Introduction
Jesus was speaking to a crowd that included tax collectors and sinners, groups considered the lowest of society at the time. On the opposite side were the Pharisees and teachers of the law, the religious elites who criticized Jesus for socializing with the "sinners." Jesus' interaction with the sinners was seen as controversial and offensive by the religious leaders. Jesus, however, was demonstrating God's love for these people in a way they had never seen before.
God's Heart for the Lost: The Lost Sheep
Jesus begins to explain God's perspective through parables. The first is about a lost sheep. A shepherd has 100 sheep but loses one, and despite having 99 others, he leaves them behind to search for the lost one. Once found, he joyfully carries the sheep home and invites his friends and neighbors to rejoice with him. Jesus connects this story to God's attitude toward repentant sinners: God rejoices more over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who do not stray. God feels great joy when a lost person returns to Him, just as the shepherd rejoices in finding the lost sheep.
The Lost Coin
The second parable Jesus tells is about a woman who loses a silver coin, worth about a day's wage. She searches her house carefully until she finds it, and then celebrates with her friends and neighbors. Again, Jesus draws a parallel, explaining that in the same way, there is joy in heaven when one sinner repents. These stories challenge the Pharisees' view of sinners, showing that God is not angry at the sinners but is instead rejoicing when they turn back to Him.
The Lost Son
The third parable is much longer and involves more character development than the previous two. This story is about a lost son, who asks his father for his inheritance early, essentially wishing his father were dead. This is shocking both in modern times and in the context of ancient culture.
Asking for his inheritance before his father's death was deeply disrespectful, essentially treating his father as if he were already dead. The father, however, agrees to give the younger son his share of the inheritance, dividing the wealth between his two sons. The father's behavior might seem weak or disrespectful, as he does not stop his son from leaving with all of the family's possessions.
The Younger Son's Actions
After receiving his inheritance, the younger son begins to liquidate the family's possessions, converting valuable heirlooms into cash. [Garage sale example]. This event is awkward for the family, and the father seems to passively allow his son to take everything and leave. The son then moves to a distant land, where he spends all his money living wildly.
The distant land isn't just about physical distance; the younger son wants to escape his father's influence and live freely without restraint. While the specific nature of his wild living isn't detailed, it likely involved substance abuse and immoral behavior, similar to the rebellious actions many teens might engage in today. The son's decision to go to a distant land represents a desire to break free from the moral authority of his father, which relates to the broader human tendency to want to escape God's presence.
The Consequences of the Son's Actions
The younger son quickly runs out of money and soon faces the consequences of his reckless living. Just as he runs out of money, a great famine strikes the land, exacerbating his problems. The son, who thought he could live freely and escape responsibility, now faces disaster. This situation symbolizes the inevitable consequences of living a life apart from God.
The famine in the parable is not just about a historical event or the son's financial collapse, but about experiences many people face in real life. While someone may feel they are living the "good life," sudden crises can strike—illness, injury, job loss, broken relationships, betrayal, legal trouble, eviction, or financial failure. These moments expose how fragile self-reliance is. When resources run out, people can no longer buy their way out of trouble, and the damage extends beyond money to the exhaustion of one's inner life and soul. The son's situation reflects what it feels like to truly hit rock bottom, a place of deep need and desperation.
Degradation and Desperation at the Pig Farm
As the son's need intensifies, his standards collapse. He finds himself thinking and doing things he never imagined he would. His situation becomes shocking even to himself. Eventually, he convinces a local farmer to hire him, only to be sent to feed pigs. For a first-century Jew, this represents the lowest possible humiliation, since pigs were considered unclean and disgusting. This job would have felt degrading, emphasizing the depth of the son's fall—from the child of a wealthy landowner to someone envying animal food.
The son becomes so hungry that even the pods meant for the pigs look appealing, yet he is not allowed to eat them. He is treated as less valuable than the animals he feeds. This moment highlights his complete isolation and worthlessness in the eyes of others. He has reached absolute bottom, with no dignity, no security, and no compassion shown to him.
Coming to His Senses
At this lowest point, something crucial happens: the son comes to his senses. Not everyone reaches this moment; some remain stuck in desperation for months, years, or even a lifetime. But for this young man, the slow decline finally reaches a crisis point that breaks him. He begins to reflect on his life, questioning how he ended up where he is and recognizing how far he has fallen.
This awakening is deeply personal and painful. He realizes that even the lowest workers in his father's household—day laborers with no security or long-term commitment—are better off than he is. They have enough food, while he is starving. This realization sparks a turning point.
Decision to Return
The son resolves to return home to his father. Despite everything he has done—his rejection of his father, public humiliation of the family, and reckless destruction of his inheritance—he decides to go back. He rehearses a speech of confession, acknowledging that he has sinned against both heaven and his father. He no longer sees himself as worthy to be called a son and plans to ask only for work as a hired servant.
Notably, even in his brokenness, he still refers to the man as his father. This suggests that, deep down, he still knows his true identity, even though he believes he has forfeited his place in the family. His hope is not restoration but survival.
As the son makes the long journey back, he likely rehearses his confession repeatedly, prepares himself for rejection, and wonders whether his father will even recognize him. His appearance has changed dramatically—he is filthy, emaciated, and worn down by hard living. He is burdened by regret over his past decisions, the people he trusted, the possessions he squandered, and the pain he caused his family.
He also fears how the community will respond. His return would be a public scandal, stirring gossip and judgment. He imagines the possibility of his father responding coldly, turning him away in silent condemnation. With all these fears, he nevertheless continues home.
