Bible online. The parable of the prodigal son The main characters the prodigal son biblical tradition read

The parable of the prodigal son is about sin and repentance. This is a story about the relationship of mankind to God, the people to the Tsar, about how our children are leaving us now, and about how one is connected with the other. The lost son is first of all the youngest son. He demands from his father: "Father, give me a part of your estate, what is due to me by right." Here is the beginning of all troubles.

When people look at God's gifts as something God has to give them, it turns out to be madness even from a practical earthly point of view. Give me now what is due to me, and I do not need all my rights to the estate in the so-called future, I renounce them. The greatest folly of sinful man is to be content immediately with a part, renouncing the whole. This desire now to get your hands on no matter how much, if only, so to speak, in cash, that is, here in this life to receive all the benefits. People look only at what they see, looking for momentary success and immediate pleasure. And the life of the next century is of little concern to them.

Why was this young man so eager to have his share at his own disposal? His father's guardianship was painful for him, and he longed for freedom - that which is falsely called by her name. Look at the madness of most young people today. They were well able to explain, through all existing means of influence, that they will never become masters of their own destiny until they break all the bonds of God and instead bind themselves hand and foot with the bonds of their own lusts. This is the essence of man's apostasy from God. People don't want to be bound by Divine commandments. They want to be like gods themselves, knowing good and evil. And as a result, they turn out to be ignorant of any evil and good, except for what they like.

The images of the Heavenly Father, the earthly fatherland and the native father are revealed in the parable one through the other. And sometimes they seem to merge. This young man wants to move away from his father's gaze. He does not trust his father's management, he wants to have his own share, because he thinks that his father will limit his spending, and he does not like it. He is proud of himself, he has a high opinion of his abilities. He thinks that if he takes his part of the estate, he will manage it better than his father, and will show himself as a brighter personality. Again and again the word of God tells us that pride, more than any other sin, destroys a person, especially in youth.

We see how kind and meek a father is to his son. He divided his estate. But, apparently, the eldest son wished that his father left his part in his power. And we see what he got for it. “All mine is yours,” he hears from his father. The youngest son received from his father as much as he wanted. So he could see, at least in the course of time, the kindness of his father. Through this he will be able to understand his own folly, and that he was not so wise a steward of his affairs.

How did he dispose of everything when he received his part? He was not slow to spend it. And after a short time turned into a beggar. It seems that his whole intention was to squander everything as soon as possible. And for this, having collected everything, he went to a distant country.

We can see that the life of the prodigal son in this removal to a foreign country is a description of the spiritual state in which the fallen man who fell away from God found himself. This is primarily a state of separation from God, remoteness from him. That is why in the Week of the Prodigal Son at Matins, for the first time, the mournful song “On the rivers of Babylon” is heard.

This young man left his father's house, and sin is always an apostasy from God. The misfortune of sinners lies in the fact that they have moved away from God, and are moving further and further away from Him. The world is a "country far away" in which people live. But the degree of removal can be different. We went as far from our home as we could. What is hell, after all, if not the ultimate distance from God? And this hell can begin even here on earth. What are unthinkable misfortunes and misfortunes on our earth, if not a distance from God? How did we come to this country, which was once called Holy Russia?

The parable shows us that the spiritual state of fallen man is a continuous waste of life. He squandered his possessions, living dissolutely, with harlots, and spent everything in a short time. So we squandered all the wealth. Oh, if only earthly! Those who voluntarily go to sin squander the gifts of their fathers. They waste their mind and all the strength of the soul. They not only bury their talents in the ground, but shamelessly sell them. The gifts of God, which they were supposed to use in the service of God and people, are used in the service of vicious desires. The human soul becomes a hostage to the world, the flesh and the devil, squanders its wealth and lives dissolutely.

Further, the parable shows the spiritual state of a person living in sin as a state of bitter need. When he had lived all, there came a great famine in that country, and he began to be in need. A riotous, wasteful life soon brings a person to a beggarly sum. Especially when bad times come, as retribution for poor management of the good received.

Man refuses the mercy of God, preferring to Him the cruelty of the devil. For the sake of the sweetness of a sinful life, the riches of the transient world, he made this renunciation of God's gifts, and now he is perishing from their lack.

The one who is far from God lacks the essentials for his soul. He has no food or clothes. If only for the outer man! He has no hope that he will be given consolation after a painful death. The spiritual state of a person reaping the fruits of his sin is a country where a great famine has come. Suffering and despair are aggravated by the realization that he himself, overcoming all obstacles, struggled to achieve this.

Sin begins with exaltation and pride, however, the spiritual state of the sinner is inevitably revealed as a low, slavish state. When the young man's reckless merriment had reduced him to poverty, need forced him into slavery. He went and hired himself to one of the inhabitants of that country. Wickedness, which hitherto manifested itself in debauchery, is now revealed in a life of slavery. How could this proud, independent young man so humiliate himself, dishonor himself, to go to such a service to such an evil master?

