The Prodigal Son
Meaning
- a person who spends money in a recklessly extravagant
- a man or boy who has left his family in order to do something that the family disapprove of and has now returned home feeling sorry for what he has done:
Example: The prodigal son has returned to the team after a three-year absence.
There was a man who had two sons. The younger son went to his father and asked him for his share of the inheritance. So, the father divided the inheritance between his two sons. After a few days, the younger son sold what his father had given to him. He took all the money and left home. He went to a country far away and did whatever he wanted to and wasted all his money. After he had spent everything, there was no rain in that country. There was almost no food anywhere, so the young man had nothing to eat. He went to a man who lived in that country and asked to work for him. The man sent him into his fields to give to his pigs. Nobody gave him anything to eat. He even wanted to eat the food that the pigs were eating but he had nothing.
Then the son began to think about what he had done. He told himself that his father had many servants who had plenty to eat. In fact they had even more food than they needed. He, however, would die because he had no food. The son then decided to go to his father and say to him, “I have done bad things against God, and against you, so I am not good enough to be called your son any longer. Instead, please accept me as one of your servants”.
The son then set off for home but when he was still a long way from the house, his father saw him. He felt sorry for his son and ran towards him, put his arms round his son and kissed him. The son then said to his father what he had planned to say but his father shouted to his servants and told them to hurry and fetch the most beautiful coat that they had, put it on him and also a ring on his finger. The servants were also to put shoes on his feet, and then fetch the young cow that was kept to be eaten on a special day. The father said that the cow was already fat, so they were to kill it and prepare it and have a big meal and be happy together. This was because the son whom he thought was dead had returned to him alive. The son whom he thought had left him and never coming back, had come home. Then they all began to be happy together
Discussion
- In your opinion, if you were the father would you have given the younger son his inheritance when he asked for it? Why?
- In your opinion what are some of the most important things that a father should leave to his children? (volunteers can talk about values, good spiritual and mental health and well-being, self-respect, etc.)
- If you were the elder brother who had been working in the field, how would you feel about your younger brother and about the way your father treated your younger brother when he came back?
- Can you give examples how this phrase “prodigal son” can be used in a sentence?
- He left the company several years ago, but now the prodigal son has returned.
- There have been rumours that he has been prodigal with company funds.