The Prodigal Son

What if the prodigal son is not a story about a wayward son and a forgiving father, but instead it is a story about how ALL of us here on earth are the wayward son, and the forgiving father is our Father in heaven?

What if Christ meant for it to be a story about the saved man? What if it was meant as a story to teach us how to be redeemed from the fall? What if it was a story to illustrate to us all how we too, can be saved and return to our God and be welcomed with a hug and a kiss and that all of heaven would celebrate and rejoice upon our return?

For some context, this story of Christ as told by Luke, actually begins in chapter 14 of the book of Luke. It is written, that Christ went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day. Christ was surrounded by lawyers, Pharisees, and scribes that were all watching his every move. The Pharisees were the authorities of the church at that time. Comparatively they were the Apostles and General Authorities of the LDS church or the Pope, Cardinals, Archbishops, and so on, of the Catholic church. The lawyers and scribes, were the wealthy and noble people of that day.

As Christ is eating bread a certain man comes to Christ with dropsy, which is the swelling of soft tissue due to the accumulation of excess water. Jesus, then asked the lawyers and Pharisees if it was lawful to heal on the sabbath day, but no one answered and so Christ healed the person of dropsy. Christ asked the Pharisees, because they were the recognized authority of what was lawful according to the religion. He asked the lawyers, because they were the recognized authority of the law according to the land. Christ perceived that the lawyers and Pharisees were judging Christ’s actions, so he began to teach them through examples and parables.

The first example Christ uses to teach is one where he asks if anyone would not save their donkey or ox if it fell into a pit on the sabbath day. No one answered. You see, if a person is willing to save an animal, than how much greater is the need to save another human.

Christ continued to teach the exact same principle through other parables and examples. Christ suggested to the lawyers and Pharisees, that if they were invited to a wedding that they (the Pharisees and lawyers) should not immediately seek out the highest room that was reserved for the most honorable man that was invited to the wedding. By doing this they might choose the highest room, assuming they were the most honorable invited, when in reality there might be someone that shows up that is more honorable than they. Then they would be shamed into having to leave the higher room to go to a lower level. Instead he said that they should sit in the lowest level and wait until they were then invited to move to the highest. After this parable Christ taught, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted (Luke 14:11).” The real lesson here, is that when we are invited by God to come unto Him, which we all have been invited, that we must come in humility, and with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and do not assume our worthiness before God.

Christ then used another parable to try and teach the exact same principle to the lawyers and the Pharisees. Christ said, when you are going to have a dinner or a supper don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, or your rich neighbors, because they are so important that they might have to turn down your invite and you will be left with no guests at your dinner or supper. Instead he suggests that you should invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind, because they will never turn you down. They are the ones that are in most need of your food and gifts. The point of the story, was that we should be caring for the needs of the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind. It also is to illustrate, that those are the types of people who will be invited to eat bread in the Kingdom of God.

One of the Pharisees felt he understood what Christ was teaching and stood and said, “Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.” Then Christ hearing that, told a more specific parable to further illustrate the lesson. In the end Christ said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.(Luke 14:26–27)” This seems very odd and contradictory of what the doctrine of love that Christ teaches. To further explain this Christ says, “whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.(Luke 14:33)”

Joseph Smith taught this same principle, but expounded on it in a way that helps better understand what Christ meant.

“For a man to lay down his all, his character and reputation, his honor, and applause, his good name among men, his houses, his lands, his brothers and sisters, his wife and children, and even his own life also — counting all things but filth and dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ — requires more than mere belief or supposition that he is doing the will of God; but actual knowledge, realizing that, when these sufferings are ended, he will enter into eternal rest, and be a partaker of the glory of God.” — Lectures on Faith 6:5

You must be willing to lay down it all for God. After Christ said these things all of the publicans and sinners came near Christ to hear him speak. Christ allowed this to happen. Then seeing this, the Pharisees, scribes, and lawyers all complained and said, “This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them (Luke 15:2).”