Hunger and Gulags, but they said: “We are ours, we will build a new world”, “we have no barriers either at sea or on land”, and today, even more so, there are no barriers. The evil master sent him to his fields, it is said in the Gospel, not to feed sheep, but pigs. The work of the devil is to force his slaves to satisfy the lusts of the fallen nature. It's no better than grazing dirty, noisily munching pigs. Can intelligent immortal souls disgrace themselves any more!

He was glad to fill his belly with the horns that the pigs ate. This young man ended up having a great time sitting at the same table with pigs. Horns are food for pigs, but not for humans. The richness of the world and the sweetness of life for the body, but what remains for the precious soul? Sin is a state of eternal insatiation, a state in which it is impossible to expect relief from anyone on earth.

This prodigal son, when he was unable to provide himself with food by constantly working, turned to begging, but no one gave him. And no one, we say, will give our Russia anything. Those who move away from God, no one on earth can help. In vain do we cry out to the world: it has everything that can poison the soul, but it is incapable of giving that which nourishes it.

Today's Gospel tells us that the state of sin is the state of death. “This son of mine was dead,” they say about him. And death is not only in the fact that our people die physically, become dead. The sinner is dead in his crimes and sins, he is devoid of spiritual life. He has no connection with Christ God, and therefore he is dead. The sinful state is the state of a lost person. This son was lost, he got lost in relation to his father's house, to everything that is good. Souls that have strayed from God are lost souls. They got lost, like a traveler who lost his way. If the infinite mercy of God does not help them, they will never return.

The state of sin is the state of insanity. This is expressed in the words "when he came to his senses", which means that before that he was beside himself, lost his mind. No doubt he was like that when he left his father's house and became even more insane when he joined the inhabitants of that country. A sinner is one who has gone mad, who destroys himself with insane lusts and at the same time deceives himself with insane hopes.

And here is the return of the prodigal son home. After a detailed story about sin - a story about repentance. What was the reason for his return, his repentance? Woe, need. When he was in the utmost need, he came to his senses. Sorrows are a happy means for the conversion of sinners from their errors. When we see the inadequacy of all ways to regain what we have lost, all together and individually, and when we have tried all other ways in search of a way out of our trouble and are convinced that everything is in vain, the time has come to return to God.

What prepared the conversion of the prodigal son? Reflection. It is time for us not only to reflect, it is time to deeply realize what has happened to us. Our trouble lies in the fact that there is no awareness of what happened - not only among the people, but sometimes even in the Church. He said to himself, when he came to his senses: "How many hirelings from my father have plenty of bread, and I am dying of hunger." He reflects on how disastrous his condition is. Not only am I starving, but I am dying of hunger. No one will come to Christ until they see that they are on the brink of destruction in the service of sin. The Holy Fathers say that faith is when a person, in spite of any circumstances, aspires to God.

However, if we come to Him even due to circumstances, He is not offended, but joyfully meets us. The prodigal son thought how much better things would be if he returned: "How many hirelings of my father have bread in abundance." What a wonderful house he maintains! In our Father's house there is food for all mankind, for all His family. There is food in abundance, sufficient for everyone and abundant in love. May the contemplation of this bread, earthly and heavenly, inspire today all those who have lost their way, having moved away from God, to return to Him.

The thought of the prodigal son leads him to resolve: "I will get up and go to my father." Good intentions are a good thing, but their execution is much more important. Although he was in the far side, far from his father's home, still, no matter how far, he will return. Every slope and bend in the road that he left God, he must pass on his way back to Him. Whatever it was, he made up his mind. And he will have to go.

True repentance is to get up and go to God. But with what words will we come to Him? How to express what is happening to us? First of all, the prodigal son confesses his sin and folly. “I have sinned,” he says. And since we've all sinned, it's up to all of us to confess it before God. Confession of sin is necessary as a condition for peace and forgiveness, says Saint Theophan the Recluse, together with other holy fathers, reflecting on this parable. Not as some say today: "It is not the Russian people who are to blame, but only those who seduced them." If we say, "It is not our fault," we will be subject to judgment. If we recognize our guilt with a contrite, repentant and humble heart, we will stand before God's mercy, which will grant forgiveness to all who confess their sins.

The prodigal son was so far from self-justification that he was ready to bear the full burden of guilt for what he had done. Notice the words he wants to say: "I have sinned against heaven and before you." Let those who are not doing their duty to earthly parents think of this. They sin against heaven and before God. The insults and insults inflicted on them are insults and insults to God. It's not just about our parents. Our fathers, our ancestors and our holy fathers, and our holy martyr Tsar Father Nicholas. Sin is committed in contempt of God's authority. We have sinned against heaven. The evil of sin is aimed high, it is against the sky. But this is an impotent evil, for we cannot hurt the sky. Only Christ on the Cross. Only martyrs, only our parents. “And the evil that is in the world today will be even stronger. But not evil will win, but love.

