Luke 15:17-19 17But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have an abundance of bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18Arising I will go to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired workers.”
The run away son was down on his luck; actually, he luck had run out when all his money was spent. He was desperate, lonely, and hungry. He was far from the familiar, living in a pagan nation. Once his money was gone, all the so-called friends he spent money with also left. Even the pig food looked appetizing. One of the key points of the parable comes at the beginning of verse 17: he came to himself. This phrase is an idiom that means he realized his situation and what led him to that point. He had hit the bottom. Sometimes we have to hit the bottom before we will ever begin to look up. Realization comes with conviction. Conviction opens the door to humility and repentance. Repentance can take many forms, but it always begins with the realization of one’s need.
The prodigal son realized that even his father’s servant had it better than he. At least they had bread, and he could not even each the pig pods. He had to make a difficult decision that would require the greatest humility. He had to confess that he was wrong in leaving home and spending his inheritance. His plan was simple: ask his father for forgiveness and ask to be hired as a servant. At least that way, he could get food.
Verse 19 is a key verse in the parable that shows one of its intended messages. What the son says to the father is the prayer we should make to God. The religious leaders also needed to humble themselves before God, repent, and seek God’s forgiveness. Jesus already spoke extensively on this topic while at the Pharisee’s house for dinner in chapter 14.
The first thing the son plans to say to his father is that he was a sinner. He had been convicted of his sin and needed to confess it. He sinned against heaven by his profligate living. His actions were fleshly and selfish. The parable does not tell us all he did in the foreign country, but it was not good or pleasing to God. He sinned against his father when he asked for his inheritance. His actions essentially implied that his father and family were not important. He loved himself more than his father.
The second action of the son was to be humble and lowly in heart. He did not see himself as being worthy to even be called a son anymore. It can be difficult to humble oneself before God. Healing cannot take place until there is humility. The prodigal son went to the extreme in his desperation but perhaps not so extreme because of the extent of his rebellion. The assumption at this point in the parable is that the father will respond and hire the son on as a servant. Another surprise comes in the next part.
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