Pods for Pigs

When did the younger son come to his senses?

Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate. “Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’” - Luke 15:11–32

We often hear it said that one doesn't change his ways until he hits bottom.

Hitting bottom for the prodigal son came when he was starving.  The carob pods that he was feeding to the pigs, an easy source of food for the poor back then, were even out of reach for him.

Why?

If he was feeding them to the pigs, couldn't he have eaten some?

This is where I think he starts to change.  He realizes he will lose this job if he steals from the owner, so he goes hungry rather than eat.

Now, we can imagine all sorts of scenarios and problems for him.  Where did he sleep?  Did he make enough money to feed himself?  But there was a famine so there was no food available.

But we know it couldn't have been much that he made, since he decided to go back home and work for his father.

This is a humbling moment for him.  He has shunned his father by demanding his inheritance while his father was still alive, and yet he hoped his father would be generous enough to give him a job.

Whatever he had felt about his father before, he now had hope that the grace and generosity of the father would shine through.

This is our relationship with God.

No matter how we treat God, or what we think about God's nature, there is a spark of hope in all of us that He will accept us in some form if we hit bottom and choose to come home.

Why wait?

More to come...