The prodigal son recognizes himself deprived of the dignity of belonging to his beloved family. “I am no longer worthy to be called your son,” he says to his father. He does not reject kinship, for this is the only thing he can hope for, but he is aware that his father, in truth and justice, may not accept him. Did he not, at his request, receive the share that belonged to him? And therefore he has every reason not to count on more. Our repentance is only genuine when we recognize ourselves as unworthy to receive mercy from God. Nevertheless, he continues to pray to be accepted into his father's house, even in the most humble position. “Accept me among your mercenaries,” he says. "That's enough for me, I can't think of more." If the father's punishment follows - to be like one of the servants - he will not only submit to this, but also consider it a great blessing compared to what he has now.

“Accept me as one of your mercenaries, so that I can now show love for my father’s house no less than the contempt that I showed him.” And with all this, he does not stop thinking about his father as a father. “I will get up and go to my father and say to him: Father!” he repeats to himself. Seeing God as the Father, as our Father, to whom we turn every day in the Lord's prayer: "Our Father", is an essential moment of our repentance. Only this can make our sadness about sin not false, our determination not to allow sin to be strong, and give us the strength to hope for forgiveness.

So he got up and went to his father. He carries out his good decision without delay. Why do you endlessly say: “Let's get up and go” - but you yourself don’t move? Let's all get up and go now. He was not one of those who goes half way, and then says that he is tired and cannot go further, that he is weak, exhausted - and he has had enough.

How does his father meet him? He returned to his father, but did his father accept him? How can parents turn away from their children, no matter how crazy and disobedient they may be, when they come to them with repentance! Moreover, the grace of God in relation to repentant sinners. Heavenly Father, when they return to Him, cannot but forgive them. We see the great love with which a father greets his son. “When he was still far away, his father saw him and took pity; and, running, fell on his neck and kissed him. The kindness of the father goes before the repentance of the son. It was as if from the moment his son left the house, he never stopped looking in the direction he had gone, and he had only one thought: "If only I could see my unfortunate son returning home." How incomparably more does God desire the conversion of sinners! And He is always ready to meet with love those who return to Him. Even our very first movement towards Him cannot be hidden from Him.

We cannot but be shocked by the depth of God and parental mercy. The prodigal son, under the weight of shame and fear, walked slowly. A loving father runs towards him. Let him be guilty and deserve punishment. Even though he is dirty and still smells like the pigs he pastured, - the father hugs him and presses him to his chest. So dear to God are those who truly repent. Father kisses his son. It's not just kissing hello. This is the seal of complete forgiveness and love. All his previous follies are forgotten. Not a single word of reproach will be said to him. Perhaps the father could have said, "You would never have come home if need had not driven you." No, nothing like that! Truly, when God forgives those who repent, He never reminds them of their sins again.

As a father's kindness is shown before the son expresses repentance, so the son's repentance continues after the father shows him such kindness. Although the father kisses him and forgives him, sealing forgiveness with a kiss, he says: “Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you.” Even after we receive the remission of our sins, we still have sincere contrition in our hearts for what we have done. The more God's willingness to forgive us is revealed to us, the more difficult it is for us to forgive ourselves. “Father! - says the prodigal son, - I am no longer worthy to be called your son. And he wants, as he intended, to say: "Accept me among your mercenaries." But his father doesn't let him finish it.

If his father greets him with such love, how can he be a mercenary! How can he be anything less than a son! He is his beloved son. And for his sake, a royal feast is arranged - something that he could not even think of. The prodigal son walked home between fear and hope, as St. Ambrose of Optina says, fear of being rejected and hope of being accepted. But the love of despair surpasses all his fears and hopes. He came home in rags, and his father said to the servants: "Bring the best clothes and dress him." Maybe he is ashamed, ragged and dirty, to put on such clothes on himself, therefore “dress him, and give a ring on his hand” - with a seal, with a sign that he is the master in this house. He came home barefoot, and therefore "put shoes on his feet."

The righteousness of God is the garment in which we put on when we come to God with repentance, say the holy fathers. In repentance, as in baptism, we put on Christ. The best clothes are our new nature. The ring on the hand is the betrothal of the Holy Spirit and the seal of His power. “Give a ring on his hand,” so that he always remembers the kindness of his father, so that he never forgets it. The shoes on the feet signify readiness to proclaim the gospel of the world and walk firmly in its paths. He came home hungry, and his father didn't just feed him, he made a feast. "Bring in a fattened calf and slaughter it so that my son can eat the best we have." He who was glad up to this time to fill his womb with the horns that swine ate, is now invited to a joyful heavenly feast. Thus, all who have labored in vain, desiring to be satisfied with the creature, will find this heavenly food from the Lord when they return to Him. For the drunken calf is the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world, Christ. And this feast of faith is proclaimed by the Church to all saved mankind in the midst of the Paschal celebration.

