Luke 15:15-16
So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The original Greek word for "joined himself" implies a desperate, even forced, clinging, highlighting the prodigal’s utter dependence and shame in seeking work. This isn't just a casual employment; it's a "glued-on" situation where he’s essentially become an appendage to someone else’s life. It underscores the profound degradation of losing one's self, even as it sets the stage for a potential return.
Having squandered all his inheritance, the younger son finds himself destitute and starving in a foreign land during a famine. In his desperation, he hires himself out to a local farmer, a humiliating position that forces him to tend pigs, considered unclean by his people. This plunge into the lowest rung of society marks the depth of his rebellion and ruin, setting the stage for his eventual realization and desire to return home.
When the prodigal son hit rock bottom, he didn't turn to someone familiar or kind. He had to 'glue himself' to a stranger. What does this 'citizen' represent?
The prodigal son sought service not from anyone, but from a 'citizen' of that country. This implies he found himself among people who lived by the world's standards, far removed from his father's household. He had to force himself into service, showing his desperate state and the unappealing nature of his request.
This citizen represents the systems, principles, or even individuals in the world that offer a semblance of support but are ultimately indifferent to our well-being. They might provide a job, a place to stay, or a way to survive, but it's on their terms and for their benefit. They are 'citizens' of a fallen world, operating by its rules, and have no inherent care for the soul.
Imagine a Jewish young man, from a respected family, now tasked with feeding pigs. This wasn't just a bad job; it was the ultimate disgrace. Why pigs?
For a Jewish audience, feeding pigs was the absolute nadir of humiliation. Swine were considered unclean by the Law, and to be a swineherd was a detested and repulsive occupation.
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This task symbolizes the deep degradation that sin leads to. The prodigal son, who once squandered his inheritance on lavish living, was now reduced to caring for the most unclean of animals. It stripped him of his identity and forced him into a role that was fundamentally at odds with his upbringing and his people's heritage. This is the consequence of turning away from God: embracing the 'unclean' and becoming a slave to that which defiles us.
He was so hungry he longed for the pigs' food! This wasn't just hunger; it was a descent into a state where even the lowest sustenance seemed desirable. What does this reveal about sin's grip?
The prodigal's desperation reached a point where he 'was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate.' This imagery powerfully illustrates the depravity and emptiness of a life lived apart from God. The 'husks' represent the meager, unsatisfying 'food' that the world offers as a substitute for true spiritual nourishment.
In his fallen state, the prodigal's desires became so distorted that he envied the pigs' diet. This shows how sin can warp our affections and lower our standards to the point where we crave what is debasing and ultimately unable to sustain us. The fact that 'no one gave him anything' underscores the isolation and abandonment that comes with chasing worldly desires. There's no community, no provision, only the grim reality of spiritual starvation.
Understand the original words
choiros · Greek Noun
Unclean animals under the Mosaic Law, whose consumption or handling was forbidden for the people of Israel. Caring for them represents the ultimate social and ritual degradation for a Jewish person.
The parable's stark imagery of feeding swine would have been deeply offensive to Jesus' Jewish audience, as pigs were considered unclean. This extreme degradation highlights the profound depths of sin and separation from God, making the son's eventual repentance and the father's extravagant forgiveness all the more powerful.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, leading to the exile of many Israelites and the mixing of populations.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonian Empire destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling a significant portion of the population. This event deeply shapes Jewish identity and religious practice, intensifying the importance of the Law and the covenant.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great's Edict
Cyrus the Great of Persia allows exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This marks the end of the Babylonian exile and a return to a more localized Jewish community.
c. 167-164 BC
Maccabean Revolt
A revolt against the Seleucid Empire's attempts to Hellenize Jewish society and desecrate the Temple. This period highlights tensions between strict observance of Jewish law and cultural assimilation.
c. 63 BC
Roman Conquest of Judea
Rome gains control of Judea, establishing a period of Roman rule that profoundly impacts Jewish political and social life, setting the stage for events in the New Testament.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Ministry and Crucifixion
Jesus teaches and performs miracles throughout Galilee and Judea, culminating in his crucifixion in Jerusalem. His ministry often involved challenging established religious norms and speaking to outcasts.
c. AD 33— this verse
Parable of the Prodigal Son Told
Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son to the Pharisees and scribes who are grumbling about his association with sinners. The parable contrasts God's boundless mercy with self-righteous judgment.
This passage explicitly forbids the eating of pork and lists the pig as an unclean animal, highlighting the profound degradation a Jewish young man would experience by feeding them.
Psalm 106:6-7This psalm describes the Israelites' rebellion and forgetting God's mighty acts, mirroring the prodigal son's initial rejection of his father's heritage and guidance.
Isaiah 46:8This verse calls on transgressors to 'return to heart,' which directly parallels the prodigal son's moment of realization and decision to go back to his father.
Romans 1:28-32This passage describes people given over to various corrupt desires and practices, reflecting the degrading and unnatural state the prodigal son found himself in, 'desiring to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate.'
Lamentations 1:1-2Jeremiah's lament over Jerusalem's desolation and abandonment speaks to a profound sense of loss and ruin, much like the prodigal's state of being cut off from his father's provision and care.
calvinLuke 15:11-24: "And he said, A certain man had two sons:"
- And he said, [514] A certain man had two sons: 12. And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of property which falls to me. And he divided between them the property. 13. And not many days afterwards, [515] the younger son, having gathered all together, set out on a journey to a distant country, and there wasted his property by living extravagantly. 14. But when he had spent all, a sore famine arose in th…
jfbLuke 15:15: "And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine."
- joined himself, &c.—his pride not yet humbled, unable to brook the shame of a return.to feed swine—glad to keep life anyhow, behold the son sank into a swineherd—among the Jews, on account of the prohibition of swine's flesh, emphatically vile! "He who begins by using the world as a servant, to minister to his pleasure, ends by reversing the relationship" [Trench].
The original Greek word for "joined himself" implies a desperate, even forced, clinging, highlighting the prodigal’s utter dependence and shame in seeking work. This isn't just a casual employment; it's a "glued-on" situation where he’s essentially become an appendage to someone else’s life. It underscores the profound degradation of losing one's self, even as it sets the stage for a potential return.
Having squandered all his inheritance, the younger son finds himself destitute and starving in a foreign land during a famine. In his desperation, he hires himself out to a local farmer, a humiliating position that forces him to tend pigs, considered unclean by his people. This plunge into the lowest rung of society marks the depth of his rebellion and ruin, setting the stage for his eventual realization and desire to return home.
Having squandered all his inheritance, the younger son finds himself destitute and starving in a foreign land during a famine. In his desperation, he hires himself out to a local farmer, a humiliating position that forces him to tend pigs, considered unclean by his people. This plunge into the lowest rung of society marks the depth of his rebellion and ruin, setting the stage for his eventual realization and desire to return home.
"So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything." — The original Greek word for "joined himself" implies a desperate, even forced, clinging, highlighting the prodigal’s utter dependence and shame in seeking work. This isn't just a casual employment; i…
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