Luke 15:17

"He wanted to fill his belly with the pods that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any."

Key Reflection

In Luke 15:17, the narrative depicts a son who has squandered his inheritance and is reduced to such desperate straits that he wishes to eat the “pods” eaten by pigs. This vivid imagery conveys the gravity of his poverty and his utter degradation in the eyes of society. The original audience would have understood this scene as a powerful illustration of the depth of the son’s despair and his willingness to accept any form of sustenance, even if it meant eating the refuse that pigs ate.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 17. He came to himself. This is a very expressive phrase. It is commonly applied to one who has been deranged, and when he recovers we say he has come to himself. In this place it denotes that the folly of the young man was a kind of derangement--that he was insane. So it is of every sinner. Madness is in their hearts (Ec 9:3); they are estranged from God, and led, by the influence of evil passions, contrary to their better judgment and the decisions of a sound mind. Hired servants. Those in a low condition of life--those who were not born to wealth, and who had no friends to provide for them. I perish.

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