Bible Parables S1E3 -- The Prodigal Son

This is a live session recording where we delve into the timeless wisdom of the Parable of the Prodigal Son and its practical application in our daily lives. This session is part of an ongoing series where we explore how biblical teachings can guide in our journey of growth.

Through a line-by-line interpretation, enriched with relatable examples, we uncover how this ancient parable encourages us to explore the themes of forgiveness, unconditional love and personal growth. Whether you’re seeking spiritual growth or simply looking for ways to enhance your personal and professional life, this event offers valuable insights for everyone.

Come prepared to reflect on your own journey, engage with thought-provoking ideas, and leave inspired to create a life filled with purpose and abundance. This session is welcoming to all, regardless of religious background or familiarity with the Bible.

Transcript

Parable of the Prodigal Son.

We will start first with a reading of the parable.

Then we will look at what is the message that first comes to mind when we read this parable or we hear this parable and then we will go into a more detailed interpretation of the parable.

After which we will go into a guided meditation looking at how the different characters,

The different aspects presented in this parable show up in our lives.

So we'll start first with the reading and I invite you to just get yourself comfortable while I am reading it out.

Sink into your chair or just feel yourself go a bit deeper into your bed and if it is safe to do so you can close your eyes.

The parable of the prodigal son.

Then he said a certain man had two sons and the younger of them said to his father father give me the portion of goods that falls to me.

So he divided to them his livelihood and not many days after the younger son gathered all together journeyed to a far country and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.

But when he had spent all there arose a severe famine in that land and he began to be in want.

Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into the fields to feed the swine and he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate and no one gave him anything.

But when he came to himself he said how many of my father's hired servants have bred enough and to spare and I perish with hunger I will arise and go to my father and will say to him father I have sinned against heaven and before you and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

Make me like one of your hired servants and he arose and came to his father.

But when he was still a great way off his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him and the son said to him father I have sinned against heaven and in your sight I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

But the father said to his servants bring out the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and bring the fatted calf here and kill it and let us eat and be merry for this is my son was dead and is alive again he was lost and is found and they began to be merry.

Now his older son was in the field and as he came and drew near to the house he heard music and dancing.

So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant and he said to him your brother has come and because he has received him safe and sound your father has killed the fatted calf.

