The stench of the pigpen

When we examine the story of the prodigal son in Luke we notice that he finds himself at his lowest tending to the pigs. If anyone has ever been around pigs you know that they are recognizable by their stench. I personally wouldn't want the job of feeding pigs, but when we look in the context of the story and at the audience to which Jesus was speaking we see that it would be even more revolting. The Jewish culture, under the law, sees pigs as unclean and even handling them would require a ritual cleansing. So you can understand that the prodigal was at his lowest, not only had he lost it all, he now was looking at the slop as a viable source of food. Considering the fact that you are reading this on an internet connected device I am sure that you have never seen the utter poverty that it would require to wish for the scraps of food that the pigs were eating. Yet we see the prodigal, a young man of a high class upbringing desiring this very thing. He looks longingly at the food and it reminds him of the banquets of home. This slop that he was carrying was similar to the leftovers that he used to throw away, he begins to remember the grand banquets in which he used to partake and suddenly he realizes that even his father's servants are eating better than he is. It is the stench of the pigpen and the memories evoked by the leftovers that begin to pull him toward home. He begins the journey home in hopes of just being accepted as a servant. There are things throughout the life of a prodigal that reminds them of home. Keep praying, watch for opportunities and keep the doors open!