A farmer had two sons, but the younger son asked his father,
“I don’t want to live here all my life; I want to choose what to do with my
life. Can you please give me my inheritance now?” So their father brought his
older son and younger son, and gave them their inheritance. Soon the younger
son gathered his things and left home.
Just when he had wasted all the money given to him, a huge
famine began. He was so hungry; he started serving a citizen of that land. He
sent the younger brother into his field to feed the pigs. He was so hungry, he
would eat the pig’s food, but no one would give him anything.
Then he thought, “Even my father’s servants have more than
enough food, I’m his son, and I don’t have any. I don’t deserve to be called
his son. Maybe if I go back, he will accept me as his servant. At least then I
will have enough food.”
When he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming
back home, and ran to greet him. “Father, I don’t deserve to be called yo…”
“I am so happy that you’re home! Bring him better clothes,
and let us have a feast!”
His older brother was working in the field all day, but when
he got back and heard the feast, he asked a servant, “What is all this noise?”
The servant said,
“Your brother came back home! Your father is very excited, come on in and
celebrate!”
But the elder brother was very angry, and said to his
father, “I work very hard for you every day, and you never let me have a feast
with my friends. But when my brother who has wasted your money comes home, you
give him a huge feast.”
“I gave half of what I own to your brother, everything else
here is yours. It is a time to celebrate, your brother was lost, and now is
found!”
