返回Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Lk. 15:1. Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to Him to hear Him.
Lk. 15:2. The Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying: He receives sinners and eats with them.
The Lord, allowing tax collectors and sinners to come to Him, as a physician to the sick, was doing that for which He had become incarnate. But the Pharisees, themselves truly sinners, responded to such love for mankind with grumbling. For they considered the tax collectors abhorrent, even though they themselves devoured the houses of widows and orphans.
Lk. 15:3. He told them this parable:
Lk. 15:4. What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?
Lk. 15:5. And having found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Lk. 15:6. And, coming home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them: Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.
Lk. 15:7. I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who have no need of repentance.
What then does the Lord do? He was merciful both toward the tax collectors and toward those very ones who reproached His mercy. He does not turn away even from these, as from incurable murmurers, but with gentleness He heals them, telling them the parable of the sheep, and from a real and vivid example persuading and restraining them from being vexed at such an outpouring of goodness. For if over one sheep, an irrational creature not created in the image of God, when it is found after being lost, there is so much joy, then how much more should there be joy over a rational man, created in the image of God? The parable, evidently, by the ninety-nine sheep means the righteous, and by the one sheep, the fallen sinner. But some understand the hundred sheep as all rational creatures, and the one sheep as man of rational nature, whom, when he had gone astray, the good shepherd sought out, leaving the ninety-nine in the wilderness, that is, in the higher, heavenly place. For heaven, far removed from worldly turmoil and filled with all peace and stillness, is a wilderness. The Lord, having found this lost sheep, laid it on His shoulders. For "He bore our infirmities" and sins (Isa. 53:4), and without being burdened He took upon Himself all our loads; He paid all that we owed, and easily and without labor He saved us and brought us to His very home, that is, to heaven. And "He calls together His friends and neighbors," perhaps the Angels, whom we also understood as the sheep, in a twofold sense. Since, on the one hand, every created being in relation to God is, as it were, without reason, the Heavenly Powers can be called sheep. But since, on the other hand, they are rational, that is, endowed with reason, and appear to be nearer to God than the rest of creation, the ranks of the angelic Powers can be understood as friends and neighbors.
Lk. 15:8. Or what woman, having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a candle and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it,
Lk. 15:9. And having found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying: Rejoice with me, for I have found the lost drachma.
Lk. 15:10. So, I say to you, there is joy among the Angels of God even over one sinner who repents.
And by "woman" understand the wisdom and power of God the Father, His Son, who lost one drachma out of the rational creatures made in His image, that is, man, and lights a lamp — His flesh. For just as a lamp, being of earth, illuminates with the light it receives what is covered in darkness, so too the flesh of the Lord, earthly and like ours, shone with the light of the Divinity by which it was assumed. And "the house was swept," that is, the whole world was cleansed from sin, for Christ took the sin of the world upon Himself. And "the drachma," that is, the royal image, "was found," and there was joy both for Christ Himself who found it and for the Heavenly Powers, who are His friends and neighbors: "friends," since they do His will; "neighbors," since they are bodiless. And I would ask, are not all the Heavenly Powers His friends, while the neighbors are the nearest of them, such as thrones, cherubim, and seraphim? For pay attention to the expression: "she calls together her friends and neighbors." It evidently points to two distinct things, although this may not seem particularly important.
Lk. 15:11. He also said: A certain man had two sons;
And this parable is similar to the preceding ones. It too, under the image of a man, presents God as truly loving of mankind; under the two sons, two classes of people, that is, the righteous and sinners.
Lk. 15:12. And the younger of them said to his father: Father, give me the portion of the estate that falls to me. And the father divided the estate between them.
Righteousness is the ancient portion of human nature, and therefore the elder son does not break away from paternal authority. But sin is an evil that was born afterwards; and therefore the "younger" son, who grew up with sin that came afterwards, breaks away from parental authority. And in another sense: the sinner is called the "younger" son, as an innovator, apostate, and rebel against the father's will. "Father, give me the portion of the estate that falls to me." The "estate" is rationality, to which free will is also subject. For every rational being is free. The Lord gives us reason so that we may use it freely, as our true estate, and He gives it to all equally, for all are equally rational and self-governing. But some of us use this dignity in accordance with its purpose, while others render the gift of God useless.
Lk. 15:13. After not many days, the younger son, having gathered everything together, went to a far country and there squandered his estate, living dissolutely.
