A certain man had two sons. The younger of the two said, "Father, give me my inheritance."
So the father divided the inheritance between his sons.
After a few days, the youngest son gathered all his belongings and set off on a journey to a far away place to party and live wildly.
Parable of the Prodigal Son fact:
Taking care of pigs would have been the lowest job for a Jewish man. Pigs were "unclean" and considered disgusting (read the story of Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis...).
After he spent his inheritance, there came a great famine in the land. It was so bad, that the son had to serve on a farm where his job was to feed the pigs. Day after day, the young man would long to fill his belly with the pigs' food, bit nobody gave him anything to eat.
Finally, the son came to his senses, "How many of my father's servants have bread to spare while I die of hunger!
"I will go to my father and and say to him, 'Father I have sinned against you and against heaven. I am no longer worthy to be called your son, please hire me as one of your servants.'"
The son left the farm and returned home. While he was still a long way off, his father spotted him. He had so much compassion for his son that he ran out to meet and kiss him.
Parable of the Prodigal Son fact:
Like the father here, God longs for us to come to him in repentance. If somebody you know is contemplating Christian life, tell them of God's love and desire to care for them, and be rewarded in heaven!
His son sobbed, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son."
The father ignored his son's plea, but instead told his servants to bring the best robe from the house and put it on his son. Likewise he told them to gather shoes for his feet and a gold ring for his finger!
Parable of the Prodigal Son fact:
A signet ring signified authority, shoes and a long robe signified importance and high position.
He also told his servants to kill the fattest calf and prepare a feast to celebrate that his son had returned. So everybody ate, danced and partied to celebrate the return of the lost son.
Now the older brother was returning from the fields, heard the music and singing, and inquired of one of the servants what was going on.
Parable of the Prodigal Son fact:
The older brother represents the attitude of the Pharisees of the time. They lived "clean" lives, and believed they followed all the rules, and expected to be rewarded for their good behavior.
The servant replied, "Your younger brother has returned from afar, so we prepared the fattest calf and celebrated his return.
The older brother was furious. He went to see his father, "Father, all these years I have served and obeyed your every command. You have never even given me a young goat to prepare for a feast with my friends. Yet, my brother spends his inheritance on living wildly and partying, and you prepare the fattest calf for him!"
His father replied, "My son, you are always with me and everything I have is yours. However, you must understand that your brother was dead and now he lives. He was lost, and now he is found! We must celebrate with him to encourage him and show our love for him."
