Charles Spurgeon Commentary Luke 15:16

"And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him." — Luke 15:16 (ASV)

And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat and no man gave unto him.

The prodigal cannot be brought any lower; he is made to herd with the swine, and he envies even them, because they are satisfied with the husks; he cannot eat of the same, and, therefore, he envies even the brutes. Surely, when a sinner becomes fully convinced of sin, he may well envy even the sparrows or the serpents because they have not sinned.

And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

Perhaps he did not want to employ him, but said that he would give him that occupation if he cared to accept it. It was small pay, very dishonoring work for a Jew, not fit employment for the son of a nobleman; yet "half a loaf is better than no bread," so he took it, though even the half loaf must have been a very small one.

And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

Such a thing as generosity was not known in that country. His companions could share his riches when he was living riotously, but they will not share their riches now that he is in his poverty.

And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave to him.

He would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat, but he could not, for he was a man, and not one of the swine. Worldlings are happy in their own poor way, and I, for one, never grudge them their husks. One never craves the slop that is given to the pigs; we let them have their trough as full as they please, and never want so much as a taste of it. So, when sinners are full of worldly joys, we may not envy them, and we may scarcely blame them.

Let the swine have their husks. Once, we too would fain have filled our belly with them; and if we did not, it was not because we would not, but because we could not.