By our "property" one can understand everything in general that the Lord has given us, namely: heaven, earth, every creature in general, the Law, the prophets. But the younger son saw heaven and deified it; saw the earth and honored it, while he did not wish to walk in His Law and did evil to the prophets. The elder son, however, made use of all these things to the glory of God. The Lord God, having given all this in equal measure, allowed each to walk and live according to his own will, and compels no one who does not wish to serve Him. For if He had wished to compel, He would not have created us rational and free. The younger son squandered all of this together. And what was the cause? That he "went into a far country." For when a person departs from God and removes from himself the fear of God, then he squanders all the divine gifts. Being close to God, we do nothing worthy of destruction, as it is said: "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved" (Ps. 16:8). But having gone far off and departed from God, we do and suffer every possible evil, as the words say: "behold, those who are far from You shall perish" (Ps. 73:27). So it is no wonder that he squandered his property. For virtue has one limit and is something unified, while vice is manifold and produces much temptation. For example, courage has one limit, namely: when, how, and against whom one should employ anger, while vice has two forms — cowardice and recklessness. Do you see how reason is squandered and the unity of virtue is destroyed?
Lk. 15:14. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want;
When this estate has been squandered and a person lives neither according to reason, that is, according to natural law, nor follows the written Law, nor listens to the prophets, then a severe famine sets in (for him)—not a famine of bread, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord (Amos 8:11). And he begins to "be in want," since he does not fear the Lord but stands far from Him, whereas for those who fear the Lord "there is no want" (Ps. 34:10). Why is there no want for those who fear the Lord? Because he who fears the Lord greatly delights in His commandments, therefore glory and riches are in his house, and he rather of his own will scatters and gives to the poor (Ps. 112:1, 3, 9). So far is he from want! But whoever has gone far from God and does not have His dread countenance before his eyes will, unsurprisingly, experience need, since no Divine word is at work within him.
Lk. 15:15. And he went,
That is, he went far and became entrenched in malice,
Lk. 15:15. Joined himself to one of the citizens of that country,
"He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with the Lord," but "he who is joined to a harlot," that is, to the nature of demons, "becomes one body with her" (1 Cor. 6:17, 16), becoming entirely flesh and having no place within himself for the Spirit, like those who lived in the days of the flood (Gen. 6:3). "The citizens of that country," far from God, are without doubt demons.
Lk. 15:15. And he sent him into his fields to feed swine;
Having succeeded and become strong in wickedness, he "feeds swine," that is, he teaches others wickedness and a filthy life as well. For all who find pleasure in the mire of shameful deeds and material passions are swine. The eyes of swine can never look upward, having such a strange structure. This is why those who tend swine, if, having caught a pig, they cannot for a long time stop its squealing, bend its head backward and in this way reduce its squealing. Just as a person who has come upon such a spectacle as he has never seen before, when he raises his eyes (to the scene), is struck and falls silent, so the eyes of those who are raised in evil never see what is above. These are the ones fed by him who surpasses many in wickedness, such as: keepers of harlots, leaders of robbers, and publicans. For of all such people it can be said that they feed swine.
Lk. 15:16. And he would gladly have filled his belly with the husks that the swine ate, but no one gave him anything.
This wretched one "desires to be filled" with sin, but no one gives him this satiation. For one accustomed to evil finds no satiation in it. Pleasure is inconstant, but as it comes, it departs at the same time, and this wretched one is again left with emptiness (in his soul). For sin is like "husks," having both sweetness and bitterness: it sweetens for a time, but torments forever. No one will give satiation of evil to the one who delights in it. And indeed, who will give him satiation and rest? God? But He is not with him; for one who feeds on evil goes far from God. Demons? But how will they give it, when they especially strive for there to never be rest or satiation from evil?
Lk. 15:17. Coming to himself,
With time the prodigal came to himself. For as long as he lived dissolutely, he was outside himself. It is said that he squandered his substance, and rightly so: therefore he is outside himself. For whoever is not governed by reason, but lives as one without reason and drives others to unreason, that one is outside himself, and will not remain with his substance, that is, with his reason. But when someone considers what calamity he has fallen into, then he comes to himself through reflection and turning from outward wandering to repentance.
Lk. 15:17. He said: How many hired servants of my father have bread in abundance, while I am dying of hunger;
By "hired servants" he probably means the catechumens, who, as not yet illumined, have not yet managed to become sons. And the catechumens, without doubt, are satisfied with spiritual bread in abundance, hearing the readings every day. And so that you may know the difference between a hired servant and a son, listen. There are three classes of those being saved. Some, as slaves, do good out of fear of judgment. David hints at this when he says: "My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments" (Ps. 118:120). Others are hired servants; these, it seems, are those who strive to please God out of a desire to receive good, as the same David says: "I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end" (Ps. 118:112). And the third are sons, that is, those who keep God's commandments out of love for God, of which again the same David testifies: "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day" (Ps. 118:97). And again: "I shall stretch out my hands to Your commandments, which I have loved" (Ps. 118:48), and not "which I have feared." And further: "Your testimonies are wonderful," and since they are wonderful, "therefore my soul keeps them" (Ps. 118:129). So then, when one who was in the class of sons, but afterwards through sin lost his sonship, sees that others enjoy Divine gifts, partake of the Divine Mysteries and of the Divine bread (and by the name "hired servants" one may understand not only the catechumens, but also in general members of the church who are not in the first rank); then he ought to say to himself these words of regret: "How many hired servants of my father have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger."
