Kezazah: The Ancient Ceremony Behind the Prodigal Son’s Story

When Jesus told the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, His first-century Jewish listeners would have understood far more than we might today. Behind the son’s return home was the looming possibility of an ancient ritual called Kezazah—a public act of rejection that would forever cut a disgraced person off from their community.

What Is Kezazah?

The term Kezazah comes from the Hebrew qāṣaṣ, meaning “to cut off.” It appears in Jewish tradition as a formal act of social and familial disownment. According to the Talmud, if a Jewish man lost his inheritance among Gentiles or married beneath his station, the townspeople could perform the Kezazah ceremony:

They would meet the offender at the village outskirts, break a clay jar or a vessel filled with grain at his feet, and declare him “cut off” from the people.¹ This act permanently severed his ties to the community, ensuring that no one would extend him aid or fellowship.²

The Prodigal Son’s Return in Context

In Jesus’ parable, the younger son wastes his father’s wealth “in a far country” (Luke 15:13)—a phrase implying Gentile lands and customs.³ His return would have been the perfect occasion for the Kezazah ritual. As Kenneth E. Bailey notes, Jesus’ audience would expect the townspeople to gather at the gate, ready to shame him publicly.⁴

Instead, the father does something unexpected: he runs to his son, embraces him, and restores him before the community can act.⁵

Why Running Matters

In Middle Eastern culture, especially in the first century, a man of the father’s age and status would never run in public. Doing so meant lifting his robe and exposing his legs, an act considered shameful.⁶ Yet here, the father embraces his own humiliation. His public welcome overrides the community’s right to perform the Kezazah. The broken jar is never smashed—the only thing broken that day is the barrier of shame.

By running ahead, the father ensures the first public act toward his son is not condemnation, but restoration.⁷

Grace That Interrupts Shame

Understanding Kezazah deepens the impact of the parable: the father takes the shame that rightfully belonged to the son and turns it into a celebration. This reflects the gospel itself—God, in Christ, intercepts our condemnation and replaces it with His embrace.

Reflection Question:
If God ran toward you today, would you believe His arms are open wide? The story of Kezazah tells us: He does, and they are.

Notes

Babylonian Talmud, Ketubot 28b, quoted in Encyclopaedia Judaica, 2nd ed., s.v. “Kezazah.”
“Kezazah,” Encyclopaedia Judaica, 2nd ed., accessed August 11, 2025, https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/kezazah.
Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 580.
Kenneth E. Bailey, Poet and Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), 181–182.
Bailey, Poet and Peasant, 182.
Bailey, Poet and Peasant, 182–183.
Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 2nd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014), 238.