EN2Story preview
The Prodigal Son Returns Home
Long ago in the land of Israel, Jesus told a powerful story about a father who had two sons. The father was a wealthy landowner with fields, servants, and livestock. His older son worked faithfully alongside him every day, but his younger son dreamed of adventure far from home.
One day, the younger son made a bold and unusual request. "Father," he said, "I want my share of the family wealth now, before you die." This was shocking because it was like saying he wished his father were already dead! Yet the loving father, though surely heartbroken, divided his property between both sons.
The younger son gathered everything he owned and set off on a long journey to a distant country. He had never felt so free and excited! With bulging money bags and grand plans, he imagined a life of endless pleasure and excitement awaiting him in far-off lands.
In that distant country, the young man spent his money wildly and carelessly. He threw lavish parties, bought expensive things he didn't need, and surrounded himself with people who pretended to be his friends. Day after day, night after night, he wasted his father's hard-earned wealth on foolish pleasures.
Before long, every last coin was gone. His money bags were empty, his fancy clothes were sold, and all those so-called friends disappeared like morning mist. The young man found himself completely alone, broke, and desperate in a foreign land where nobody cared about him.
To make matters worse, a terrible famine swept across that country. Food became scarce and expensive, and people were starving everywhere. The young man, now hungry and desperate, finally found work with a local farmer who sent him to feed pigs in the muddy fields.
Sitting in that pigpen, surrounded by mud and squealing animals, the young man finally came to his senses. He remembered his father's house, where even the hired servants had plenty of food to eat. "What am I doing here?" he thought. "My father's servants are better off than I am!"
Meanwhile, back at home, the father had never stopped watching and waiting. Every day, he would gaze down the road, hoping to see his lost son returning. His heart ached with love and longing for the boy who had left so rashly.
One day, while the son was still a long way off, the father saw him! Immediately recognizing his child despite the ragged clothes and dirty appearance, the father's heart overflowed with compassion. He hitched up his robes and ran down the road—something dignified men of his age never did!
The father threw his arms around his son and kissed him repeatedly. The son began his prepared speech: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son." But the father wasn't interested in making him a servant!
