The parable of the prodigal son explained
The parable of the prodigal son is probably the best-known story Jesus told. Some have called it “the Gospel within the Gospel”, because in a few lines it sums up the heart of the Christian message: the sin that drives us away, the repentance that brings us back and the love of a Father who runs to welcome us. Charles Dickens called it “the most touching story ever written”. In this article we walk through it step by step, with its context, its characters, the symbols it contains and what it teaches us today.
The context: three parables of the lost
Luke 15 opens with a revealing scene: “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them” (Luke 15:1-2). In answer to that criticism, Jesus told three parables in a row: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. All three have the same ending: something lost is found and there is a great celebration. Read also our article The Lord rejoices when one of his children returns.
“Give me the portion of goods”
A man had two sons. The younger said to him: “Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.” In that culture, asking for one’s inheritance while the father was alive was almost like saying “I wish you were dead.” It was a breaking of the relationship and a public dishonour to the father. Surprisingly, the father agreed and divided his property. A few days later the younger son gathered everything and went to a far country, where he “wasted his substance with riotous living” (Luke 15:13).
The younger son represents everyone who wants to live far from God, enjoying his gifts but without the Giver. God does not force us to stay: he respects our freedom, even though it costs him pain.
Hitting rock bottom
When he had spent everything, a severe famine came upon that land and he began to be in want. He went to work for a citizen of that country, who sent him to feed pigs. For a Jew, pigs were unclean animals; he could sink no lower. He longed to fill his stomach with the husks the pigs ate, “and no man gave unto him.” The one who had had so many friends while he had money was now alone.
“When he came to himself”
Then came the decisive moment:
“And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”
Luke 15:17-19
“When he came to himself” is a beautiful expression: sin makes us lose our senses, and repentance is coming back to them. The son recognised his situation, remembered his father’s goodness, prepared a sincere confession and, above all, got up and set off. True repentance is not only feeling sorry, but returning.
The running father
What follows is the heart of the parable:
“And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
Luke 15:20
The father saw him “when he was yet a great way off”: he had been waiting for him, watching the road every day. He was moved with compassion. And he ran. In the ancient East, an older, respected man did not run; doing so was undignified, because he had to gather up his robe. But this father did not care about his dignity. He ran, fell on his son’s neck and kissed him, before the son could say a word. That is what God is like: he does not wait for us to clean ourselves up before receiving us; he comes out to meet us.
The robe, the ring and the shoes
The son began his confession: “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.” But the father did not let him finish the sentence he had prepared —“make me as one of thy hired servants”— and said to his servants: “Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry.” Every detail has meaning. The best robe covered his rags and restored his honour. The ring, probably a family seal, gave him back a son’s authority. The shoes distinguished him from slaves, who went barefoot. The feast announced to everyone that he had been received. He did not return as a servant, but as a son.
The father’s reason is the central sentence of the parable: “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:24).
The elder brother
The story does not end there. The elder son was coming in from the field, heard the music and dancing and, on learning what was happening, was angry and would not go in. The father came out to find him too and pleaded with him to come in. But the elder son reproached him: “Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.” Notice that he does not say “my brother”, but “this thy son”.
The father answered tenderly: “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:31-32). The parable ends without telling us whether the elder brother went in to the feast. It is an open question for the murmuring Pharisees… and for us.
Two lost sons
Many readers have noticed that there are two lost sons in the parable. The younger was lost far from home, in reckless living. The elder was lost inside the house, in pride, resentment and loveless obedience. One needed to repent of his rebellion; the other, of his self-righteousness. And the father loved both and went out to find both. Jesus invites us to examine which of the two we resemble.
What the parable teaches us
God respects our freedom, but never stops waiting for us. Sin promises freedom, but ends in slavery and loneliness. It is never too late to return; read also It is never too late for God. Repentance is getting up and going back, not just lamenting. God forgives completely and restores us as children, not as servants. Heaven celebrates every person who comes home. We should rejoice with those who return, instead of judging them. Grace cannot be earned: the younger son did not deserve it, and the elder could not buy it with his years of service.
The parable in art
The story has inspired countless artists. The most famous painting is Rembrandt’s “The Return of the Prodigal Son”, painted around 1668 and kept in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg: it shows the father embracing the kneeling son, with one hand that looks masculine and the other feminine, as a symbol of God’s tenderness. The priest and writer Henri Nouwen wrote an entire book meditating on that painting. Murillo, Dürer and many others have also depicted it.
If you are far away today
Perhaps you recognise yourself in the younger son: you drifted away from God, wasted opportunities, hit rock bottom. Today is the day to come to yourself and set out on the road home. You do not need a perfect speech. The Father is waiting for you and will run to meet you. Read I am a sinner: will God accept me? and Have you given your life to Christ?.
Questions for reflection
Which son do I resemble most today? What “far country” attracts me? How do I react when someone with a difficult past comes into the church? Do I see God as a judge waiting to punish or as a Father running to embrace?
Prayer
Father, I have wandered far from you and wasted what you gave me. Today I come to myself and return to your house. I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am not worthy to be called your child. Thank you for running to meet me, embracing me, forgiving me and clothing me anew. Free me too from the elder brother’s pride, so that I may rejoice when others come back to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.