Lk. 15:18. I will arise,
That is, from the fall of sin.
Lk. 15:18. I will go to my father and say to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you.
Having left the heavenly, I sinned against it, preferring to it a contemptible pleasure, and instead of heaven, my homeland, choosing rather a land of famine. For just as one, so to speak, sins against gold who prefers lead to it, so one sins against heaven who prefers earthly things to it. For he, without a doubt, departs from the path leading to heaven. And note that when he was sinning, he committed sin as though not before God, but when he repents, he feels himself to have sinned before God.
Lk. 15:19. And am no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired servants.
Lk. 15:20. He arose and went to his father.
We must not only desire what is pleasing to God, but also carry it out in actual deed.
Lk. 15:20. And 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.
Lk. 15:21. And the son said to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.
You have now seen the warm repentance; behold also the father's compassion. He does not wait for the son to reach him, but himself hastens to meet him and embraces him. For being Father by nature, God is also Father by goodness. He wholly embraces the whole son, so as to unite him with Himself from every side, as it is said: "and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard" (Isa. 58:8). Before, when the son was himself withdrawing, it was also time for the father to withdraw from the embrace. But when the son drew near through prayer and conversion, then it became fitting to embrace him as well. The father "fell on his neck," showing that the neck, formerly disobedient, had now become obedient, and "kissed him," signifying reconciliation and sanctifying the mouth of the one formerly defiled, as a kind of vestibule, and through it sending sanctification inward as well.
Lk. 15:22. But the father said to his servants: bring the best robe and put it on him,
By "servants" you can understand Angels, since they are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those worthy of salvation (Heb. 1:14). For they clothe the one turning from wickedness in the "best robe," that is, either in the former robe of incorruption which we wore before sin, or in a robe better than all others, such as the robe of baptism. For it is the first to be put on me, and through it I take off the garment of indecency. By "servants" you can also understand Angels because they minister in all that is accomplished for our sake, and because we are sanctified through their mediation. By "servants" you can also understand priests, since they clothe the one who turns through baptism and the word of teaching and put on him the first robe, that is, Christ Himself. For all of us who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27).
Lk. 15:22. Give a ring for his hand.
And He gives "a ring for his hand," that is, the seal of Christianity, which we receive through deeds. For the hand is a sign of activity, and the ring is a sign of a seal. Thus, one who has been baptized, and in general one who turns away from wickedness, must have on his hand, that is, upon his entire active power, the seal and mark of a Christian, so that he may show how he has been renewed according to the image of his Creator. Or alternatively: by "ring" you may understand the pledge of the Spirit. I would put it this way: God will give the most perfect blessings when their time comes, but now, as an assurance, as it were in the form of a pledge of future blessings, He gives us gifts of this kind: to some the gift of working miracles, to others the gift of teaching, and to others some other gift. Receiving these gifts, we firmly hope for the attainment of the most perfect ones as well.
Lk. 15:22. And shoes on his feet;
Sandals are given "for the feet" so that they may be preserved both from scorpions, that is, from sins seemingly small and hidden, as David says (Ps. 19:12), yet nonetheless deadly, and from serpents, considered obviously harmful, that is, from sins. And in another way: to the one deemed worthy of the first robe, sandals are given as a sign that God makes him ready to preach the gospel and to serve for the benefit of others. For the distinguishing quality of a Christian is to be useful to others.
Lk. 15:23. Bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry!
Who is the "fatted... calf," slain and eaten, is not difficult to understand. He is, without doubt, the true Son of God. Since He is Man and took upon Himself flesh, by nature irrational and beast-like, though He filled it with His own perfections, He is therefore called the Calf. This Calf did not experience the yoke of the law of sin, but is a "fatted" Calf, since He was foreordained for this Mystery "before the foundation of the world" (1 Pet. 1:20). Perhaps what remains to be said will seem far-fetched, but let it be said nonetheless. The Bread which we break, in its outward form consists of wheat, and therefore may be called fattened with wheat, while on the spiritual side it is Flesh, and therefore may be called a Calf, and thus One and the Same is both the Calf and the fatted one.
Lk. 15:24. For this my son was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.
So then, everyone who repents and becomes a son of God, and especially one who is restored and generally cleansed from sin, partakes of this fatted Calf and becomes a cause of joy for the Father and His servants, the Angels and priests: "For he was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found." In the sense that he remains in evil, he "was dead," that is, without hope, but in the sense that human nature is easily inclined and can turn from wickedness to virtue, he is called "lost." For the word "lost" is milder than "dead."
Lk. 15:25. The elder son was in the field; and as he was returning, when he drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing;
Lk. 15:26. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
Lk. 15:27. He said to him: your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him back in good health.
Lk. 15:28. He became angry and did not want to go in. But his father, coming out, called him.