But he was angry and would not go in therefore his father came out and pleaded with him so he answered and said to his father lo these many years I have been serving you I never transgressed your commandment at any time and yet you never gave me a young goat that I might make merry with my friends but as soon as the son of yours came who has devoured your livelihood with harlots you killed the fatted calf for him and he said to him son you are always with me and all that I have is yours it was right that we should make merry and be glad for your brother was dead and is alive again and was lost and is found So that's the parable and all these parables they come with a moral and the moral about the parable of the prodigal son is about forgiveness it's about unconditional love it's about second chances these are lessons that are very important today and when we look at applying these lessons to our modern lives to our daily living the first action that comes up is we can always make things right we can always make things right so imagine you made a mistake like lying to a friend or or losing a job because of poor choices this story teaches us that no matter how badly we mess up we can always apologize we can learn from it we can move forward and just like the son was forgiven you can rebuild trust with your friend or you can start over in your career so we can always make things right secondly love doesn't stop when we mess up love doesn't stop when we mess up and you can think of parents who forgive their children's when they act out or they make poor decisions maybe we've been in trouble like we've gotten bad grades or we've argued with our family but those who truly love us always welcome us back with open arms thirdly it's never too late to say sorry if you've hurt someone if you've let someone down it's important to remember that apologizing even after a long long time apologizing can still heal relationships like the son who came back after making mistakes we can also make things right by admitting that we are wrong and the fourth teaching that comes up on the face of it is don't be jealous of other's success and we see this many times right we are working hard but someone else gets praised someone else gets rewarded but instead of feeling jealous like the older brother the story reminds us that everyone has their own journey and we should try we should attempt to be happy for others when they succeed or find their way back especially after struggling so this parable reminds us to forgive others to be kind to ourselves when we make mistakes and to celebrate the growth in everyone no matter how long it takes so when we look at the same parable now from a more spiritual angle or from a more mystical angle let's try to see what wisdom is contained in it so it starts with a certain man had two sons and the man can represent the divine the divine who is our source of love and wisdom and the two sons can be said to be the dual aspects of our nature the part that remains connected to the divine like the elder son and the part that seeks to explore life on its own like the younger son and we too are made up of these two energies we have this energy that strives for connection and we have this other energy that longs for freedom that longs for self-expression and the younger of them said to the father father give me the portion of goods that falls to me the younger son which represents that part that craves independence and wants to experience the world this is like our ego our desire to separate from our spiritual core to explore life it's natural that we want to pursue our own path but we must understand that when we ask for this inheritance when we ask for this freedom or when we ask for this material abundance we also automatically accept the responsibility for how we use it so he divided to them his livelihood and the divine always gives us freedom like the father gives his son their inheritance the divine always gives us freedom we are constantly given the choice to live the life or to live our lives as we see fit in our daily lives this freedom can be seen as as our power to choose to choose to love or to fear to choose to connect or isolate to choose to grow or stagnate the divine the universe or god if you wish trust you with this gift and not many days after the son the younger son gathered all together journeyed to a far country and there wasted his his possessions with prodigal living and when we disconnect from our spiritual center we often find ourselves using our energy our time and other sources in ways that don't nurture us prodigal living this can mean over indulgence this can mean distractions or this can also mean seeking happiness in external things in your life try to reflect on the ways you might be wasting your spiritual inheritance maybe it's by chasing temporary pleasure maybe it's by seeking validation from others or maybe it's from material things that don't truly satisfy your soul but when he had spent all there arose a severe famine in the land and he began to be in want when we live disconnected from our true self from our true nature from our source eventually we encounter a spiritual famine we come to that point in our life where we feel empty or where we feel unfulfilled or where we feel in need and there's often a call to the turn to our inner truth if at any point in time you feel yourself feeling or you observe yourself feeling depleted feeling lost it's often a sign that you strayed too far from your spiritual center and it's time to realign then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into the fields to feed swine in times of spiritual emptiness we sometimes try to align ourselves with things that seem to offer a solution but tend to degrade our soul things that seem to offer a solution but tend to degrade our soul and feeding swine represents settling for things far below our divine potential this could be indulging in bad habits this could be getting into toxic relationships or this could be indulging in superficial desires so in in our daily life we are called to be mindful of situations or people who pull us away from our higher self and he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate and no one gave him anything the sun's hunger symbolizes this deep spiritual longing that is there in each one of us when we fill our lives with things that don't nourish our soul we remain hungry and this is simply a reminder to seek spiritual nourishment practices relationships experiences that truly satisfy what are we feeding our souls we need to ensure that it is not just the pods of the material world but the fruits of real spiritual connection but when he came to himself he said how many of my father's hired servants have bred enough to spare and i perished with hunger this is the moment of awakening this is that moment of spiritual enlightenment this is the moment when the sun remembers his true nature and in our lives this might be when you realize you've been chasing things that don't bring lasting joy this could be the time where you realize that you've hit rock bottom this could be the time where you remember that there's abundance waiting for you when you return to your spiritual home and in times of despair it's important that we remind ourselves that we have the power to return to love peace and fulfillment i will arise and go to my father and will say to him father i have sinned against heaven and before you and i am no longer worthy to be called your son make me like one of your hired servants this is an act of humility recognizing that we have strayed and we are now ready to return to our spiritual source and this step in daily life is about surrender when things fall apart when things go completely out of control sometimes the greatest act of courage is to admit you've lost your way and are ready to return to your higher self this is a call to reconnect with the divine within you not in shame but in recognition that your worth does not depend on your past mistakes and he arose and came to his father but when he was still a great way off his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him and this beautiful moment it reveals the unconditional love of the divine as soon as we take the first step towards our spiritual home grace rushes towards us the divine is always waiting for us with open arms full of love and compassion and in our lives no matter how far we think we've strayed the love of the divine is always available as soon as we turn back towards it and the son said to him father i have sinned against heaven and in your sight and i'm no longer worthy to be called your son the son's confession is is a very important moment of self-realization what it teaches us is that in order to heal we must first acknowledge the ways in which we have distanced ourselves from love and truth in our daily lives it's about practicing honesty with ourselves to be willing to admit to ourselves when we've acted out of fear when we've acted out of our ego or when we have acted out of pride it's not about guilt it's not about feeling guilty but it's about realignment it's about self-realization but the father said to his servants bring out the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet the best robe the ring the sandals all these symbolize the restoration of the son's identity in the same way when we return to our spiritual source we are always welcomed back into our full divine inheritance so in our daily lives we need to trust that we are worthy of love we are worthy of forgiveness we are worthy of abundance as long as there's the realization as long as there's the willingness to turn back no mistake no misstep can take us away from our inherent divinity for this my son was dead and is alive again he was lost and is found and this represents spiritual rebirth when we align with our true selves we awaken to a new life filled with purpose filled with peace filled with joy we need to remember that each and every moment in our life is the opportunity to be alive again no matter how lost we may feel we can always find our way back to our true self always find our way back to our true self now his older son was in the field and the elder son symbolizes that part of us that feels self-righteous or envious when we see others receive grace and we all have that we all have that in us right sometimes that little jealousy comes up sometimes that envy comes up sometimes that self-righteousness comes up so in our day-to-day lives we need to become aware of when the ego rises up be aware of the times where we find ourselves comparing when we find ourselves judging when we find ourselves envious true spiritual wisdom recognizes that everyone is on their own journey everyone has a different path to follow and the abundance of the divine is infinite there's enough love and grace for everyone son you are always with me and all that i have is yours and this reminds us that the divine presence is always with us is always within us the father assures the father reassures the elder son that he has never been without his love and abundance in our daily lives we are called to practice gratitude gratitude for everything around us and gratitude for the constant presence of the divine within us we are never abandoned and everything we need is already within us so this parable when we look at it from a more metaphysical level from a more spiritual on a mystical level it is a very profound metaphor for our spiritual journey it teaches us about free will it teaches us about the consequences of disconnecting from our inner truth it tells us about the unconditional love that awaits us when we return to our divine essence so the next time you read this parable the next time you encounter this parable the next time this parable comes to your mind let it guide you in the moments you're feeling lost let it guide you in those moments where you feel distress or you feel that you cannot find your purpose or there's just a lot of confusion in life and know that every return to your spiritual center is a renewal of life it's a renewal of joy and it's a renewal of purpose we will now go into into a guided reflective meditation and i've titled this meditation as the journey home to the divine within so find your space find your comfortable space you're possibly sitting in your comfortable space right now if you're sitting feel yourself just get a little bit more comfortable in your seat if you're sleeping sink a little deeper into the bed and if it is safe to do so you can close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths feel the rise and fall of your body with each breath with each inhale feel yourself becoming more present in the moment and with each exhale release any tension release any worry let your body relax and allow your mind to settle bring your awareness to the here and now feel the earth beneath you supporting you and know that you are safe as you focus on your breath remember that this moment is a gift an invitation to connect with the divine presence not only around you but also within you and with each breath feel yourself opening up to that presence now in your mind's eye imagine a beautiful radiant home on a hill bathed in golden light the father's home this home represents your spiritual essence the place of love,

