Context

The parable of the prodigal son is the last of the three parables regarding "loss and redemption".  Jesus spoke these parables of loss and redemption to the "Pharisees and religious leaders after accusing Jesus of eating with sinners" (Wikipedia).  When Jesus told the parable, there are some pieces of the parable people today may not understand or fully appreciate.



 “ Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son primarily for the Pharisees’ benefit and as a rebuke to them.” –John MacArthur


Part l: The demand of the inheritance

The Prodigal Son

Jesus spoke of a young son requesting his inheritance from his father, and everything about the son’s demand was against the core value of the Hebrew society.  In the early days of Israel, the laws governing family estates from generation to generation were very important and stemmed from the Law of Moses.  These laws were to keep the lands from leaving the family heritages.  It is very obvious the young son had no respect for the laws or his father.  By means of compassion, the young son had none.  For a son, who was not the first born, to request his inheritance is very disturbing and selfish.  The son, according to the people Jesus was speaking to, basically was saying “Dad, you are in the way of my future plans.  It would be better if you were dead” (MacArthur).  During the time of the parable, the culture valued honor and the Fifth Amendment (“Honor your father and your mother”).  The Fifth Amendment  was very important and a governing law.  Any son that demanded what the young son did would be disowned by his father, and the son would be slapped across the face, in public, by his father.  The public act would shame the son who had shown the disrespect.  Given the culture of Israel, this was the lowest a son could go, and Jesus made sure to portray the worst shame in this parable.

The Father

Villages of the time of the prodigal son parable, everyone knew everyone and each other’s business.  The father could not cover his son’s shame and the people in their community expected the father to perform a public denunciation of slapping his son across the face.  Instead, the father divided the property and granted his sons request. By the father giving into the son shows the father as weak because honoring a defiant youth was unheard of.  The father shows in the story that he is a loving father and would rather be ridiculed by the public than disown his own son. 

Part ll:  The Departure to the “far away land”

The Prodigal Son

The young son “gathered all together” and left to a “far country” (v. 13).  The possessions the boy gathered were what his father gave him, liquidated them, and turning his inheritance into cash.  Once the boy sold all the property he was given, he left to a far-away land.  In the story, Jesus was telling, the country the boy fled to is not mentioned; instead, his words “far country” were all that needed to be said for his Jewish audience to understand where the boy went to.  Any distant land referred to during that time meant Gentile country.  The Jewish culture would never associate with a Gentile person, and for this Jewish boy to dishonor his father then leave to live with the Gentiles was the worst actions performed by this boy.  The young son “left not only his home and family but also his cultural heritage and his faith” (MacArthur).  To make the boy even more villainous, Jesus explained some of the evil deeds, like taking part in prostitution, during his time in the Gentile country.

Eventually, the young son’s wild living led him wasting his money away until he had none.  Then after his money ran out a severe famine arose in the land (v. 14).  The famine was not the son’s fault, and famine was an event that was common in Jesus’ time.  Jesus did not have to explain the pain the boy felt regarding the famine told in the story because His audience knew what turmoil a famine causes.

Part lll: The Lowest of Lows

The Prodigal Son

Now the young son has found himself in a very uncomfortable situation; he is without money during a famine.  He no longer has the comfort of his previous pleasures of living a life with no boundaries.  He was living a life in ruins surrounding him, and he was still not ready to go back home to his father.  By returning to his father he would be admitting that he was wrong and foolish for his actions.  That was a truth he was not willing to accept.  Therefore, the son would conjure up a way to remove himself from the mess he had created.

Living in poverty the son became “joined to a citizen of that country” (v. 15).  In the days of Rome a “citizen of a country” was a privileged person, and was usually very wealthy (MacArhtur).  Somehow, the Prodigal Son became acquainted with a citizen; he may have met during his time frolicking in his freedom and wealth.  “Scripture says he ‘joined himself’ to the citizen.  The Greek text employs a very picturesque verb- kallao, which literally means to ‘glue’” (MacArthur).  Basically, this meaning gives the impression that the citizen did not desire the relationship with the Prodigal Son, but the Prodigal Son stuck to him like glue and would not leave his side.  The Prodigal may have thought that this citizen would help support him and provide some of his needs.  The Prodigal Son seemed to have turned into a beggar. 