Lk. 15:29. But he answered and said to his father: Behold, I have served you so many years and never transgressed your commandment, yet you never gave me even a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends;
Lk. 15:30. But when this son of yours, who has squandered his property with harlots, came, you killed the fatted calf for him.
Lk. 15:31. Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
Lk. 15:32. But it was right to be glad and to rejoice, for this your brother was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found.
Here they raise the well-known question: how is it that the son who in all other respects lived and served his father in a pleasing manner turns out to be envious? But the question will be resolved as soon as one considers why this parable was told. This parable, together with the preceding ones, was told, without doubt, because the Pharisees, who considered themselves pure and righteous, murmured against the Lord for receiving harlots and tax collectors. And if it was told because the Pharisees murmured — they who appeared to be more righteous than the tax collectors — then observe that the figure of the son who appears to murmur applies to all who are scandalized by the sudden good fortune and salvation of sinners. And this is not envy, but rather the outpouring of God's love for mankind, which is incomprehensible to us, and therefore gives rise to murmuring. Does not David also present people who are scandalized by the peace of sinners (Ps. 73:3)? Likewise Jeremiah, when he says: "Why does the way of the wicked prosper?" "You have planted them, and they have taken root" (Jer. 12:1–2). All this is characteristic of the weak and poor human mind, which is troubled and perplexed at the sight of unworthiness — namely, the prosperity of wicked people. Therefore the Lord, through the present parable, speaks as it were thus to the Pharisees: granted that you, like this son, are righteous and pleasing before the Father; but I ask you, righteous and pure as you are, not to murmur that we prepare a feast for the salvation of a sinner, for he too is a son. Thus what is revealed here is not envy, but by this parable the Lord instructs the Pharisees not to be vexed at the reception of sinners, even if they themselves are righteous and keep every commandment of God. And it is not at all surprising if we are grieved at the reception of those who seem unworthy. The love of God for mankind is so great and so abundantly bestows its blessings upon us that even murmuring can arise from it. So too we speak in ordinary conversation. Often, having done someone a kindness and then receiving no gratitude from him, we say: everyone reproaches me for having bestowed so many benefits upon you. Although perhaps no one has reproached us at all, wishing to show the greatness of the kindness, we invent this.
Let us examine this parable part by part and, as it were, in a brief summary. "The elder son was in the field," that is, in this world, tilling his land, that is, the flesh, so that it might abound in bread, and sowing with tears so as to reap with joy (Ps. 125:5). Having learned of what had happened, he did not want to enter into the common joy. But the compassionate Father comes out, calls him, and informs him that the cause of the celebration is the revival of one who was dead — something the son did not know, being a man who takes offense and accuses the Father for not having given him "even a young goat," while for the profligate He slaughtered the fattened calf. What is signified by the "young goat"? You can learn from the fact that every goat is assigned to the left side, the side of sinners (Matt. 25:33, 41). So the virtuous son says to the Father: I spent my life in every kind of toil, endured persecutions, troubles, and insults from sinners, and You never slaughtered or killed a young goat for me — that is, a sinner who offended me — so that I might find a little pleasure. For example, Ahab was a goat in relation to Elijah. He persecuted the prophet, but the Lord did not immediately deliver this goat to slaughter so as to bring some small joy to Elijah and give rest to him along with his friends the prophets. Therefore Elijah says to God: "They have torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets" (1 Kings 19:14). In relation to David, the goat was Saul and all who slandered him, whom the Lord allowed to tempt him but did not kill for David's pleasure. Therefore David says: "How long, O Lord, shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?" (Ps. 94:3). So also this son presented in the Gospel says: the one who labors constantly, him You did not deem worthy of any consolation, nor did You even deliver to slaughter any of those who offended me, yet now, without any effort, You save the profligate! Thus the entire purpose of this parable, told on account of the Pharisees' grumbling against the Lord for His reception of sinners, is to teach us not to reject sinners and not to grumble when God receives them, even if we ourselves are righteous. The younger son represents the harlots and tax collectors; the elder son represents the Pharisees and scribes, who are supposedly regarded as righteous. God says, as it were: granted that you are indeed righteous and have transgressed no commandment, but surely those who turn from evil ought to be received? It is murmurers such as these that the Lord instructs through the present parable.
It is not unknown to me that some understood the elder son as referring to Angels, and the younger to human nature, which rebelled and did not submit to the given commandment. Others understood the elder as the Israelites, and the younger as the Gentiles. But what we have just said is true, namely: that the elder son represents the person of the righteous, and the younger that of sinners and the repentant, and the entire construction of the parable was composed on account of the Pharisees, whom the Lord impresses upon that they, even if they themselves were righteous, should not be grieved by the acceptance of sinners. Therefore, let no one take offense at the judgments of God, but let him be patient even in the case when sinners, it would seem, are made prosperous and are saved. For how do you know? Perhaps the one whom you consider a sinner has offered repentance, and for that reason has been accepted. And it may also be that he has secret virtues, and on account of them is favorable in the eyes of God.
