The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-08-05
Great Personages
of the Bible
BY
REV. LEONARD A. BARRETT
The ProdigaI Son

sEG 4 FOWAEGSG SNHt
a YOUNG man, heir of fortune, self
"A willed, and overindulged by a
loving and gracious father, suddenly
decides he wishes to paddle his own
canoe. He requests that his fortune
be given to him. The request is grant
ed by his father, after which, the
young man goes out to see the world.
He had a very crude idea of what
seeing the world meant. Seeing the
world to him seemed to consist in see
ing life at its worst instead of at its
best. To see the world to him meant
to see the evil, the degenerate, the
absolute, the immoral. 1t perhaps
never occurred to him that seeing the
world could mean quite another thing,
for the world had much to offer In its
art, music, philanthropy, friendship
and love. What the prodigal did with
his time we do not know. Perhaps he
alone knew just how he squandered
it. We do know, however, that 1t was
not profitably spent, for when he
reached the end of his rope he finds
himself hired man on large es-
tate and his daily task is to feed the
swine. A most mental and distasteful
task for one of the Jewish faith While
engaged in this work he begins to
think The vision of his home with
its bounteous provisions came to him.
He could endure the misery of his
task no longer, so suddenly he makes
up his mind to return home. He was
urged to do this not by motive
wholly selfish, so evidenced in the re-
solves he made. A short time past he
requested his father to give him his
inheritance How different was his
second request Now he asked that
he might be taken back home, not as
a son and heir, but as a servant.
make me one of thy hired servants"
In his degradation ne suffered phys
ically and mentally. Not only was
he hungry he was lonely. Somehow
those two experiences seem to go to-
gether. He had no friends. mo man
gave unto him." He was willing to
pay any price in order to get back to
the home he once left.
OnG Ody Ills IdLAlCA saw AAAAAA SOAA
ing up the old familiar lane. He did
not wait for his son to come and ask
forgiveness, but, fatherlike, he ran to
him, fell on his neck, and blessed him.
The prodigal never even got the
chance to say half of what he intend
ed to say He was forgiven even be-
fore he asked 1t. This return home
was celebrated with banquet. All
the members of the family and all the
friends and neighbors were invited to
participate In the festivities. A Won
derful celebration for the homecom-
ing of runaway boy. Not only did
his father give a banquet for him.
He put a ring on his finger, shoes on
his feet, and gave him new robe, sym
bols of forgiveness and welcome
back into the family circle.
The prodigal had a brother. Nat
uraIly one would expect him to be
very happy at the return of the lost
member Of the family. Not so. He
became very angry because his IA
Their never gave him banquet or
killed for him fatted calf. Does 1t
not seem strange that between these
two brothers there is similarity of
disposition. The younger brother de-
sired all he could get from the ia
ther that he could spend it on his own
fast life; the older brother also de-
sired all he could get from his ia
Their that he might hoard it for him
self, both were intensely selfish. The
one sought satisfaction in being a
spendthrift; the other in being miser.
All crime is attributed to selfish
ness. If selfshness could be removed
it would not be very difficult to make
heaven out of this earth. Selfish
ness brings no lasting satisfaction be-
cause selfishness is concerned with
things which do not endure Real
and lasting contentment is not found
in the selfish possession of material
things, but in home, friendship and
service.
20. 1925, Western Newspaper Union.l