Today's gospel shows us the great joy and rejoicing of all when one person returns in repentance. The slaughter of the drunken calf was a holiday not only for him, but a holiday for the whole family. “Let us eat and be merry, for this is a great day. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again. We thought he was dead, but now he is alive. We considered him missing, but he was found. The conversion of the soul from sin to God is its resurrection from death to life and gaining more than what was lost. This is a great, wonderful, and joyful change. Someone compared it to the change that happens on the face of the earth when spring returns. When our spring comes - Great Lent, followed by Easter - may repentance be given to us to return to our God and to our loved ones, from whom we have also moved away.

The return of a sinner is a great joy to the Heavenly Father. And all who belong to His family rejoice with Him. Everyone except the eldest son, who does not want to enter the house.

Usually, when thinking about this parable, we stop our attention on the youngest son, and mention the eldest only in passing. Yes, in this parable, first of all, it speaks of the great joy at the return of the sinner to his father's house. Indeed, there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine sinners who do not need to repent. And all who love God, all who belong to the race of Christ, share in this joy. But here we see the discontent and envy of the older brother - a man who represents those who are pious, who have never gone to a far country, and, it seems, who have nothing to repent of. At least such people did not commit gross sins. But see what gloomy sinfulness this man suddenly reveals on the occasion of the return of his younger brother, with what indignation he turns away from him.

He was on the field when his brother came home, and when he got home from work, the fun had already begun. As he approached the house, he heard singing and jubilation. He asked what was going on. They told him: “Your brother has come! And his father made a feast, and everyone rejoiced that he returned healthy.” The Gospel says only one word "healthy". This means that he returned healthy both in body and soul. Not only a healthy body, but also repentant, and therefore healed of their vices. And these words seemed to the elder brother insulting in the highest degree. He was angry, the Gospel says, and did not want to enter. He seems to be demanding that his father kick him out of the house. Listen to how he speaks of his virtues, of his obedience: “Behold, I have served you for so many years, and I have never transgressed your command.” It is obvious that he over-praises himself, saying that he never violated the orders of his father, otherwise he would not now show such persistence in disobedience when his father, having gone out, called him.

May, by the grace of God, it was given to some of us to serve God and protect ourselves from gross sins. We must respond to this only with humble gratitude to God, and certainly not with proud self-praise. Now the eldest son reproaches his father for never giving him a goat so that he can have fun with his friends. He is angry, and therefore he slanders his father. There is no doubt that if he had asked him for something like that, he would have received the first word. But the slaughter of the calf drunk on the occasion of the return of the younger brother caused him anger and unfair reproaches against the father himself. He who considers his merits, and, moreover, as a usurer, hopes to receive interest from them, the holy fathers say, runs the risk of humiliation and rejection of his master and father. We must confess that we are completely unworthy of the graces that the Lord vouchsafes to us. And, moreover, never complain.

He didn't want to come in. A person does not want to enter a house where there is joy. He does not want to enter the Kingdom of God, because another person enters it. How can he be in the same house with such a brother! Even if it is the house of the Heavenly Father. The Holy Church constantly tells us that we must beware of association with such sinners, from whom we can become infected with sin, but we should not be ashamed of association with penitent sinners, from whom we can learn the most important thing that a person must learn during his entire earthly life. , - repentance. This is the only thing that eventually opens the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The eldest son saw that his father had accepted his younger brother, and therefore did not want to enter him. How often do we have a high opinion of ourselves, but we ourselves cannot accept into our hearts those whom God has accepted, those who have entered into friendship and communion with God. Note that he does not call him brother, but says "this son is yours." And we hear here not just arrogance, but an accusation of his father's sins. He aggravates his brother's guilt and highlights his worst sins. “This son of yours,” he says, “who has squandered his possessions with harlots.” He, indeed, spent his share quite insanely, although it is not said literally in the Gospel with harlots or not. Maybe this is only the anger and hostility of the older brother. This is what his piety for many years turns into - the ability to look at everything as if through a black lens, see the worst in everything and present everything in a gloomy light. While the Heavenly Father fills everything with light and joy of the one who came with repentance and who participates in this great event.

He is envious of the kindness the father showed to his youngest son. "You stabbed a drunk for a non-hotel." It is not good to envy sinners in the simplest earthly sense. Seeing how God rains and shines the sun on the ungrateful and evil, he showers them with earthly gifts, not leaving them with his providence. But how terrible it is to envy the penitent when he receives grace and mercy, which we have never been worthy of from God for all our piety. The apostle Paul before his conversion was a prodigal son, but after his conversion he was given great grace. He himself bears witness to this in the Holy Spirit with humility, in truth. He was given more grace than the other apostles. The Monk Mary of Egypt and many other sinners, through repentance, reached such a height of holiness that others who have been striving in piety all their lives have not had. The Lord comforts them so generously to show how much he appreciates repentance and how infinite His mercy is, and so that we all understand how terrible envy is. You all know the expression "hope dies last". This is said about the depth of long-suffering mercy, which the Lord has in relation to every person. He is long-suffering and merciful towards another person, not because He is indulgent towards his sins, but because He sees deeper and farther.