Lk. 15:1. Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to Him to hear Him.
Lk. 15:2. The Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying: He receives sinners and eats with them.
The Lord, allowing tax collectors and sinners to come to Him, as a physician to the sick, was doing that for which He had become incarnate. But the Pharisees, themselves truly sinners, responded to such love for mankind with grumbling. For they considered the tax collectors abhorrent, even though they themselves devoured the houses of widows and orphans.
Lk. 15:3. He told them this parable:
Lk. 15:4. What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?
Lk. 15:5. And having found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Lk. 15:6. And, coming home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them: Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.
Lk. 15:7. I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who have no need of repentance.
What then does the Lord do? He was merciful both toward the tax collectors and toward those very ones who reproached His mercy. He does not turn away even from these, as from incurable murmurers, but with gentleness He heals them, telling them the parable of the sheep, and from a real and vivid example persuading and restraining them from being vexed at such an outpouring of goodness. For if over one sheep, an irrational creature not created in the image of God, when it is found after being lost, there is so much joy, then how much more should there be joy over a rational man, created in the image of God? The parable, evidently, by the ninety-nine sheep means the righteous, and by the one sheep, the fallen sinner. But some understand the hundred sheep as all rational creatures, and the one sheep as man of rational nature, whom, when he had gone astray, the good shepherd sought out, leaving the ninety-nine in the wilderness, that is, in the higher, heavenly place. For heaven, far removed from worldly turmoil and filled with all peace and stillness, is a wilderness. The Lord, having found this lost sheep, laid it on His shoulders. For "He bore our infirmities" and sins (Isa. 53:4), and without being burdened He took upon Himself all our loads; He paid all that we owed, and easily and without labor He saved us and brought us to His very home, that is, to heaven. And "He calls together His friends and neighbors," perhaps the Angels, whom we also understood as the sheep, in a twofold sense. Since, on the one hand, every created being in relation to God is, as it were, without reason, the Heavenly Powers can be called sheep. But since, on the other hand, they are rational, that is, endowed with reason, and appear to be nearer to God than the rest of creation, the ranks of the angelic Powers can be understood as friends and neighbors.
Lk. 15:8. Or what woman, having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a candle and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it,
Lk. 15:9. And having found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying: Rejoice with me, for I have found the lost drachma.
Lk. 15:10. So, I say to you, there is joy among the Angels of God even over one sinner who repents.
And by "woman" understand the wisdom and power of God the Father, His Son, who lost one drachma out of the rational creatures made in His image, that is, man, and lights a lamp — His flesh. For just as a lamp, being of earth, illuminates with the light it receives what is covered in darkness, so too the flesh of the Lord, earthly and like ours, shone with the light of the Divinity by which it was assumed. And "the house was swept," that is, the whole world was cleansed from sin, for Christ took the sin of the world upon Himself. And "the drachma," that is, the royal image, "was found," and there was joy both for Christ Himself who found it and for the Heavenly Powers, who are His friends and neighbors: "friends," since they do His will; "neighbors," since they are bodiless. And I would ask, are not all the Heavenly Powers His friends, while the neighbors are the nearest of them, such as thrones, cherubim, and seraphim? For pay attention to the expression: "she calls together her friends and neighbors." It evidently points to two distinct things, although this may not seem particularly important.
Lk. 15:11. He also said: A certain man had two sons;
And this parable is similar to the preceding ones. It too, under the image of a man, presents God as truly loving of mankind; under the two sons, two classes of people, that is, the righteous and sinners.
Lk. 15:12. And the younger of them said to his father: Father, give me the portion of the estate that falls to me. And the father divided the estate between them.
Righteousness is the ancient portion of human nature, and therefore the elder son does not break away from paternal authority. But sin is an evil that was born afterwards; and therefore the "younger" son, who grew up with sin that came afterwards, breaks away from parental authority. And in another sense: the sinner is called the "younger" son, as an innovator, apostate, and rebel against the father's will. "Father, give me the portion of the estate that falls to me." The "estate" is rationality, to which free will is also subject. For every rational being is free. The Lord gives us reason so that we may use it freely, as our true estate, and He gives it to all equally, for all are equally rational and self-governing. But some of us use this dignity in accordance with its purpose, while others render the gift of God useless.
Lk. 15:13. After not many days, the younger son, having gathered everything together, went to a far country and there squandered his estate, living dissolutely.