Peace,

And wholeness as you stand at a distance notice how familiar this home feels like it has always been there always been there waiting for you to return this home is not only a place but a reflection of your own divine nature now imagine yourself as the younger son in the parable the prodigal son there was a time when you sought to explore the world on your own there was a time when you sought to explore the world on your own pursuing fulfillment outside of yourself you probably searched for meaning in experiences or relationships or material things reflect on the times in your life when you may have distanced yourself from your own inner wisdom or truth without judgment ask yourself where have I sought love,

Peace,

Or happiness outside of myself and what have I been chasing that may not truly nourish me as you reflect to remember that these experiences are part of the human journey take a deep breath and with compassion for yourself acknowledge any patterns,

Acknowledge any habits that may have kept you distanced from your inner home now imagine that moment when the younger son finds himself spiritually hungry longing for something more is there that longing within yourself is there that deep quiet yearning to return to your true nature,

To return to the divine essence within you this is the moment of awakening when you realize that the love and peace you seek have always been inside you silently affirm I am ready to return to my inner home I am ready to remember who I truly am and feel the clarity and peace that comes with this realization there is no more need to keep searching everything you need is within you in the quiet loving presence that is always waiting for you now imagine yourself walking back toward the golden home on the hill as you approach feel the presence of the father,

The divine running towards you with open arms this is not only the father outside of you but also the compassionate father within you feel the warmth of love and acceptance filling your heart you realize that the father's love is your love the father's compassion is your compassion now imagine yourself walking back toward the golden home the father's compassion is your compassion this boundless forgiving presence lives within you always ready to embrace you with kindness no matter how far you may have strayed silently say to yourself the divine within me is always loving,

Always forgiving I am worthy of my own compassion and love and feel the embrace of this truth you are the prodigal son returning home but you are also the father holding within you the infinite capacity for love healing and acceptance now visualize a great celebration unfolding not only around you but also within you a great celebration you are being clothed in the finest robe a symbol of your divine identity a ring is placed on your finger,

Symbol of your eternal worth and sandals on your feet signifying your path forward in truth and in light the joy and celebration are both an external and internal reflection of your realization you are home within yourself feel the joy as you reconnect with the wholeness that has always been yours in this moment the father within you is celebrating your return recognizing that you were never really truly lost silently affirm I am whole I am always home in the divine within me I celebrate my true essence as you bask in the joy of this celebration know that the love you feel is not conditional it is always here you are always welcome to return to the space within your heart where the divine resides now bring to mind the elder son the elder son who represents the part of us that sometimes judges that compares or that feels unworthy of love and grace the elder son lives within each of us the voice that believes we must earn love or that others are more deserving of it in this moment breathe deeply and offer love to this part of yourself recognize that the elder son too is worthy of compassion and silently say I release the need to judge myself or others I am worthy of love just as I am and feel the tension of judgment feel the comparison,

The need for comparison dissolve as you embrace the elder son within you knowing that there is no competition for love the divine within you has always been enough and you are already whole as you begin to bring your awareness back to the present moment remember that the essence of the father the love remember that the essence of the father the love,

Compassion and wisdom lives within you you are not just the son returning home you are the source of the love you seek the father in the parable represents the highest aspect of yourself the part that is always ready to forgive always ready to love always ready to guide take a deep breath and as you inhale feel yourself reconnecting reconnecting with that loving presence inside of you feel your heart expand as you recognize the divine within you and when you are ready gently wiggle your fingers and toes and slowly open your eyes and carry with you the knowledge that the home you sought the home you seek has always been within you the father within you,

The divine within you is always guiding,

Always loving always ready to embrace you with compassion and as you move through your daily life remember that the father in the parable is not only a symbol of the divine outside of you but also the divine presence within you you are both the son on the journey and the father who welcomes that journey with love when you feel lost,

Confused or distant from your true self,

Turn inward reconnect with the loving,

Forgiving the vice presence that is always there you are whole you are home you are the love you see