Luke 15:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This line of thought has led us off course; let us now set it aside and refocus on the essence of the message. The younger son ventured into a distant land, squandered his inheritance, and began experiencing trials. There is truth in the saying, 'They that are rich shall be poor, and they that seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.' (Psalm 33:11). It is evident that the Lord 'who walks in integrity He will not deprive of favors' (Ps. 83:12). Thus, the son found himself in need. Reflecting on the parable of the prodigal son, repentance, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the thief, we can consider the insights of St. John Chrysostom, classified as Spuria in the Minya edition.

When a person's spiritual essence is squandered, and one fails to live by reason, that is, by the natural order established by God, neglects the scriptures, and disregards the voices of the prophets, a severe famine descends upon him—not a famine for physical sustenance, but a scarcity in hearing the word of the Lord (Am. 8:11). As a result, he becomes ‘needy’ due to his lack of reverence for the Lord, standing distant from Him. In contrast, those who revere the Lord experience no lack (Ps. 33:10). Why do the faithful encounter no deficiency? It is because the one who fears the Lord cherishes His commandments deeply; thus, honor and abundance reside in his home, allowing him to generously share with those in need according to his desire (Psalm 111:1, 3, 9). He is far removed from any notion of scarcity! Conversely, one who distances himself from God, without His awesome presence to guide him, will naturally find himself in want, as no Divine word takes root within him.

After he had depleted all his resources, a severe famine struck the land. He had been endowed by his father with the ability to perceive the unseen through the seen and to comprehend the Creator through the splendor of His creation. However, by holding onto falsehoods and venerating idols instead of God, he squandered the gifts of nature. Once he had wasted everything, he found himself in dire need of virtues, turning away from the very Source of those virtues. A dire plague afflicted the nation. Any place devoid of a father is a place filled with hunger, destitution, and need. In particular, μετα εμφαδεως represents a land of famine, as prophesied: ‘Ye that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, the light shall shine upon you’ (Isaiah 9:2).

A severe famine struck the land, characterized not by a lack of food, but rather by a deficiency of good deeds and moral virtues. What could be a more painful scarcity? Those who distance themselves from the Word of God find themselves in want, for it is written, "man does not live by bread alone, but by every word of God" (Luke 4:4). When one turns away from the source of life, they become parched; when one separates from true riches, they find themselves in need; apart from wisdom, one becomes foolish; and estranged from virtue, one ends in destruction. It is only fitting that he who abandoned the riches of wisdom, the knowledge of God, and the treasures of heaven should feel this lack (cf. Rom. 11:33). He experienced deep hunger and want because a life devoted to indulgence cannot be satisfied by mere earthly pleasures. Those who fail to find fulfillment in eternal sustenance will perpetually endure hunger.

After experiencing the fullness of life, he found himself stripped of all the blessings God had bestowed upon him. A severe famine struck that region. Where the sustenance of reverence for God is absent, there exists a profound scarcity—not of physical bread, but of moral decency; where the abundance of wickedness thrives, there the desolation of goodness prevails. Consequently, he began to experience great need. Destitute, as all virtuous things had departed from him, leaving only moral impurity.

The prophet lamented for Jerusalem, proclaiming, "not a famine of bread and water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord" (Am. 8:11). Hunger represents a lack of essential nourishment, but there exists a deeper and more tragic hunger—when an individual, lacking the essentials for salvation, remains oblivious to the severity of their plight and does not recognize their need for redemption. A hungry person who cannot find food will tirelessly search for sustenance; upon discovering even stale bread or meager offerings, like millet cakes or bran, they find joy in it as though they were once again deprived. Similarly, one who endures spiritual hunger—who recognizes their lack yet yearns for spiritual nourishment—will seek out a teacher gifted by God.

In a particularly vivid manner, He communicated this idea in the third parable concerning the lost son, where the younger sibling symbolizes the tax collectors, while the elder, preoccupied with his own righteousness, embodies the Pharisees.

However, the liberty-seeking son has squandered all that he received from his father, wasting the spiritual and physical gifts bestowed upon him by nature. Meanwhile, a profound hunger resides in the soul of the sinner; the worldly pleasures he seeks can no longer bring him fulfillment, leaving him spiritually destitute. The emptiness within his soul drives him to pursue all manner of immoral acts, turning away from the vices characteristic of humanity and instead indulging in behaviors more akin to beasts, much like a wayward son who finds himself among swine, consuming their food. Yet, just as no one offers pig feed to a wayward sinner, so too does a true sinner remain unfulfilled by the most base of indulgences, still grappling with an overwhelming sense of spiritual void and longing.

The Story of the Lost Son In the midst of addressing the scribes and Pharisees, while also educating the rest of His listeners, Christ shared the story of the Lost Son. There was a man who had two sons; the younger son grew weary of his father's guidance and longed for a life of indulgence far from home. He requested his father to divide his inheritance, and once he received it, he set off to a faraway land where he wasted his wealth on reckless living. Eventually, desperation and hunger drove him to seek work, tending to pigs. Throughout his period of indulgence, he did not think of his father until he found himself in dire straits, on the brink of starvation.

The boundless compassion of God for repentant sinners is illustrated powerfully in the well-known parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). In this narrative, the younger son of a wealthy father seeks to enjoy his freedom prematurely and demands his share of the inheritance, leaving for a distant land. There, indulging in a life of excess and vice, he swiftly depletes his resources and finds himself in dire straits, even enduring hunger. To survive, he is compelled to tend to pigs, a position that represents the utmost disgrace for a Jew. In this state of desperation, he resorts to eating the carob pods typically meant for pigs, a food that, in the East, is sometimes consumed by the destitute in moments of great need.

A severe famine emerged, adding to the existing distress, which likely had a profound impact on the young man’s sinful behavior. Frequently, the Lord permits external hardships to befall the sinner to awaken their awareness. These difficulties serve as both a consequence of their actions and a divine invitation to return to repentance.