By our "property" one can understand everything in general that the Lord has given us, namely: heaven, earth, every creature in general, the Law, the prophets. But the younger son saw heaven and deified it; saw the earth and honored it, while he did not wish to walk in His Law and did evil to the prophets. The elder son, however, made use of all these things to the glory of God. The Lord God, having given all this in equal measure, allowed each to walk and live according to his own will, and compels no one who does not wish to serve Him. For if He had wished to compel, He would not have created us rational and free. The younger son squandered all of this together. And what was the cause? That he "went into a far country." For when a person departs from God and removes from himself the fear of God, then he squanders all the divine gifts. Being close to God, we do nothing worthy of destruction, as it is said: "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved" (Ps. 16:8). But having gone far off and departed from God, we do and suffer every possible evil, as the words say: "behold, those who are far from You shall perish" (Ps. 73:27). So it is no wonder that he squandered his property. For virtue has one limit and is something unified, while vice is manifold and produces much temptation. For example, courage has one limit, namely: when, how, and against whom one should employ anger, while vice has two forms — cowardice and recklessness. Do you see how reason is squandered and the unity of virtue is destroyed?
Lk. 15:14. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want;
When this estate has been squandered and a person lives neither according to reason, that is, according to natural law, nor follows the written Law, nor listens to the prophets, then a severe famine sets in (for him)—not a famine of bread, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord (Amos 8:11). And he begins to "be in want," since he does not fear the Lord but stands far from Him, whereas for those who fear the Lord "there is no want" (Ps. 34:10). Why is there no want for those who fear the Lord? Because he who fears the Lord greatly delights in His commandments, therefore glory and riches are in his house, and he rather of his own will scatters and gives to the poor (Ps. 112:1, 3, 9). So far is he from want! But whoever has gone far from God and does not have His dread countenance before his eyes will, unsurprisingly, experience need, since no Divine word is at work within him.
Lk. 15:15. And he went,
That is, he went far and became entrenched in malice,
Lk. 15:15. Joined himself to one of the citizens of that country,
"He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with the Lord," but "he who is joined to a harlot," that is, to the nature of demons, "becomes one body with her" (1 Cor. 6:17, 16), becoming entirely flesh and having no place within himself for the Spirit, like those who lived in the days of the flood (Gen. 6:3). "The citizens of that country," far from God, are without doubt demons.
Lk. 15:15. And he sent him into his fields to feed swine;
Having succeeded and become strong in wickedness, he "feeds swine," that is, he teaches others wickedness and a filthy life as well. For all who find pleasure in the mire of shameful deeds and material passions are swine. The eyes of swine can never look upward, having such a strange structure. This is why those who tend swine, if, having caught a pig, they cannot for a long time stop its squealing, bend its head backward and in this way reduce its squealing. Just as a person who has come upon such a spectacle as he has never seen before, when he raises his eyes (to the scene), is struck and falls silent, so the eyes of those who are raised in evil never see what is above. These are the ones fed by him who surpasses many in wickedness, such as: keepers of harlots, leaders of robbers, and publicans. For of all such people it can be said that they feed swine.
Lk. 15:16. And he would gladly have filled his belly with the husks that the swine ate, but no one gave him anything.
This wretched one "desires to be filled" with sin, but no one gives him this satiation. For one accustomed to evil finds no satiation in it. Pleasure is inconstant, but as it comes, it departs at the same time, and this wretched one is again left with emptiness (in his soul). For sin is like "husks," having both sweetness and bitterness: it sweetens for a time, but torments forever. No one will give satiation of evil to the one who delights in it. And indeed, who will give him satiation and rest? God? But He is not with him; for one who feeds on evil goes far from God. Demons? But how will they give it, when they especially strive for there to never be rest or satiation from evil?
Lk. 15:17. Coming to himself,
With time the prodigal came to himself. For as long as he lived dissolutely, he was outside himself. It is said that he squandered his substance, and rightly so: therefore he is outside himself. For whoever is not governed by reason, but lives as one without reason and drives others to unreason, that one is outside himself, and will not remain with his substance, that is, with his reason. But when someone considers what calamity he has fallen into, then he comes to himself through reflection and turning from outward wandering to repentance.
Lk. 15:17. He said: How many hired servants of my father have bread in abundance, while I am dying of hunger;
By "hired servants" he probably means the catechumens, who, as not yet illumined, have not yet managed to become sons. And the catechumens, without doubt, are satisfied with spiritual bread in abundance, hearing the readings every day. And so that you may know the difference between a hired servant and a son, listen. There are three classes of those being saved. Some, as slaves, do good out of fear of judgment. David hints at this when he says: "My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments" (Ps. 118:120). Others are hired servants; these, it seems, are those who strive to please God out of a desire to receive good, as the same David says: "I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end" (Ps. 118:112). And the third are sons, that is, those who keep God's commandments out of love for God, of which again the same David testifies: "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day" (Ps. 118:97). And again: "I shall stretch out my hands to Your commandments, which I have loved" (Ps. 118:48), and not "which I have feared." And further: "Your testimonies are wonderful," and since they are wonderful, "therefore my soul keeps them" (Ps. 118:129). So then, when one who was in the class of sons, but afterwards through sin lost his sonship, sees that others enjoy Divine gifts, partake of the Divine Mysteries and of the Divine bread (and by the name "hired servants" one may understand not only the catechumens, but also in general members of the church who are not in the first rank); then he ought to say to himself these words of regret: "How many hired servants of my father have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger."
Lk. 15:18. I will arise,
That is, from the fall of sin.
Lk. 15:18. I will go to my father and say to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you.
Having left the heavenly, I sinned against it, preferring to it a contemptible pleasure, and instead of heaven, my homeland, choosing rather a land of famine. For just as one, so to speak, sins against gold who prefers lead to it, so one sins against heaven who prefers earthly things to it. For he, without a doubt, departs from the path leading to heaven. And note that when he was sinning, he committed sin as though not before God, but when he repents, he feels himself to have sinned before God.
Lk. 15:19. And am no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired servants.
Lk. 15:20. He arose and went to his father.
We must not only desire what is pleasing to God, but also carry it out in actual deed.
Lk. 15:20. And 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.
Lk. 15:21. And the son said to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.
You have now seen the warm repentance; behold also the father's compassion. He does not wait for the son to reach him, but himself hastens to meet him and embraces him. For being Father by nature, God is also Father by goodness. He wholly embraces the whole son, so as to unite him with Himself from every side, as it is said: "and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard" (Isa. 58:8). Before, when the son was himself withdrawing, it was also time for the father to withdraw from the embrace. But when the son drew near through prayer and conversion, then it became fitting to embrace him as well. The father "fell on his neck," showing that the neck, formerly disobedient, had now become obedient, and "kissed him," signifying reconciliation and sanctifying the mouth of the one formerly defiled, as a kind of vestibule, and through it sending sanctification inward as well.
Lk. 15:22. But the father said to his servants: bring the best robe and put it on him,
By "servants" you can understand Angels, since they are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those worthy of salvation (Heb. 1:14). For they clothe the one turning from wickedness in the "best robe," that is, either in the former robe of incorruption which we wore before sin, or in a robe better than all others, such as the robe of baptism. For it is the first to be put on me, and through it I take off the garment of indecency. By "servants" you can also understand Angels because they minister in all that is accomplished for our sake, and because we are sanctified through their mediation. By "servants" you can also understand priests, since they clothe the one who turns through baptism and the word of teaching and put on him the first robe, that is, Christ Himself. For all of us who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27).
Lk. 15:22. Give a ring for his hand.
And He gives "a ring for his hand," that is, the seal of Christianity, which we receive through deeds. For the hand is a sign of activity, and the ring is a sign of a seal. Thus, one who has been baptized, and in general one who turns away from wickedness, must have on his hand, that is, upon his entire active power, the seal and mark of a Christian, so that he may show how he has been renewed according to the image of his Creator. Or alternatively: by "ring" you may understand the pledge of the Spirit. I would put it this way: God will give the most perfect blessings when their time comes, but now, as an assurance, as it were in the form of a pledge of future blessings, He gives us gifts of this kind: to some the gift of working miracles, to others the gift of teaching, and to others some other gift. Receiving these gifts, we firmly hope for the attainment of the most perfect ones as well.
Lk. 15:22. And shoes on his feet;
Sandals are given "for the feet" so that they may be preserved both from scorpions, that is, from sins seemingly small and hidden, as David says (Ps. 19:12), yet nonetheless deadly, and from serpents, considered obviously harmful, that is, from sins. And in another way: to the one deemed worthy of the first robe, sandals are given as a sign that God makes him ready to preach the gospel and to serve for the benefit of others. For the distinguishing quality of a Christian is to be useful to others.
Lk. 15:23. Bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry!
Who is the "fatted... calf," slain and eaten, is not difficult to understand. He is, without doubt, the true Son of God. Since He is Man and took upon Himself flesh, by nature irrational and beast-like, though He filled it with His own perfections, He is therefore called the Calf. This Calf did not experience the yoke of the law of sin, but is a "fatted" Calf, since He was foreordained for this Mystery "before the foundation of the world" (1 Pet. 1:20). Perhaps what remains to be said will seem far-fetched, but let it be said nonetheless. The Bread which we break, in its outward form consists of wheat, and therefore may be called fattened with wheat, while on the spiritual side it is Flesh, and therefore may be called a Calf, and thus One and the Same is both the Calf and the fatted one.
Lk. 15:24. For this my son was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.
So then, everyone who repents and becomes a son of God, and especially one who is restored and generally cleansed from sin, partakes of this fatted Calf and becomes a cause of joy for the Father and His servants, the Angels and priests: "For he was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found." In the sense that he remains in evil, he "was dead," that is, without hope, but in the sense that human nature is easily inclined and can turn from wickedness to virtue, he is called "lost." For the word "lost" is milder than "dead."
Lk. 15:25. The elder son was in the field; and as he was returning, when he drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing;
Lk. 15:26. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
Lk. 15:27. He said to him: your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him back in good health.
Lk. 15:28. He became angry and did not want to go in. But his father, coming out, called him.
