So the prodigal son “began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into the fields to feed swine.”n6589 ¶1
The symbolism here is most interesting for it perfectly depicts the state of humanity while in the “far country.”n6589 ¶2
The “citizen” referred to, means the attempt, on the part of man, to find some cause outside of Spirit. Man seeks to league himself with material forces alone, not realizing there can be nothing outside the Unit. Most of us seek the cause in the effect and unknowingly put the cart before the horse, not realizing that the flower is already in the seed, that effects must follow causes. There can be no true alliance apart from life and no good apart from a unity with the Whole. “And he sent him into his fields to feed swine.” Jesus was a Jew. The Jews did not consider the meat of the swine lawful to eat; consequently he used this term in order to show how completely the prodigal son had fallen from his high estate ; he must even be compelled to feed the despised swine. This demonstrated that his state of being was so low that it would be impossible for it to be any worse. It had reached the outer rim of reality, and was flat on its back. We are reminded here of another symbol, one used in the Old © Testament, that of the serpent, which cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. The serpent meant the outer rim of spiritual existence; the Life Principle viewed from an isolated and materialistic basis. The worship of material existence, apart from God, cast Adam and Eve from the Garden of Perfection. The attempt to live in effects, apart from the true cause, always does this. But, lest we should become discouraged, we remember that Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness and that those who looked upon it were healed.n6589 ¶3
The serpent means the Life Principle. Viewed from a ; material basis alone, it casts us from a perfect state; lifted } up, that is,—viewed from a true meaning of the Unity ofn6589 ¶4
God, it heals. Here is the choice again, only stated in different words. The difference is not in the thing itself, but in the way we look at it.n6589 ¶5