In answering the self-righteous Pharisees and scribes, who condemned Him for eating with sinners, the Savior spoke three parables, unveiling and depicting how the Divine Trinity works to bring sinners back, through the Son by the Spirit, to the Father. The Son came in His humanity as the Shepherd to find the sinner as a lost sheep and bring him back home (vv. 4-7). The Spirit seeks the sinner as a woman carefully seeks a lost coin until she finds it (vv. 8-10). And the Father receives the repenting and returned sinner as the "certain man" here receives his prodigal son (vv. 11-32). The entire Divine Trinity treasures the sinner and participates in bringing him back to God. All three parables stress the love of the Divine Trinity more than the fallen condition and repentance of the penitent sinner. The divine love is fully expressed in the Son's tender care as the good shepherd, in the Spirit's fine seeking as the treasure-lover, and in the Father's warm receiving as a loving father.

The carob is an evergreen tree. Its pod, also called the carob bean, was used as fodder to feed animals and destitute persons. An interesting rabbinical saying is that "when the Israelites are reduced to carob pods, then they repent." A tradition says that John the Baptist fed on carob pods in the wilderness; hence, they are called "St. John's bread."

Hogs are unclean (Lev. 11:7). Feeding hogs is a dirty job; it signifies the unclean business in the satanic world.

Lit., unsavingly; indicating a debauched, profligate living.

Signifying the satanic world.

His living refers to the father's means of support, the father's livelihood, substance (v. 30). The Greek word for living means life, i.e., the present state of existence, as in 8:14, and, by implication, livelihood, as here and in Mark 12:44.

Referring to the inheritance that was his by birth.

God the Father ran to receive the returning sinner. What eagerness this shows!

A warm and loving reception. The prodigal son's return to the Father was due to the Spirit's seeking (v. 8); the Father's receiving of the returned son was based on the Son's finding in His redemption (v. 4).

"But"! What a word of love and grace! It countered the prodigal's own thinking and stopped his nonsensical talk.

To match the father's running (v. 20).

The indicates a particular robe prepared for this particular purpose at this particular time.

Lit., first.

Signifying Christ the Son as the God-satisfying righteousness to cover the penitent sinner (Jer. 23:6; 1 Cor. 1:30; cf. Isa. 61:10; Zech. 3:4). The best robe, which was also the first robe, replaced the rags (Isa. 64:6) of the returned prodigal.

Signifying the sealing Spirit as the God-given seal upon the accepted believer (Eph. 1:13; cf. Gen. 24:47; 41:42).

In v. 4 the Son's finding took place outside the sinner and was completed at the cross through His redemptive death; here the Spirit's seeking is inward and is carried out by His working within the repenting sinner.

To search and cleanse the sinner's inward parts.

Signifying the word of God (Psa. 119:105, 130), which is used by the Spirit to illuminate and expose the sinner's position and condition that he may repent.

One silver coin was equivalent to a day's wages (so in v. 9).

This shows the Savior's saving strength and His saving love.

Signifying the world. This indicates that the Son has come to the world to be with men (John 1:14).

This is the result of the Spirit's seeking in v. 8.

This was due to the enlightening and searching of the Spirit (v. 8) within him.

The Lord's parable here implies that when a sinner sins, he sins against heaven and before God the Father, who is in heaven.

The prodigal son did not know the father's love.

Once he has repented, a fallen sinner always thinks of working for God or of serving God to obtain His favor, not knowing that this thought is against God's love and grace and is an insult to His heart and intent.

This did not happen by chance; the father went out of the house to look for the prodigal's return.

Signifying the power of God's salvation to separate the believers from the dirty earth. Both the ring and the sandals were signs of a free man. The adornment, consisting of the robe on the body, the ring on the hand, and the sandals on the feet, allowed the poor prodigal to match his rich father and qualified him to enter the father's house and feast with the father. God's salvation adorns us with Christ and the Spirit that we may enjoy the riches in His house.

Signifying the rich Christ (Eph. 3:8), killed on the cross for the believer's enjoyment. God's salvation has two aspects: the outward, objective aspect, signified by the best robe, and the inward, subjective aspect, signified by the fattened calf. Christ as our righteousness is our salvation outwardly; Christ as our life for our enjoyment is our salvation inwardly. The best robe enabled the prodigal son to meet his father's requirements and satisfy his father, and the fattened calf satisfied the son's hunger. Hence, the father and the son could be merry together.

Or, sacrifice (so in vv. 27, 30).

All lost sinners are dead in the eyes of God (Eph. 2:1, 5). When they are saved, they are made alive (John 5:24-25; Col. 2:13).

Signifying the Pharisees and scribes (v. 2) and representing the unbelieving Jews, who pursue the law of righteousness (Rom. 9:31-32) by their work, signified by in the field.

Signifying slavery under the law (Gal. 5:1).

Or, transgressed.

See note Luke 15:12².

See note Luke 15:24¹.