Lk. 15:29. But he answered and said to his father: Behold, I have served you so many years and never transgressed your commandment, yet you never gave me even a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends;
Lk. 15:30. But when this son of yours, who has squandered his property with harlots, came, you killed the fatted calf for him.
Lk. 15:31. Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
Lk. 15:32. But it was right to be glad and to rejoice, for this your brother was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found.
Here they raise the well-known question: how is it that the son who in all other respects lived and served his father in a pleasing manner turns out to be envious? But the question will be resolved as soon as one considers why this parable was told. This parable, together with the preceding ones, was told, without doubt, because the Pharisees, who considered themselves pure and righteous, murmured against the Lord for receiving harlots and tax collectors. And if it was told because the Pharisees murmured — they who appeared to be more righteous than the tax collectors — then observe that the figure of the son who appears to murmur applies to all who are scandalized by the sudden good fortune and salvation of sinners. And this is not envy, but rather the outpouring of God's love for mankind, which is incomprehensible to us, and therefore gives rise to murmuring. Does not David also present people who are scandalized by the peace of sinners (Ps. 73:3)? Likewise Jeremiah, when he says: "Why does the way of the wicked prosper?" "You have planted them, and they have taken root" (Jer. 12:1–2). All this is characteristic of the weak and poor human mind, which is troubled and perplexed at the sight of unworthiness — namely, the prosperity of wicked people. Therefore the Lord, through the present parable, speaks as it were thus to the Pharisees: granted that you, like this son, are righteous and pleasing before the Father; but I ask you, righteous and pure as you are, not to murmur that we prepare a feast for the salvation of a sinner, for he too is a son. Thus what is revealed here is not envy, but by this parable the Lord instructs the Pharisees not to be vexed at the reception of sinners, even if they themselves are righteous and keep every commandment of God. And it is not at all surprising if we are grieved at the reception of those who seem unworthy. The love of God for mankind is so great and so abundantly bestows its blessings upon us that even murmuring can arise from it. So too we speak in ordinary conversation. Often, having done someone a kindness and then receiving no gratitude from him, we say: everyone reproaches me for having bestowed so many benefits upon you. Although perhaps no one has reproached us at all, wishing to show the greatness of the kindness, we invent this.
Let us examine this parable part by part and, as it were, in a brief summary. "The elder son was in the field," that is, in this world, tilling his land, that is, the flesh, so that it might abound in bread, and sowing with tears so as to reap with joy (Ps. 125:5). Having learned of what had happened, he did not want to enter into the common joy. But the compassionate Father comes out, calls him, and informs him that the cause of the celebration is the revival of one who was dead — something the son did not know, being a man who takes offense and accuses the Father for not having given him "even a young goat," while for the profligate He slaughtered the fattened calf. What is signified by the "young goat"? You can learn from the fact that every goat is assigned to the left side, the side of sinners (Matt. 25:33, 41). So the virtuous son says to the Father: I spent my life in every kind of toil, endured persecutions, troubles, and insults from sinners, and You never slaughtered or killed a young goat for me — that is, a sinner who offended me — so that I might find a little pleasure. For example, Ahab was a goat in relation to Elijah. He persecuted the prophet, but the Lord did not immediately deliver this goat to slaughter so as to bring some small joy to Elijah and give rest to him along with his friends the prophets. Therefore Elijah says to God: "They have torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets" (1 Kings 19:14). In relation to David, the goat was Saul and all who slandered him, whom the Lord allowed to tempt him but did not kill for David's pleasure. Therefore David says: "How long, O Lord, shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?" (Ps. 94:3). So also this son presented in the Gospel says: the one who labors constantly, him You did not deem worthy of any consolation, nor did You even deliver to slaughter any of those who offended me, yet now, without any effort, You save the profligate! Thus the entire purpose of this parable, told on account of the Pharisees' grumbling against the Lord for His reception of sinners, is to teach us not to reject sinners and not to grumble when God receives them, even if we ourselves are righteous. The younger son represents the harlots and tax collectors; the elder son represents the Pharisees and scribes, who are supposedly regarded as righteous. God says, as it were: granted that you are indeed righteous and have transgressed no commandment, but surely those who turn from evil ought to be received? It is murmurers such as these that the Lord instructs through the present parable.
It is not unknown to me that some understood the elder son as referring to Angels, and the younger to human nature, which rebelled and did not submit to the given commandment. Others understood the elder as the Israelites, and the younger as the Gentiles. But what we have just said is true, namely: that the elder son represents the person of the righteous, and the younger that of sinners and the repentant, and the entire construction of the parable was composed on account of the Pharisees, whom the Lord impresses upon that they, even if they themselves were righteous, should not be grieved by the acceptance of sinners. Therefore, let no one take offense at the judgments of God, but let him be patient even in the case when sinners, it would seem, are made prosperous and are saved. For how do you know? Perhaps the one whom you consider a sinner has offered repentance, and for that reason has been accepted. And it may also be that he has secret virtues, and on account of them is favorable in the eyes of God.