But it should be said that envy is the last to die, if we look at what is dark in us. Envy is the worst. When a person envies, the triumph of the devil takes place in him. Through envy, the word of God tells us, death entered the world. Eternal death, hell enters our hearts whenever we give envy a place in it. To overcome envy, to learn to rejoice with those who rejoice, means to enter into the victory of Christ. Here is the mystery of the Church, the mystery of the Kingdom of God, the center of all spiritual life.

What is the eldest son to do if, in spite of all his feats of piety, he turns out to be so shamefully defeated, and envy drives him out of his father's house, just as selfishness, avarice and voluptuousness once drove out his younger brother? We must again see what kind of love, truly conquering death, is shown to him by the father. What he does in relation to the eldest son is no less amazing than what he had in relation to the younger. Our God in Christ is long-suffering and merciful. His long-suffering and mercy are unsearchable. This is the only secret of His cross love for the human race. When the eldest son did not want to enter, his father went out and called him, begged him. He cannot say, "If you reject your father's love, do as you please." But just as he went out to meet his younger son, so now he goes out and calls for his elder. He softens his heart, assuring him that the generosity that he showed his youngest son should not be in the least offensive to him. "My son! You are always with me, he says. “Kindness towards him is not rejection of you, not belittling the work you have done, not taking away what is yours. All mine is yours. This means that everything that I have given to another belongs to you.” But it all lies in the ability to accept this gift. All piety, all exploits, all the grace that another person is worthy of belongs to us if we are able to enter into the joy of this person. And if we are not able to enter into this joy, then we will be outside the Kingdom of God. The Lord gives us too much, and we are not ready for it. God wants to give us everything, and we want to have our miserable part.

Previously, the younger son wanted to have his own separately and lost everything, but now the older one separates what he has from the gift of his father, and therefore cannot accept what is offered to him along with his brother. Together with his brother, he is called to a feast. But, being unable to enter into his joy, he is ready to depart with sorrow.

However, the parable ends with mysterious words. We do not hear the older brother say anything in response to the father. He is silent, and deep inner work takes place in him. We can almost hear how he accepts with repentance and gratitude what his father says to him: "This is your brother." And reconciles with his brother. The meaning of the repentance of Great Lent, to which we are heading, and the meaning of the Lord's Pascha, is that we learn that victory over our sins is given only by the gift of Christ, that we learn humility, and that we enter into the joy of our Lord. Even if this time, others will be more comforted by grace than we are. Let us learn to enter into their joy. Into this joy of our Lord, which belongs to all the children of God, into the joy of all, which will be fully revealed as our joy in the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father.

Archpriest Alexander Shargunov, rector of the church of St. Nicholas in Pyzhi, member of the Writers' Union of Russia

Parable of the Prodigal Son

Publicans and sinners came to Jesus Christ to listen to Him. Proud Pharisees and scribes, teachers of the Jewish people, grumbled at Jesus Christ for this and said: "He accepts sinners and eats with them."

To this, Jesus Christ spoke several parables, in which he showed that God accepts every repentant sinner with joy and love. Here is one of them:

One man had two sons. The youngest of them said to his father: "Father, give me the part of the estate that I will follow." The father complied with his request. After a few days, the youngest son, having collected everything, went to a distant country and there, living dissolutely, squandered all his property. When he had lived it all, there came a great famine in that country, and he began to be in need. And he went and joined (i.e., joined) one of the inhabitants of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. Hungry, he would have been glad to eat the horns that the pigs ate; but no one gave it to him.

The prodigal son in a strange, distant land

Then, having come to his senses, he remembered his father, repented of his deed and thought: “How many hirelings (workers) from my father eat bread in abundance, and I am dying of hunger! I will get up, go to my father, and say to him:“ father ! I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired hands."

And so he did. He got up and went home to his father. And when he was still far away, his father saw him and took pity on him. The father himself ran to meet his son, fell on his neck, kissed him.

Return of the prodigal son

The son began to say: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son" ...

And the father said to his servants: "Bring the best clothes and dress him; give him a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet; and kill the fatted calf; let's eat and be merry! For this son of mine was dead and is alive; he was lost and is found." And they started having fun.

The eldest son was returning at this time from the field. Hearing singing and jubilation in the house, he called one of the servants and asked: "What is this?"

The servant said to him, "Your brother has come; and your father slaughtered the fattened calf, because he saw him healthy."

The eldest son was angry and did not want to enter the house. The father went out to him and called him.

But he answered his father: “Behold, I have been serving you for so many years and have never transgressed (did not violate) your orders; but you never gave me a kid to have fun with my friends. you slaughtered a fattened calf for him."

The father said to him: “My son, you are always with me, and all mine is yours.

In this parable, the father is God, and the prodigal son is the repentant sinner. Every person is like the prodigal son, who with his soul moves away from God and indulges in a self-willed, sinful life; with his sins, he destroys his soul and all the gifts (life, health, strength, abilities) that he received from God. When the sinner, having come to his senses, brings sincere repentance to God, with humility and with hope for His mercy, then the Lord, as a merciful Father, rejoices with His angels at the conversion of the sinner, forgives him all his iniquities (sins), no matter how great they may be, and return to him His favors and gifts.

With the story of the eldest son, the Savior teaches that every believing Christian should wholeheartedly wish everyone salvation, rejoice at the conversion of sinners, not envy God's love for them and not consider themselves worthy of God's mercy more than those who turn to God from their former lawless life.

The content of the parable told by Jesus Christ about the prodigal son:

The father had two sons. The younger one wanted to take his share of the parental property without waiting for the inheritance. The father satisfied his desire by giving away at once all the property that the youngest son would receive later.

Having left for foreign lands, the young man squandered his share on empty amusements. Famine began in the country, the young man was left without a roof over his head, without a piece of bread, without money. Out of hopelessness, he hired himself to herd pigs - an occupation that was considered in those years worthy of completely degraded people.

The shepherd was paid so little that he simply died of hunger, he even agreed to eat their food with the pigs. But this was not available to him. Then the youngest son remembered his father, how well even the last slaves live there. He decided to ask his parent for forgiveness for his behavior, to ask him to accept him as a simple worker, so as not to let him die of hunger. Having made up his mind, the young man went on his way.

The father noticed his son approaching from a distance and ran towards him. He hugged and kissed the dirty, barefoot, emaciated traveler and recognized him as his child. The young man asked to be forgiven for past deeds, to be settled with slaves, since he lost the right to be called a son, squandered his share of the inheritance due to him.

The father said he was glad to have his son back, who was thought to be dead and missing. He ordered to dress him in the best shoes, clothes, put a ring with a seal on his finger, ordered to kill a fat calf, feast and have fun with everyone, rejoicing at the return of the prodigal son.

The eldest heir at that time worked in the field, and when he saw with what honor the father of his younger brother received, resentment and envy ignited in his heart. He began to reproach his father that he had never treated him with such love and generosity, although he worked and always obeyed and obeyed the will of the parent.

He could not sincerely rejoice at the return of his brother, moreover, he does not recognize his brother as equal to himself, believing that the younger one deserved such a fate by his behavior. The eldest son could not understand his father's words that one should rejoice and love a person who came to his senses, admitted his wrong, repented, which means he must be forgiven.

What does the parable say

The parable of the prodigal son is a story about sin and repentance. Everyone makes the interpretation of history in their own way, but everyone agrees that the father of sons is an almighty God who always loves his children. No matter what sins people commit, God always accepts their repentance, always forgives sinners, loves them as parents love their children.

What did the youngest of the children

It follows from the parable that the youngest son represents youth devoid of knowledge. Young people want to get everything at once, they want freedom from duties. They do not listen to what older, more experienced people tell them. Young people believe that they can handle everything, that they can break into the people with their talent. They look down on old people, considering them obsolete. No wonder pride, pride is considered a sin that destroys a person's life, especially in youth. Moving away from God the Father, people give themselves into the hands of the devil.

Not realizing that it is better to be under the protection and patronage of God, people move away from Him “to foreign lands”, where they indulge in sinful pastimes, wasting their talents and strength in vain. A person considers the gift of God his personal property, he wants to dispose of it at his own discretion. But when people, forgetting about the Almighty, indulge only in idle deeds, they destroy their soul, depriving it of purity and spiritual food. Having had their fill, they feel spiritual hunger, not knowing what else to do with themselves.

How did the elder react to the repentance of his brother

Interpretation of the role of the eldest son. An obedient young man always fulfills the will of his father, lives strictly according to the laws, considers himself a righteous man. But his soul is dead - he has forgotten how to sympathize with others, putting his "merits" in serving God above the rest. The same sin of pride, pride. Plus, jealousy.

At the call of the father to rejoice together with the rest that the repentant sinner younger brother has returned, the elder expresses his grievances and claims to the parent. Pointing out that his father's son is no longer his brother, who himself is to blame for his fate. He does not understand why a parent welcomes the return of a repentant sinner with such joy. Considering himself a righteous man, he does not see his shortcomings, his sin. As scribes and Pharisees, who talk about their service to God, in fact they do not love others “as themselves”, violating God's main commandment.

What is the meaning of this story

The young man, having gone through suffering and deprivation, understands his mistakes, humbles his pride, at first being hired for the most black, shameful work, later comes to repentance. The parable of the prodigal son teaches that repentance comes through material deprivation and spiritual suffering.

