Prodigal
Someone who left the faith or the family and came back — from Jesus' story of a son who squandered his inheritance, hit bottom, and was welcomed home by his father.
What they actually mean
“"The one who ran off, wrecked things, and came home to open arms."”
Heard in the wild
“Every prodigal has a father waiting.”
“Our oldest is our prodigal — pray for him.”
The Lighter Side
In the original story, the prodigal gets a party, a robe, and a barbecue. Modern prodigals mostly get a casserole and a lot of hugs, which is close.
The longer version
What it means
A prodigal is someone who walked away — from faith, from church, from family — and either has come back or is hoped to. The word is from Jesus' parable in Luke 15: a younger son demands his inheritance early, leaves, blows it all, ends up feeding pigs, and finally walks home rehearsing an apology. His father sees him coming from far off, runs to him, embraces him, and throws a feast before he can finish the speech. The older brother, who stayed and worked, is furious. The story ends with the father pleading with him to come in.
"Prodigal" strictly means recklessly wasteful, but in church it has come to mean the one who left, with the whole story's hope attached.
Why people say it
Because the story is the gospel in miniature, and because everyone knows a prodigal — a child, a sibling, a friend, or themselves. Calling someone a prodigal is a way of saying "they're not gone for good, and there's a welcome waiting." It also names how God is understood to treat people who come back: not with a lecture, but with a run and a robe.
How to respond
If a parent calls their child a prodigal, they're telling you about pain and hope in the same word; ask how their child is doing, not whether they've "come back." If someone calls themselves a prodigal, they're telling you they left and returned, and there's a story there they may want to share. If you're the one who left, the story's point, Christians would say, is that the door is open and nobody's waiting to say "I told you so."
If you hear it in different churches
Universal. The parable is read in every tradition; Catholics hear it every Lent, Orthodox have a Sunday of the Prodigal Son before Lent, and it's a staple of evangelical preaching. Rembrandt's painting of the return, and Henri Nouwen's book on it, are known across the whole church.
Where does “Prodigal” come from?
Luke 15:11–32, one of three parables Jesus tells in a row about lost things found — a sheep, a coin, a son — in response to religious leaders' complaint that He "welcomes sinners and eats with them." The English word "prodigal," from Latin prodigus (lavish, wasteful), was attached to the story by early English Bibles and has stuck. The parable's older brother has drawn increasing attention in modern preaching (Timothy Keller's The Prodigal God, 2008), as the picture of the religious person who never left and can't rejoice.
Good to know
"Prodigal" technically means wasteful, not lost — but nobody uses it that way anymore. In church it means the one who left and is expected, hoped, or known to come back. Parents use it about grown children with a mixture of grief and hope; be gentle. The story's other son, the resentful older brother who never left, is the character the church is often less eager to talk about.
You might also hear
Backslide
Salvation & ConversionDrifting or falling away from faith and its practice after having committed to it — usually gradual, often temporary.
“"I used to be serious about my faith, and I slipped."”
Grace
Salvation & ConversionGod's undeserved kindness and forgiveness — receiving good you didn't earn and couldn't have.
“"Getting a gift you didn't earn — from God, specifically."”
Testimony
Salvation & ConversionThe story of how someone became a Christian, or of something God has done in their life — told out loud to encourage others.
“"My faith story — how I got here."”
Common questions
What does "prodigal" actually mean?+
Recklessly wasteful. The son in the story squandered his inheritance. Church usage has shifted it to mean "the one who left and came back."
Is the prodigal son story about forgiveness?+
Yes — and about a father's welcome that comes before the apology is finished. Many also read it as a story about the older brother, who stayed home but resented grace.
Can a prodigal really come back?+
That's the point of the story: the father is watching the road. Every Christian tradition reads it as a promise.
Further reading
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Written by Rev. Christopher D.F. Warrington, Ordained Minister, M.Div. · Updated September 2026
This entry was compiled with AI assistance and has not yet been reviewed by an ordained pastor.