The Parable of the Prodigal Son: Interpretation

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Reading the Holy Gospel, we get acquainted with the life of Jesus Christ on earth. In his parables, he reveals to us the secrets of the universe and teaches us the main thing - gaining spiritual we alth and faith in God. The "Parable of the Prodigal Son" depicts the inexpressible mercy of the Lord to all sinful people who sincerely and deeply repented of their sins and turned to him for help and protection. In the Orthodox church calendar, the Week of the Prodigal Son is specially marked, which is one of the four preparatory periods for Great Lent.

The parable of the prodigal son. Text

Father had two sons. One day, the youngest son asked him for part of the estate that belonged to him. The father did not resist and gave everything that was due to him. A few days later, the youngest son, taking his part of the inheritance, left for distant lands. Not caring about tomorrow at all, he began to live dissolutely and, as the people say, on a "big foot". Acting in such a stupid way, he is very fastsquandered all his we alth, and when famine came in the city, he became in great need of food.

In order to somehow live, he got a job with one of the locals and began to herd his pigs. This guy was happy to eat horns meant for pigs, but no one allowed him to. Completely exhausted by hunger and poverty, he suddenly remembered his father and that all his mercenaries eat bread, but his own son will soon simply die of hunger.

Meeting Father

Further "The parable of the prodigal son" says that when the son saw his father, he immediately fell on his neck and began to kiss him. And then he prayed that he was not worthy to be called his son and that he was a sinner before him and Heaven. And then he asked to be hired. The father took pity on his son, ordered to bring him the best clothes, shoes and put a ring on him. Then he decided to slaughter the calf and have fun, as he was very glad that his son had not disappeared, but was found alive and well.

Elder son

At the same time, the eldest son was returning from field work. When he approached the house, he heard jubilation, singing, and was very surprised by this. He became very angry when he learned the reason for these festivities. When his father called him to the table, the eldest son expressed his offense to him, because for so many years of faithful service, he had never slaughtered even a goat for him to have fun with his friends. And here the father did not spare the fattened calf for the one whosquandered all his inheritance with harlots and returned with nothing. The father reassured him and said: "You are always by my side, and everything that is mine is yours, and now we all need to rejoice that your little brother was found alive and unharmed."

The Parable of the Prodigal Son: Interpretation

This parable tells about sin, repentance and about how God's attitude towards man can be. All the troubles of the youngest son began with the fact that he immediately demanded what was rightfully his. All this equates to how people view the gifts of God from a practical point of view. That is, give me now everything that I want, but from what you can get in the future, I refuse. This is the greatest sin of an insane person who pays for quick and momentary pleasure by refusing great future benefits, which he does not care about at first.

It begs the question why the young man wanted his share. And all because he was a burden to guardianship of his father, and he wanted freedom. This is exactly what most of today's young people are doing. Because of all sorts of means of influence, they decided that if they did not break the bonds of God now, then they would not be bound hand and foot with the bonds of alluring and voluptuous forbidden desires and lusts. This is how apostasy from God happens. People begin to consider themselves gods and think that they understand well where is good and where is evil. This is what the Parable of the Prodigal Son warns about. Meaningthat people only want to do what pleases them, and do not want to live according to God's commandments at all.

The delusion of the views of the youngest son

The well-known gospel "Parable of the Prodigal Son" tells how the youngest son wants to move away from his father's gaze and supervision, he does not like it, because he limits him in behavior and spending. The young guy is proud of himself, his arrogance knows no bounds. He believes that he knows better than his father how to manage affairs, and hopes to soon become a more prominent personality than him. All this suggests that human pride, especially in youth, is a powerful destructive force.

However, here the meekness and kindness of the father to his youngest son surprises and delights. He immediately gave what was due to his son. Unlike the younger brother, the older one was a more reasonable person; on the contrary, he wished his father to keep part of his power. For this, the eldest son hears very wise words from his father that everything he owns will eventually become his.

Thus, having received his inheritance, the youngest son goes far from his home, and then squanders it and becomes a beggar. It is this spiritual state that haunts a person who has fallen away from God. The one who voluntarily goes to sin is wasting the gifts of God - his mind and spiritual strength, which should serve people and God. Thus, the soul passes into the power of the devil, becomes a hostage of the world and the flesh, begins to live dissolutely and squanders its we alth.

Payback for sin

Juniorthe son was sent by the evil master to graze not even sheep, but champing pigs. Thus, it is in the power of the devil to send his slave to satisfy the lusts of the fallen nature. The impoverished younger son was glad to eat those horns that the pigs ate, but this food was not for a person. Sin is a state of eternal gluttony, in which it is impossible to get relief from anything in the world. You should not appeal to the world, it has only what can poison the soul, but not what feeds it.

"The parable of the prodigal son" also says that the Lord generously comforts those who eventually come to deep repentance and awareness of their sinful life. The Lord has long-suffering and mercy for every person, He is indulgent to sins, because He sees further and deeper. A person should answer Him only with humble gratitude and love.

"The Parable of the Prodigal Son" will be especially useful for children, as they are just beginning to know the world in all its manifestations and must be ready for any temptations so as not to fall into dependence on sin and always live in peace with God.