You can read the parable several times, discovering a new interpretation of its meaning. The younger son, being away from God, was insane. And when he came to his senses, assessed his current state, realized how low he had fallen. When he was near his Father, he was well-fed, clothed, shod. However, he did not notice these God's blessings, believing that he would receive much more in a foreign country. There will be no moralizing, he will be able to achieve success and wealth with his mind.

The alien side is associated with distance from God. Without faith, a person dies, loses his soul. He was dead and returned alive - the father rejoices at the repentance of the youngest child. Now there is hope that the son understood, felt how wrong he was when he renounced God.

An interpretation of the parable of good intentions, which are only useful when they are fulfilled. The young man decided that he would go to ask for forgiveness from his parent, without delay, he fulfilled his intention. You can mentally imagine hundreds of times how good things will be done, but not do them, remaining an empty dreamer.

God the Father sees people striving for Him and is always the first to show His forgiveness. As in the parable: clean clothes for sons, comfortable shoes to walk the path of life for the salvation of the soul, His love of the Father. The fattened calf, which is slaughtered for the feast of the return of the son, symbolizes the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who himself, by the will of the Heavenly Father, gave himself to the executioners in order to atone for the sins of all mankind.

Each of the living people was on the path of the youngest son from Christ's parable. You should know that this path leads to the death of the soul. But Our Merciful Father will always accept the sincere repentance of His erring children.

Another parable Jesus told the people: “A certain man had two sons; and the youngest of them said to his father: “Father! give me the next part of the estate for me. "And the father divided the estate among them. After a few days, the youngest son, having collected everything, went to a far country and there he squandered his possessions, living dissolutely. When he had lived everything, there came a great famine in that country, and he began to be in need, and he went and attached himself to one of the inhabitants of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine: and he was glad to fill his belly with the horns that swine ate, but no one gave him. said: “How many hired servants of my father have plenty of bread, and I am dying of hunger; I will get up and go to my father and say to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired hands.” He got up and went to his father.
LUKE 15:11-19

Christ continued the parable of the prodigal son: “And while he was still far away, his father saw him and had compassion; and, running, fell on his neck and kissed him. The son said to him: “Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son." And the father said to his servants: "Bring the best clothes and dress him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet; and bring a fattened calf and slaughter it: let us eat and be merry! For this son of mine was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found." And they began to rejoice. And his eldest son was in the field; and, returning, when he approached the house, he heard singing and rejoicing; and, calling one of the servants, he asked: " What is this?" He said to him: "Your brother has come, and your father killed the fatted calf, because he received him healthy." He became angry and did not want to enter. His father, having gone out, called him. But he said : "Behold, I have served you for so many years and have never transgressed your command, but you have never given me even a kid to make fun with my friends; and when this son of yours, who had squandered his possessions with harlots, came, you slaughtered a fatted calf for him.” He said to him: “My son! you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours, and you should have rejoiced and rejoiced that this brother of yours was dead and is alive, was lost and is found. " With this parable, Jesus once again showed how joyful and forgiving the Heavenly Father accepts every sinner who comes to Him with a repentant heart.
LUKE 15:20-32

Not far from Jerusalem was a village called Bethany. Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary lived there. They were friends of Jesus. Once, while in the same secluded place with His disciples, Jesus received sad news. The sisters of the sick man sent to say to Him: "Lord, behold, whom You love, he is sick." Jesus, hearing this, said: "This sickness is not unto death, but to the glory of God, may the Son of God be glorified through it." Then He stayed two more days in the place where He was, and went to Bethany, knowing that Lazarus had already died. Many Jews came to the sisters and comforted them in their grief over their dead brother. Martha saw Jesus and said to Him: "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask God, God will give you." Jesus answered, "Your brother will rise again... I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" Martha said, "Yes, Lord! I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, coming into the world." Then she went and called her sister Mary. When Jesus saw Mary weeping and the weeping Jews who came with her, He Himself grieved in spirit and said: "Where did you put him?" They answered him: "Lord! Come and see." Jesus went to the cave where Lazarus was buried. (In that country, then, they usually buried in a cave, rolling a stone to the entrance). Jesus ordered the stone to be rolled away, but Martha said that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Jesus answered her, "Didn't I tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" When the stone was rolled away, Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, I thank You that You heard Me... I knew that You would always hear Me..." Saying this. He called with a loud voice: "Lazarus! Get out! And the deceased came out, bound hand and foot with burial linens ..." Many Jews who saw this miracle believed in Him, but the Pharisees and high priests gathered a council to discuss how to kill Jesus .
JOHN 11:1-50

"The Parable of the Prodigal" read more can be leather, even if it’s done, it’s a pouch.

The Parable of the Prodigal- one of the most famous parables of Jesus Christ. The plot of this parable in a symbolic form is illustrating mutually between people and God. Sin walk back, and then turn to the father, no man turns to his heavenly Father God.

