The world fosters addictions, because what it offers cannot satisfy the deepest cravings of our heart desires. Some are addicted to wealth, power, luxury lifestyles, or sexual gratification without discerning between lust and love. Addiction is an instrument of vanity because it creates expectations. When a person is addicted to something, he builds up his own expectations and attempts to meet the expectation, which cannot but fail. I do not know what the prodigal son’s expectation in life was, in particular, in a faraway country. He had the means to fulfil it, which was money, at least in his mind. Probably, he thought his youth was also an asset to attain his expectation. He was healthy and had an ambition even to adventure to a distant country to fulfill his expectation. He had done everything he could but failed. Behind the scenes, we could see his endless disillusionments until he felt that he was going to perish with hunger [“dying with hunger” by NASB, and “starving to death” by NIV] (Luke 15:17b). It is sad that he could not be sensible till he had to face near end of life! As long as he relied on himself, hoped for self-fulfilment, or clung to the kindness of others, he could not but fail. 

One serious problem of the prodigal son was to believe in self-generated ideals and hopes. He wandered far away from his father’s home and believed that he could attain to what he had hoped for. He must have dreamed of lots of possibilities and potential achievements with his money, ambition, youthful zeal and passion, and independence of his family ties. He must have had ideas that he could make good friends with luxurious lifestyles and gain their favour. There was a timely famine in the land in which he stayed. Unfortunately, by then he had spent everything he had (15:14). He began to be in want. He had to come out of his daydreaming, expectations, and his own ideals to reality of life. He joined himself to a citizen of that country. He had hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country (ESV). No identity is given about the citizen. Possibly, he was someone whom the prodigal son knew about from before and who was quite wealthy to have pig farms even during the time of a mighty famine. By this time, the prodigal son must be left with skin and bones. I see it from 15:16a, “And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat.” The word, “fain,” means “to set one’s heart upon,” “desire,” or “long for.” Sometimes it is translated as “lust” or “covet.” I could feel his intense desire for food. That much he was hungry. He went down to the bottom where there was nothing below. The prodigal son did not appreciate his father’s unconditional love when he was at home. I cannot picture of him as a diligent and obedient labourer in his father’s farm. He must have been a lazy, pleasure seeking, and disobedient child, but all of such did not disadvantage him. He was given food and status as his father’s son. He must be well served by the servants in his father’s house. Everything was possible because the father’s love was unconditional. But the world is different. The greatest mistake the prodigal son made was that he was looking for what he could have in his father’s house from the world where it could not be found. It breaks my heart to see that many children of God are doing the same things as this prodigal son. They are freely given health, intellectual and emotional gifts by God. Instead of using them for God, they go out into the world and keep using them to receive some rewards and praises, and neglect their foremost duty as God’s children, which is to love and glorify Him. They are dwelling in faraway countries. Living in a faraway country is a life striving to live without God’s love and to prove that they could make a life on their own. Thinking of it must cause us to tremble. Do you remember what it means to demand the father’s inheritance in advance? It means that the prodigal son non-verbally said in his heart that he wished his father dead. Bring that thought to professing Christians living in distant countries! It is none other than rejection of God! It is no wonder James strongly charges against anyone who desires to be a friend of the world. He says in James 4:4, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Oh, prodigal sons and daughters, know what you are doing. It is none other than rebellion that you are living in a distant country. 

We also must notice that he was allowed to leave with what he wanted. The father did not constrain him from leaving home and taking his inheritance with him. I am sure that the father had shown him, implicitly and explicitly, the reasons why he’d better stay home, but he had never forced him to stay or kept him from leaving. The father saw this son sell all his inheritance but kept quiet. It must have caused him a lot of pain, but it was his love that had not kept his son from leaving. His love allowed him to go, even with the risk of losing him. The prodigal son’s leaving is also our story. We are permitted to be free to make our choices. We have freedom to stay home or to leave. We may ask a question, “why does God not stop us from going, if He truly loves us?” There may be two answers: (1) If He has stopped us, then would we not go? It is the same question as “if the father had attempted to keep his son at home, would his son stay home and not leave?” (2) Allowing us to wander is not pleasure to Him but pain. We know it by the father’s response to the son’s return. He welcomed him with outstretched arms to receive him back and said, “^22… Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: ²³ And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: ²⁴ For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry” (Luke 15:22b-24). When the father saw his son return, he had compassion, ran unto him, fell on his neck, and kissed him (15:20). It was all because of the father’s love. We should never forget that God who is love is also patient. He is patiently waiting for our return. Thus, if we have sinned, we ought to repent. He wills to forgive our sins. Return… Return….

There is another painting by Rembrandt about “the prodigal son.” It is displayed in Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden. The full title of this painting is “The Prodigal Son in the Brothel,” painted in 1637. It shows how this wandering son had squandered his fortune. You may want to look it up to see how he is depicted in this painting. You could see all possible luxury and wonton lifestyle of a young man. Then, you go back to the painting I have been talking about, which was painted about 30 years after the Prodigal Son in the Brothel. From there, you cannot find any pomp, pride, or sign of richness. In this painting, his father held him, a very poor man. His head is near bald or shaven in this painting. See the contrast between the young man before and now. When he left home, he had lots of money in hand, confidence in himself that he could have a better life somewhere else, and he declared to his father and household that he was going to leave. He was proud. He felt that a greener pasture was beyond and wanted to try to find a greener place. By the time when he returned, he did not have anything. His money and honour were not there any longer. I wonder if what kind of self-respect or self-esteem he had. Rembrandt removed the son’s hair in the painting. Probably, he honestly reflected his own condition through the son. There was no more defiant and rebellious son, but a poor, shaken one. The son knelt before the father, and he had no cloak. His sandals were worn out. He was a man disposed of everything. From here there is something we need to observe…. 

More Lively Hope

© Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
14 Bedford Square, Colonel Light Gardens, South Australia 5041