Christ when teaching the parable of the one lost sheep of the hundred ends it by saying, “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. (Luke 15:7)” But who among us has not need of repentance? Therefore, who among us could possibly be compared to the 99 in this parable? None but the angels who are in heaven with God could possibly be the 99. Are we not all lost sheep (Isaiah 53:6)? Therefore the lost sheep are those that leave heaven and come to this fallen world where we are all lost and fallen. And who is the shepard that will leave the concourses of angels in heaven to save the lost sheep?

This is what lead Christ to teach the parable of the prodigal son. I believe that Christ meant that we are ALL the prodigal son. Aren’t we not all sinners? Are we not all indebted to God (Mosiah 2:21–25).

Luke 15:
11 ¶And he said, A certain man had two sons:

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

What if the far country is actually earth. What if “the portion “ that is divided is what we are given in this life. Our bodies, our family, our jobs, our riches, our food, our friends, and indeed all that we experience and obtain in this world, what if this was what is meant by the portion of goods that falleth to us (Mosiah 2:21–25)?

We all come to this earth and we waste our substance with riotous living, for we are all sinners in the end. So, all of us, to some degree or another waste the portion of goods that falleth to us. Don’t we? I know we read these things and we like to suppose that our sins are less grievous than others. We look and think of the many sins that we didn’t commit, and we think ourselves better and more righteous than others. We think that the father’s house represents the church, and so long as we don’t leave the church, we are safe. We then align ourselves with the older son in the story. The one who refused to leave the father’s house. Still, I’m sure there are some of us who read this parable and humbly agree that they are just like this younger brother, who has wasted away their inheritance.

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

It seems that we all get into debt in this life. We spend more than we make. We all experience a famine in the land. Perhaps it’s not always a physical famine, perhaps for some we always have food on our table. I would argue that we all at some point in our life reach this point where we hit a famine in the land and we begin to want. We get into debt with banks and we become a slave to a paycheck.

This is what Christ meant when he taught, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke 14:11)”

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

Is this not a man in the depths of humility and despair. This is a man with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. This is an illustration of what it means to repent and come unto God. When you come unto God you come to the lowest seats in the wedding party, just as Christ previously taught. You come asking and expecting nothing but to simply serve God. When you come to God, you come confessing your weakness and confessing your sins against heaven and against the Father. You confess your unworthiness to be called a son of God.

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

When we come unto God with a broken heart and a contrite spirit this is how our Heavenly Father will receive us. He will have compassion and he will run and fall on our neck and he will kiss us.

21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

We will confess our sins and we shall be overshadowed with our feeling of unworthiness before our Father. We will no longer feel worthy to be called a son of God.

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

Our Father in heaven will call to His servants, the servants being the angels in heaven. He will tell them to bring us a robe to cover our nakedness before God. We will be given rings and shoes will be placed on our feet. We will be clothed in the robes necessary to be in God’s presence.

23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

We will then be invited to eat more than just bread in the Kingdom of God. We will be invited to the dinner or supper. Eating with people carries a lot of symbolism. The Lord ate supper with Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel on top of the mountain (Exodus 24:9–11). Also the Lord and two angels came and visited Abraham and ate a supper with him (Genesis 18:5–8).

24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

Here Christ gives the symbolism of the baptism. Where he says that the son was dead and is reborn. God exclaims that he was lost and is now found. Are we not all fallen just as Adam fell? Are we not all lost (Isaiah 53:6) in this lone and dreary world? When we come unto the Lord and chose to be baptized are we not symbolizing to heaven that we are spiritually dead and desire to be reborn in Christ and become a son of God?

25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.

26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him.

29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

What of this second son, who is referred to as the elder son who was in the field working? Could this be Lucifer or Satan, the fallen son of God, the great accuser of us all (Revelation 12:10). Lucifer was never allowed to be given his inheritance in this world, instead, he fell because of his pride. Lucifer is angry and refuses to go into the feast in the Kingdom of God (Moses 4:1–4, D&C 76:25–29, Isaiah 14:12–14).

This is what Christ was trying to teach those Pharisees, scribes, and lawyers. All of those who lift themselves up as being more righteous than others. They were the people who were the accuser, and called others sinners and esteemed themselves as having no need of repentance. Christ was teaching through parables, the path back into the kingdom of God.

Are we not all prodigal sons to our Father who art in Heaven?