“The Parable of the Prodigal Sin” read

The man had two blues. The youngest of them said to the father: “Give me, a tattoo, a part of my shirt, so that I can lie down at the recesses!”.
Batko poured maєtok and handed out to the sins those that belonged to him.

Nevdovzі the youngest son, having taken everything that was distributed to youmu, and leaning to the far edge. There he lives in proportion and spent all the money there. Just then, when a great famine came near this region, and a young son, deprived of drachma, began to bіduvati.
In order not to die of starvation, the young son hired himself to graze pigs from one ruler of the bead region. Vіn starvation, because he did not allow the master to instill the one that the pigs robbed from the bark.

Todi wine, starving and enduring the agony of a swineherd, guessing about his dear father, guessing that it is possible for his father to live, three hiring, maє bread over the world, brother Yogo does not suffer like that, like wine - a young son - here in a foreign land with hunger gin.
Mirkuyuchi like this, the young syn virishiv: “I’ll leave the whole region and go to my father and I’ll say to you: “I’ve made a mistake, father, against the sky that is against you. Not worthy I am already called your son. Take me as one of your hired hands” (Luke 15:18-19).

Axis from such a plan in the head of the youngest sin rushing to the father. If the wine is far, far away, the weather is far away, then the father of the first wobbled yoga on the horizon. The old man, having changed his mind, pity and ran away to his sins, rushing to Yom on his neck, starting to hug and kiss Yogo.
Sin in tears seems to be like this: “Father, I am guilty, against heaven and against you. I am not worthy to be called your son.”
Even the father would seem to his slaves: “Bring here the finest clothes and make him wear, give him a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
Bring the best indulgent tel and stab Yogo, for we will have that honor. For this sin my dead - and come to life, lost - I know! (Luke 15:11-24). I began to have fun at home.

The elder son worked on the field and over the evening decided to go home. If the elder son approached the house, then he felt music and dances near the village. Then, after calling one of the servants of that feed:
– What is it?
And the servant told the elder son:
- Well, your brother turned back home. Your tato zvelіv slaughter the happy calf - more healthy yogo vin having accepted.
The elder son was angry and navit did not want to go home, because he respected injustice.

Todі viyshov nazustrіch batko and having begun to ask your elder son - do not be angry, do not be angry, forgive me. And the elder son seems to be tatov:
- I, tattoo, serve you in the style of fate, without violating your order - you didn’t give me a kid, so that I would laugh with my friends. And if you turn your eyes on your son, who is gone, having drunk and walking away your maetok from harlots, then for the new star, slaughter the lucky calf.
Father seems to be the elder son:
- Well, take care of me, child, and all mine is yours! (Luke 15:31). We need to have fun and be quiet, because your brother is dead - and alive, lost - and know! (Luke 15:32). This parable tells about the great vіdminnіst between the sons of one father, as he is and between us people.

The youngest son, having asked the father to spread out the mothers, wanted in the morning of the mothers not to help the children until the feast, while the father was able to practice and care for the mother. However, the father razdiliv maёtok.
After a few days, the young son, having taken his share, leaned towards a distant land, having spent all his wealth with harlots. Lives vin dissolutely. Here, maybe, Jesus is pushing, that Yogo is ringing with the one who Vіn is collaborating with harlots, sinners, like leading a riotous and immoral way of life, a distant view of God.
The eldest son all the whole hour was at once from the father, listening to everything from everyone, hard working according to the reign of the king until late night.

If famine arose, then the young son had to graze the pig. Price at the Skhodі was respected by the lowest occupations. Possibly under the "distant land" Jesus, retelling this parable, having understood the hidden part of Galilee, where the pagans lived and were engaged in breeding pigs. And here the youngest son, practicing as a swineherd, could not remember the one who eats the pig. Tse lower in the eyes of people. The first axis is the young son of a virishiv, who is better off as a hireling, or as a slave, with his father, anіzh pratsyuvati on strangers. Here it is possible that the young syn of paganism (“in the practice of rich gods”) turns to his dear father (“his only true God”). Batko (“Our Heavenly Father”) is already healthy, who turned blue and began to repent (“having turned a sinner on righteous deeds”), the father sang a stormy welcome. And the benket, like in earlier parables, is a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven.

I sinners, so like a prodigal son, if the stench repents and stops sinning, then it is possible to go to the Kingdom of Heaven. Under the "senior son" the Pharisees and lawyers needed to be brought to their senses, for they were angry with Jesus Christ. I didn’t feel like Yogo vchennya, more vin talking about foreigners (pagans), who didn’t respect the stench (“Pharisees and lawyers”), and Jesus declared the Kingdom of Heaven to them, like the stench will repent. Ale y Іsus (“father”), having begun to ask the Pharisees and the legislators (“older son”) not to be inspired to go to the Kingdom of God (“to the banquet”). The Kingdom of God Jesus is proclaiming to all people.