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The Prodigal Son Analysis

The parable tells the story of a man who had two sons. The younger son asks for his inheritance early and leaves for a distant land, wasting his money through wild living. When his money runs out, a famine hits and he finds himself feeding pigs and longing to eat their food, having hit rock bottom. He decides to return to his father and ask for forgiveness. The father welcomes him back with joy and throws a celebration. The older son is unhappy with the celebration for his brother's return, not understanding his father's compassion like the Pharisees.

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915 views2 pages

The Prodigal Son Analysis

The parable tells the story of a man who had two sons. The younger son asks for his inheritance early and leaves for a distant land, wasting his money through wild living. When his money runs out, a famine hits and he finds himself feeding pigs and longing to eat their food, having hit rock bottom. He decides to return to his father and ask for forgiveness. The father welcomes him back with joy and throws a celebration. The older son is unhappy with the celebration for his brother's return, not understanding his father's compassion like the Pharisees.

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vrc_valeria
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Prodigal Son - Story Summary:

The story of the Prodigal Son, also known as the Parable of the Lost Son,
follows the parables of theLost Sheep and the Lost Coin. Jesus is
responding to the Pharisees' complaint: "This man welcomes sinners
and eats with them."
Jesus tells the story of a man who has two sons. The younger son asks
his father to give him his portion of the family estate as an early
inheritance. Once received, the son promptly sets off on a long journey
to a distant land and begins to waste his fortune on wild living. When
the money runs out, a severe famine hits the country and the son finds
himself in dire circumstances. He takes a job feeding pigs. He is so
destitute that he even longs to eat the food assigned to the pigs.

The young man finally comes to his senses, remembering his father. In
humility, he recognizes his foolishness, decides to return to his father
and ask forforgiveness and mercy. The father who had been watching
and waiting, receives his son back with open arms of compassion. He is
overjoyed by the return of his lost son! Immediately the father turns to
his servants and asks them to prepare a giant feast in celebration.
Meanwhile, the older son is not one bit happy when he comes in from
working the fields and discovers a party going on to celebrate his
younger brother's return. The father tries to dissuade the older brother
from his jealous rage explaining, "You are always with me, and
everything I have is yours."

Points of Interest from the Story:


Typically, a son would receive his inheritance at the time of his
father's death. The fact that the younger brother instigated the early
division of the family estate showed a rebellious and proud disregard
for his father's authority, not to mention a selfish and immature
attitude.
Pigs were unclean animals. Jews were not even allowed to touch
pigs. When the son took a job feeding pigs, even longing for their food
to fill his belly, it reveals that he had fallen as low as he could possibly
go. This son represents a person living in rebellion to God. Sometimes
we have to hit rock-bottom before we come to our senses and
recognize our sin.
The father is a picture of the Heavenly Father. God waits
patiently, with loving compassion to restore us when we return to him
with humble hearts. He offers us everything in his kingdom, restoring
full relationship with joyful celebration. He doesn't even dwell on our
past waywardness.
Reading from the beginning of chapter 15, we see that the older
son is clearly a picture of the pharisees. In their self-righteousness,
they have forgotten to rejoice when a sinner returns to God. Bitterness
and resentment keeps the older son from forgiving his younger
brother. It blinds him to the treasure he freely enjoys through
constant relationship with the father.

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