October 25, 2022 – Tuesday
Luke 15:11-13 NIV
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.
12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
Comment
Here in verses 11-12 we are introduced to the three characters of the section of chapter 15 best known as The Parable of the Prodigal Son. The three characters are the father, the younger son and the older son. Many read this accepting the heading The Parable of the Prodigal Son.
However, search far and wide and you will not find the word prodigal actually in the Bible. Surprisingly many people do not know what prodigal means. An online dictionary gives the following, spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant. From that definition we see how the title fits the younger son when we read verse 13, 13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. The Greek 1287 word for the younger son’s behavior is diaskorpízō and is defined as generally to separate, to winnow, to squander with no mention of prodigal behavior, but certainly analogous.
[One reader, a former teacher of languages (thank you Phil Tice) discovered the word prodigal only in the Greek 810 asotia in 1 Peter 4:4, Ephesians 5:18, and Titus 1:6 with usage in the KJV of 1) an abandoned, dissolute life and 2) profligacy, prodigality. What was interesting to him was that the word asotia literally means “without saving” (a lack of salvation) with a certain spiritual application where the unsaved person has “squandered” his God-given inheritance. He also noted, other English synonyms include: wanton, dissolute, profligate, incorrigible, debauched, etc., all describing the state of an unsaved person whose god is their belly, in pursuit of carnal pleasures which never fully satisfy. No doubt we all remember those “good ol’ days” of life in the pigpen?]
More on the other two characters tomorrow, the father and the elder son.
Bottom Line: The younger son took all that he could claim and wasted it in a very short time, thus the name the prodigal son.
Prayer: Almighty God, Help us to always appreciate the gifts you have for us and not to take them for granted. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek