What does Luke 15:19 mean?
The title of "prodigal" son is applied to this young man because he foolishly wasted all his money with sinful pleasure and wild living. Here, he continues rehearsing what he will say to his father when he returns home (Lukes 15:18). He has treated his father horribly, demanding his inheritance as if his father was already dead. He took the money and ran far away where the shame of what he'd done couldn't reach him. Now, the money is gone, spent on unwise and immoral things (Luke 15:30). His new home is under a terrible drought. Once the son of a wealthy landowner, he is now jealous of the pigs he's been hired to tend because they get more food (Luke 15:11–17).Standing among the pigs, the son has come to his senses. His father's day-laborers—seasonal hires who receive minimal pay—have more to eat than he does. His best option is to go home, grovel, and beg that his father accept him as a servant.
In this parable, Jesus is explaining the act of conversion. He speaks to Pharisees and scribes who belittle Him for associating with sinners and tax collectors (Luke 15:1–2). Like the prodigal son, the sinners took advantage of the blessings God gave them and acted as if He was nonexistent. Inevitably, they found life unfulfilling and longed to reconcile with God. So, like the son, they repent: they acknowledge they are wrong and God is right. They then act on that understanding by asking for forgiveness with the desire to change (Luke 15:17–18).
"Conversion" is a word used often enough that it can start to lose meaning. The parable of the prodigal son beautifully describes the concept. To "convert" is to turn away from one thing and turn toward another, giving this new thing all your attention. The wayward son converts his priorities: from the lie of unending pleasure and irresponsibility to submission under his loving father. He'll soon find the result of such a conversion is restoration of his position as beloved son.
