Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. (Luke 15:14-16)
Through no one’s fault but his own, the prodigal son found himself living in a most despicable place – a pigpen. His rebellious heart against his father landed him in fellowship with pigs. He became so desperate that he longed to eat pig food; oh, how the mighty rebel had fallen! As a result of the enticement of a free-for-all to please himself, he broke free from his father’s domain. However, he miscalculated that he could improve his lot in life by doing things his way; pleasing himself as the main goal. Now, as he sits at the bottom of the barrel of life, he realizes that separating himself from his father put him in a terribly polluted place.
But hitting the bottom of the barrel turns out to be the best thing that happens to the lost son because it is when and where he comes to his senses. He decides to go back home and plead for mercy, but when he gets there, he finds out that humble pie tastes much better than pig food. Rather than rejecting his son like the son had earlier rejected him, the father accepts him back home in love. Humble pie definitely tasted better than pig food.
We all have something in common with the prodigal son – we have all sinned and separated ourselves from the Father and ended up in a spiritual pigpen (Romans 3:23; 6:23a). But hopefully everyone reading this article can also identify with the son in coming back home in repentance, and now enjoy the sweet taste of humble pie. Hopefully you eat a slice of humble pie everyday as you confess your great need for God (Matthew 5:3). Hopefully you eat humble pie every day as you repent of any sin that creeps into your life.
Humble Pie Tastes Better Than Pig Food
Mike