Finally, the citizen did provide a job for the young son:  feeding pigs.  Though it seems the citizen was showing compassion for the poverty stricken boy, he actually was showing none.  “Swinehearding paid next to nothing,” and the job was nothing close to meeting the Prodigal Son’s needs.   Also, swinehearding was the “lowest possible chore in the whole hierarchy of labor” (MacArthur).  The Prodigal Son was Jewish and born under the Law of Moses, and any contact with pigs was considered spiritually desecrating because pigs were considered ceremonially unclean animals; the Jewish were even forbidden to eat any pork.  Therefore, for the young son to participate in caring for pigs was the lowest he could go socially and morally.   To make the story of the Prodigal Son worse, the young son contemplated eating the pig’s food because he was literally starving to death.  At this point of the story, the Pharisees and religious leaders were listening to Jesus’ story with disgust and considered the boy himself a pig, condemned to hell.

Part lV: The Turning Point

The Prodigal Son

After hitting rock bottom, the Prodigal Son came to his senses.  He was starving from lack of food and tired of envying the pigs he fed. The son stated, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger… Father, make me like one of your hired servants” (v. 17 & 19).  Therefore, the son was ready “to walk away from his sin, submit to his father’s authority, plead for his father’s forgiveness, and submit to his father’s authority.  He turned and headed home” (MacArthur).   

As Jesus continued with the story, the Pharisees and scribes were already judging the boy and would have found no forgiveness for him.  According to the religious leaders, the young son burned too many bridges that were un-repairable.

Part V: The Unexpected

The Prodigal Son

 In the Prodigal Son’s culture, on his journey home, it would be expected for the father to refuse to meet the boy face-to-face.  The father would disgrace the son in front of the whole village, as the son had done to the father.  These actions may seems criminal in the world today, but it was through the Mosaic Law that a son would be put to death by stoning if a child were to dishonor their father or mother.  Therefore, the public display of shame was a prize compared to the other option. While the Prodigal Son walked a long way home he may have thought of the punishment that would welcome him when he arrives at his father’s home.

Father

Instead, the Prodigal Son’s father was eager to forgive, completely, “at the very first sign of repentance” (MacArthur).  “And he arose and came to his father. “But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).  As Jesus said that the father saw his son “a great way off,” it is safe to say that the father was looking eagerly for the return of his son, and even through the heartache, the father still had compassion for his son.  We also know when the father spotted his son it was during daylight hours, or the father would have never seen him “a great way off” in the dark of the night.  Therefore, the village was busy with people buying, selling, and people watching. 

The villagers would have also noticed a boy walking over the horizon; many would have realized who he was.  As the villagers probably predicted the father to scold his son for the pain he had caused, but instead, the father runs to his son with open arms, hugging, and kissing him.  He was elated that his son had come back with repentance.  Another reason for the father’s hurriedness to reach his son is so that the villagers would not come to the son first and scold him for his past actions.  Either way the father loved his son so much to forgive him and to take on the shame from the village people rather than his son.  Also, a wealthy, honorable man like the father running seems out of place in Middle Eastern culture, but the father was over-joyed to have his son back home. 

Part Vl:  The Celebration

The Father

Once the father reaches his son in joy, he does not let his son speak many of the words his son had rehearsed during his journey.  The father was like a child with pure joy.  Then to make the homecoming even more interesting, the father orders his servants to “Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry” (v. 22-23).  This was probably not the response the son was expecting, as well as, the servants and village people.  Although, the servants obeyed his commands and did as he said.

The three things the father orders the servants to bring for his son are very meaningful to the story of the Prodigal Son.  Our culture today may overlook the gifts in the story, but those Jesus was telling the story to knew very well the meaning of each item.  

The sandals brought to his son are a symbolic statement about the father’s acceptance of his son.  Servants and slaves customarily went barefoot and only masters and their sons wore footwear.  Therefore, the young son’s intensions of becoming a servant for his father were redirected to becoming a privileged son again. 

“The robe was even a higher honor” (MacArthur).  The robe was a piece of clothing that was considered a piece of formal wear or the “Greek expression in Luke 15:22 literally means ‘first-ranking garment’” (MacArthur).  The father was placing the fine linen robe on his son, giving honor, who was covered in filth from being a swineherder. 