The Father's Shocking Response: Compassion and Joy
Before the son can even reach the house, the father sees him while he is still far off. Filled with love and compassion, the father runs to meet him—an undignified act for a respected patriarch in that culture. He embraces his son and kisses him, demonstrating overwhelming affection toward the one who had rejected and dishonored him.
When the son begins his prepared confession, admitting his sin and unworthiness, the father interrupts him before he can ask to become a hired servant. Instead, the father immediately commands the servants to bring the finest robe, a ring, and sandals, restoring the son's full status and dignity. He orders the fattened calf to be killed and declares a celebration. The father proclaims that his son was dead and is now alive, lost and now found, and the party begins.
God's Heart Revealed
Jesus tells this story to show how God feels about people who return to Him. God is not waiting to scold or reject but is watching, ready to run toward those who turn back, even in their broken and shame-filled state. God interrupts self-condemning speeches and restores identity, joy, and belonging.
There is an illusion of happiness found in rebellion and "wild living" but there is deep, lasting joy found in relationship with God. While life apart from God may offer temporary thrills, it quickly leads to emptiness, damage, and pain. True happiness, peace, and fulfillment are found with the Father. [Personal example]. Restoration begins when the son chooses to turn back to the father, which sets the stage for what comes next in the story.
The essential response modeled by the younger son is to turn back to God and receive what is undeserved. God not only shows mercy by withholding deserved punishment, but also gives grace by bestowing honor, restoration, and love. Those who belong to God are treated like royalty because God is a king. This turning is called repentance, defined as a change of mind, heart, and direction. Rather than remaining in misery or self-pity—symbolized by staying on the pig farm—people are urged to recognize that such a life is not their destiny. God is waiting with open arms, offering safety, compassion, and restoration.
Taking Responsibility Instead of Blame
True repentance also involves personal responsibility. People often blame God or others for their circumstances, asking where God was during hardship or betrayal. While others may contribute to pain, responsibility must be owned. If the son had remained with the father, he could have faced life's hardships differently. Sometimes God allows suffering because it draws people back to Him; pain can act as a "megaphone" to get attention. The call is to stop blaming, stop justifying, and simply come home to receive grace.
Pattern Completed: Lost and Found, Then Celebration
There is a recurring pattern from the three parables. Something valuable is lost, the owner seeks or waits expectantly, the lost item is found, and celebration follows. In this case, the father rejoices because his lost son has returned. Everything seems complete, and you might expect the story to end here with a joyful conclusion.
Introduction of the Older Son: The Hidden Scene
However, Jesus continues the story, revealing a crucial final scene involving the older son. This is not merely the parable of the prodigal son, but a story about two sons. The older son has been working diligently in the fields and is completely unaware of the celebration. Despite his hard work, he is missing out on the joy and reunion happening at home.
As he approaches the house, he hears music and dancing, signaling a major celebration. Instead of entering, he questions a servant and learns that his brother has returned and that their father has killed the fattened calf to celebrate. Rather than sharing in the joy, the older son becomes angry and refuses to go inside.
The Older Son's Anger and Isolation
The older son is the only person in the entire chapter who does not rejoice. While heaven celebrates in each of the parables—the sheep, the coin, and the lost son—the older son stands outside, angry and resentful. This mirrors the attitude of the Pharisees earlier in the chapter, who complained about Jesus eating with sinners. Like them, the older son distances himself from the heart of the father and refuses to participate in the celebration.
His refusal to enter the party is a public act of disrespect. Despite this, the father responds not with anger but with humility, leaving the celebration to plead with him. This action would have shocked Jesus' original audience, just as the father's earlier response to the younger son had.
When confronted by his father, the older son speaks harshly, addressing him not as "father" but bluntly as "look." He describes his life as one of slavery, obedience, and burden, revealing that he viewed his relationship with his father as transactional rather than relational. He complains that he has obeyed all the commandments yet was never given even a small celebration for himself, while the younger son receives a lavish feast.
The older son openly compares himself to his brother, demands justice, and expresses deep resentment. He refers to the returned sibling as "this son of yours," distancing himself from him and accusing him of wasting money on prostitutes. His self-righteousness and bitterness show that, despite his obedience, his heart is far from the father's heart. In this moment, the Pharisees listening to Jesus would likely recognize themselves in this character.
The Father's Gentle Plea
Once again, the father responds with love, compassion, and invitation. He reminds the older son that he has always been with him and that everything the father owns already belongs to him. The celebration was necessary because a life had been restored—a lost brother had been found. The older son never enjoyed these blessings simply because he never asked. He was so consumed with work and rule-keeping that he missed out on relationship and joy.
The father makes it clear that celebration is not optional when restoration occurs. Joy is the proper response to grace.
The Unanswered Question and Its Challenge
The story ends without revealing how the older son responds. This unresolved ending is intentional. The older brother is a fictional character, but the real question is directed at the Pharisees—and at the audience. Will those who rely on works and obedience rather than grace accept God's invitation? Will they come to the party, or remain outside in resentment? God's invitation stands open, but each person must decide how to respond.
Learning from Both Sons
There are two groups of people. Some need to learn from the older son, realizing that they too are lost and in need of grace, even if their lives appear morally upright. They are invited to stop slaving away and instead enter into relationship with the Father.
Others need to learn from the younger son, recognizing that they are living in the distant land, settling for far less than what God intends. They have inherent worth as people made in God's image. They have access to God's deep love, demonstrated through the sacrifice of Jesus. Look closely at the father's response in the story to understand how God feels and how He will respond when anyone turns back to Him.
Come home to God. It does not matter what anyone has done in the past and dwelling on past failures is unhelpful. What matters is the decision to turn back now. The best time to repent and return to God is today. This is why the parable of the prodigal son is one of the most famous and powerful stories Jesus ever told.