Luke 15:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

There is also in the above-mentioned parable a rule of distinction with reference to the characters or dispositions of the sinners. The father receives his penitent son, exercising the freedom of his will, so as to know from whence he had fallen; and the shepherd seeks for the sheep that wanders and knows not how to return, and carries it on his shoulders, comparing to an irrational animal the foolish man, who, taken by another’s guile, had wandered like a sheep. This parable is then set forth as follows; But he said, A certain man had two sons.

The substance of man is the capacity of reason which is accompanied by free will, and in like manner whatever God has given us shall be accounted for our substance, as the heaven, the earth, and universal nature, the Law and the Prophets.

But some say that by the elder son is signified Israel according to the flesh, but by the other who left his father, the multitude of the Gentiles.

One of the citizens of that country was a certain prince of the air belonging to the army of the devil, whose fields signify the manner of his power, concerning which it follows, And he sent him into the field to feed swine. The swine are the unclean spirits which are under him.

Besides, it belongs more to the character of the aged to have an old man’s mind and gravity, than his hoar hairs, nor is he blamed who is young in age, but it is the young in habits who lives according to his passions.

He yearned to satisfy his hunger with the food meant for pigs, yet no one offered him any. The indignation expressed by Ezekiel regarding Jerusalem can be seen in the fate of the younger son: “And there was in thee a resistance to the custom of women in thy fornication, and to them that whored with thee, instead of giving thee hire, and hire shall not be given thee” (Ezekiel 16:34). This passage finds its reflection in how the younger son squandered his wealth in a foreign land; bereft of his possessions, he turned to the swine and became despondent due to his dire needs. The vices of indulgence—drunkenness, lavish living, and promiscuity—are temptations that charm and entice, instantly demanding fulfillment.

St. Luke has given three parables successively; the sheep which was lost and found, the piece of silver which was lost and found, the son who was dead and came to life again, in order that invited by a threefold remedy, we might heal our wounds. Christ as the Shepherd bears thee on His own body, the Church as the woman seeks for thee, God as the Father receives thee, the first, pity, the second, intercession, the third, reconciliation.

He was delighted to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs consumed. In a spiritual interpretation, the pods represent the pleasures that nourish those thoughts. Just as these pleasures may initially please the senses but ultimately lead to a constrictive outcome, so too do these fleeting satisfactions provide momentary joy but ultimately yield everlasting sorrow. Yet, no one offered him satisfaction. No one allowed him to feel fulfilled. For such demons do not permit individuals to find contentment in indulgence, making it difficult for them to cease their sinful behavior; instead, they continuously ignite desire, and when that desire wanes, they provoke it once more.

The younger son then went away not yet matured in mind, and seeks from his father the part of his inheritance which fell to him, that in truth he might not serve of necessity. For we are rational animals endowed with free will.

But to feed swine is to work those things in which the unclean spirits delight. It follows, And he would have filled his belly with the husks which the swine did eat. The husk is a sort of bean, empty within, soft outside, by which the body is not refreshed, but filled, so that it rather loads than nourishes.

The youngest son took on the role of tending to the swine, believing himself superior in his ability to indulge his own desires, as he found no fulfillment in the very foods they consumed; he remained unsatisfied by his own cravings. Why is it that the flesh's nature cannot fully satisfy the appetites of the immoral? The accumulation of gold or silver in a person drawn to wealth only intensifies their lack, creating a deeper longing; indeed, the entirety of the world could scarcely satisfy a single selfish individual consumed by the pursuit of power. Given that many share this disposition and the world is finite, how can any of them find contentment in their desires? Thus, this one who turned away from God found no fulfillment, for it is written, "no one gave" to satisfy him.

In the third parable of the prodigal son, the concept is distinctly illustrated, wherein the younger son symbolizes the tax collectors, while the elder son, preoccupied with his own righteousness, represents the Pharisees.

The son, who values freedom, has depleted all that he received from his father, wasting the spiritual and physical gifts inherent in his nature. Simultaneously, his spirit is filled with deep yearning; the pleasures he seeks can no longer bring him fulfillment, and within him, there remains a profound emptiness. In an attempt to fill this void, he immerses himself in all manner of depravity, forsaking human vices to partake in what is characteristic of animals—akin to a wayward son who, among swine, consumes their feed. Yet, just as no one offers even the swine's food to a lost sinner, so too does this wayward soul find no satisfaction in base indulgences, experiencing instead an ongoing sense of spiritual hunger and desolation.

The Parable of the Lost Son In His ongoing admonition to the scribes and Pharisees, while also teaching those who listened, Christ shared the story of the Lost Son. A certain man had two sons; the younger one grew weary of his father's guidance and longed to experience a carefree, indulgent life away from home. With this desire, he requested his share of the inheritance, and once he received it, he journeyed to a far-off land where he squandered his wealth on reckless living. Eventually, he found himself in need, compelled to work as a swineherd.

The boundless compassion of God for those who turn back to Him is illustrated compellingly in the well-known parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). In this story, the younger son of a wealthy father sought to enjoy his freedom prematurely and took his share of his father's estate to journey to a distant land. There, indulging in a life of excess and wrongdoing, he rapidly wasted his inheritance and fell into dire circumstances, facing starvation. To survive, he resorted to tending pigs, a grave humiliation for any Jew. In his desperation, he found himself eating the pods meant for the swine, a food often consumed by the impoverished in times of extreme want.

“Fill his belly with horns” refers to fruit from a tree that grows in Syria and parts of Asia Minor, which was often used as feed for pigs, though at times, it was consumed by the impoverished, much like acorns are used. Despite this meager sustenance, he was unable to obtain any, due to the severe famine affecting the region. His plight was dire, highlighting the grave repercussions of a life steeped in sin. It is indeed beneficial for the wayward soul to hear the compassionate call of the Heavenly Father during such trials, urging him toward repentance and prompting him to abandon his sinful existence, much like a wayward but redeemable son.