatives in financial need. He ignored his society’s requirement to invest one’s wealth in new farms or vineyards in order to create more wealth. The son ignored his father’s training. He despised his father and asked for the man’s death benefits early. Then he went out among the Gentile “dogs” and wasted his wealth on “wine, women, and song”. The hearers of this parable would have gasped in outrage at the young man’s wasteful behavior.

Of course, this behavior reduced him to poverty. Worse, he had to sell himself into economic slavery (Leviticus 25). Even worse, the master put him to caring for filthy, unclean pigs. And he would have gladly eaten the pods of the carobtree, usually eaten by pigs and low- class people.

Repentance 

The young man “came to himself”. He examined the results of his wayward attitudes and found them lacking. He remembered that his father’s servants had more than enough to eat. He turned back from that life of poverty and immoral living and set out for his father’s house. 

When back in the old man’s bosom, he asked to be taken back as a servant, one under the authority of the steward of the house. In essence, he asked to work for food to live on from then on. He believed he deserved no better.

His father gave him much better. The old man called for the best robe to cover up his filth and to show his return to beloved status – just like Joseph’s coat of many colors. The father called for a signet ring that showed the young man’s return to a son’s authority. 

The joyful man called for the slaughter of the calf being fattened for sacrifice. Such an animal would typically be sacrificed as an offering to Yahweh and most of the meat eaten by the family, their servants, their neighbors. This was a different occasion for celebration. The father left the Temple sacrifice out of the event.

Wasteful Son’s Aftermath

Stinky-filthy as he was, the young man would have gotten cleaned up. Then he would have likely sat with his father and talked while the feast was being prepared. He would have greeted servants he had known and friends who came to celebrate.

I don’t suppose he would have shared about all he did and what happened to him. Such was too shameful for that culture. He may have spoken of wonders seen and acceptable experiences. He would have listened to news from his friends.

When the time came, he would have enjoyed the food that was prepared and all the music and dancing that went into celebration. At some point, I’m sure he wept with remorse at his shameful behavior and impoverishment. He would have wept with relief and joy at being reinstated as a child of the house, even with the authority as a son.

He would have heard about his brother’s rejection of his return and celebration. The young man would have had to “eat crow” along with the sacrificial calf to get back in “good odor” with his brother.

He would have had to relearn how to work beside his brother and follow his father’s instructions. Maybe he would have eventually learned how to make investments as he originally should have done.

Such Is Kingdom Living

“All have sinned and fallen short of God’s [way of living].” In many ways, we have all wasted the talents (skills and abilities) given us, if not the talents (measures of money) put in our care. We have gone after our own immoral pleasures or held unrighteous (against relationships) attitudes toward wasteful people. We have become stinky with the filth of the world.

Many of us have come to our senses and sought the better conditions of living in God’s Kingdom. We have turned to the Father for forgiveness. He sacrificed the Lamb for us. He covered our filth with robes of righteousness. The Father has celebrated with the seraphs in Heaven our return to His household.

Now, we work at reconciling with the brothers and sisters we offended and learn how to use the talents the Creator gave us to work in His fields as sons – and daughters – with His authority.