The last gift, the ring, was a sign of authority.  The ring was a signet ring and would have the family crest or seal displayed on the ring.  Therefore, when the ring was “pressed into melted wax on a formal document, the resulting seal served as legal authentication,” and was then a sign of authority (MacArthur). 

Lastly, the father orders for the fatted calf be slaughtered and brought to them to eat.  A “fatted” calf back in that time was one that was under-exercised and fed only grain.  Having a fatted calf ready for a feast shows how wealthy the father was.  Also, a fatted calf is saved for a celebration like the first born’s wedding or the arrival of an important dignitary.  So for the father to save this calf for his son and throw a mega-feast for the homecoming of his son would have many questioning his decisions.   Although, the father’s words, “for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” he was delighted to have his son back home.

Part Vll: The Anger

The Elder Son

The Prodigal Son’s older brother has not come into the story until now, and when the elder son does come in, he is very surprised and upset.  After working in the fields the elder son came home finding a celebration in place, with music and dancing, that he was not aware of.  A celebration of that size would typically be held for a very special, once in a life time event, and most of the massive celebrations are honors to the first born.  Although, the elder son was the first born and knew nothing of the event, even if he knew of the event, the first born is typically included in the festivities and planning. Incidentally, before the elder son came into the picture, the preparations were complete and on their way. 

Remaining outside the celebration, with a hardened heart, the elder son called a servant to him, demanding an answer for the festive atmosphere.  The servant, more than likely a child of a servant, explained to him, “Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf” (v. 27).  “The Greek expression translated ‘safe and sound’ actually speaks of wholeness, cleansing, and health.  The servant boy was not merely stating that the young son had returned home safely, rather than “he was dramatically changed for the better” (MacArthur).  The elder son refused to go in and was furious, instead of being joyful his brother come home safe.  The interesting part is that the elder son was furious with his father not his brother, but because there were no repercussions for his young brother’s actions before he left to his wild living.  Instead, his father was quick to forgive the younger son and even throw an enormous party for his return.  He also resented the fact that his father was using resources that belonged to him after his father died.  It is obvious the elder son had no affection for his younger brother and really did not love his father.

As MacArthur stated,

“But it was in fact the ultimate proof that this elder son had no true love for his father.  He was so consumed with himself, his own prestige, his own property, and his own selfish agenda.  But the truth is, the son was secretly much more of a rebel than the Prodigal had ever been.  He wasn’t as obvious in showing his contempt for the father as the Prodigal had once been, but he privately nurtured the same wicked heart of rebellion, the same lusts, and the same selfish attitude” (2008).

The Father

After receiving word that the eldest son was outside refusing to come in, the father did not scold him but pleaded with him.  “The father was every bit as tender-hearted and gracious to the elder son as he had been to the Prodigal” (MacArthur).  As the father reached out with mercy, the elder son refuted with harsh words. The words that were said by the son are words that have been hidden within his heart.  “All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf” (v. 29-30 NLT).  These two verses offer the same disrespect that the Prodigal Son had portrayed to his father earlier in the story.  The elder son’s words almost have the tone that his father should be asking for his forgiveness for not allowing him to have a young goat to feast on with his friends.  The father was in pain, mixed with compassion for his eldest son.  In the Greek text the word huios is used eight times in this passage, meaning “son”, but here the father used the word teknon, meaning “my child” (MacArthur).  The tone of voice here was different than the rest of the passage, but he was still trying to reach out to his son.  “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours” (v. 31).

Part Vlll: I once was Lost, But now am Found

Father

The father made one more plea to the elder son by saying, “We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found” (v. 32).  The Prodigal Son was lost and found his way back home as a different person; that was an event to celebrate.  The father grieved the loss of the Prodigal Son during his absence.  When the Prodigal Son came back it was like he came back from the dead.  It would have been wrong not to celebrate.  In addition, the father’s words were to speak to the elder son as well, but his heart remained cold.  His father would have celebrated for the elder son if he too would come to him, like his brother the Prodigal Son.  The celebration, Jesus speaks of, is the celebratory joy that fills heaven after a sinner repents.