Then he said, “A man had two sons, 12 and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. 13 After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. 14 When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. 15 So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. 16 And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. 17 Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. 18 I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’ 20 So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ 22 But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began.
The patriarch of a large estate had two sons. Based on their culture, the spoilt, impatient younger son insulted his father by asking for the inheritance he would receive upon his father’s death (one-third of the property). The father, instead of being angry, divided the estate and gave him his share. The father’s surprising behavior is not what would be expected in their culture. The son immediately sold his share and left for a distant Gentile country where he foolishly wasted all the money. There was a famine, and the son now penniless was in great need. He hired himself out to a Gentile and his job was to tend the pigs. A Jew, indentured to a Gentile, in a pigsty, longing to eat the pig’s food. In Greek and Roman pagan worship, the pig was the most frequently sacrificed animal. Pigs were tended only by pagans so Luke’s audience would have understood the depths to which the former wealthy Jewish young man had sunk.
The son sincerely acknowledged his sinfulness (Lk. 3:3) and returned to his father expecting to be treated as an outcast or a servant, not as a son. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him even before the son could express his remorse. The father running to his son is out of character for a patriarch. The son had forgotten about his father, but the father had not forgotten about his son. The compassion and complete forgiveness of the father are demonstrated by the ceremonial robe, a signet ring, and shoes, which signify the son’s full restoration to his place in the family. Meat was only eaten on special occasions and that large amount of meat meant that the whole community would participate in the celebration. The father was as reckless in loving and forgiving his son as the son was in spending his inheritance and forgetting about his father. The lost and found theme is found often in the Gospels as Jesus seeks to reconcile those who are lost with his Father.
Merciful Father, renew our spirits within us so that, even though we lost our original inheritance of grace and original justice by the fall, our minds and hearts may be converted, and every grace restored. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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