The Citizen of a Far Country

In the parable of the prodigal son, we read that the prodigal went from his father’s house to “a far country” and then, after losing everything, “he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country.”  The only thing that we know about the citizen was that “he sent [the prodigal] into his fields to feed swine.”  It appears that the citizen did not even give the prodigal any food; he simply gave him a job to feed the pigs and “no man gave unto [the prodigal]” (Luke 15:13-16).  I wondered as I read this today if this citizen in the story represent anyone.  Is there something that this part of the story should teach us about trying to live in the world? 

               Perhaps the most obvious potential meaning for the “citizen” of this far country is the adversary.  We certainly know that Satan is a “citizen” of this earth (which could be termed a “far country” from our heavenly home) because in the beginning “he was cast out into the earth” (Revelation 12:8).  The Savior even referred to him as “the prince of this world” (John 14:30).  The fact that this citizen sent the prodigal to work for him amongst the pigs and yet didn’t even give him anything as reward that we can tell could surely be symbolic of the kind of “wages of sin” we will receive as servants of the devil (Romans 6:23).  We know that the adversary “seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself,” and surely that is what the prodigal was as he followed the orders of this citizen and went to take care of pigs (2 Nephi 2:27).  It is also noteworthy that when the Savior encountered the servants of Satan (unclean spirits), He too sent them into “a great herd of swine,” apparently the animals befitting to be with the devil’s workers (Mark 5:11).  This part of the story of the prodigal seems reminiscent of what happened to Korihor in the Book of Mormon.  Alma described Korihor this way: “The devil has power over you, and he doth carry you about,” and the reward that Korihor received of Satan was misery: Korihor was “run upon and trodden down” (perhaps by animals) and Alma’s commentary was this: “Thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell” (Alma 30:60).  Like the prodigal and the citizen, Korihor received nothing but misery for his labors for the devil.  As Amulek put it, the devil “rewardeth you no good thing”—we only get to figuratively feed the pigs when we work for Satan (Alma 34:39).  

The account of the citizen and his treatment of the prodigal is in stark contrast to the young man’s father who showed love and mercy to his son even when it was not merited.  Surely that father is meant to represent to us the Father of our spirits, He who sends down life-giving rain even on the unjust.  God shows love to us even when we don’t deserve it, and His promises, including “peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come,” are all fulfilled when we labor in His kingdom (D&C 59:23).  If nothing else, perhaps this brief reference to the citizen and its contrast to the prodigal’s father is meant to teach us just who we should want to spiritually work for.