Daily Worship

Wild Son Getting By In A PIGSTY

James Cathcart October 21, 2025 4 0
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Luke 15: 14-16 (NIV)

14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

Let’s check in with the first century news stands covering this parable:

WILD SON HITS THE ‘PIG’ TIME!

‘PIG’ DISSASPOINTMENT

CASHING IN — MUCKING OUT!

I’M ‘BACON’ A FOOL OF MYSELF

At this point of the story Jesus twists the knife, the wild younger son has burnt through his early inheritance faster than me through a bag of Haribo, and he’s fallen low — real low. 

The pigs are significant, widely considered unclean at the time, not least of all by the Pharisees who we are told are standing around listening to the story. A movement marked by their emphasis on strict observance of the law codes. They would have been appalled at this younger son. He’s hit rock bottom. He’s burnt through his family’s inheritance and good will. He’s acted rashly and now here’s his comeuppance. Some of the Pharisees listening might be thinking this is where the story wraps up. A cautionary tale for spendthrift younger brothers. What they don’t yet realise is that this story is really a cautionary tale for stern older brothers… but we’ll get there later in the week.

For now we join the younger brother just trying to get by in the pigsty and we see in his imperfect circumstances a reflection of our own. Of how our pigheadedness sometimes leads us to the muck heap. We see in him the tragic irony of the hungry made to feed the already full. We see in him what it feels to be cut off, alone and afraid. We see in him the times when it feels like there’s no possible route home, that we’ve paved too many steps in too many wrong directions.

But it’s not the end of the story for the son.

And it’s not the end of the story for us.

 

Prayer:

 

Dear God,

Sometimes we find ourselves

knee deep

and shovelling 

not sure how we got here.

Lift us

restore us

renew us.

Amen.