Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Luke Chapter 15 mean?

Luke 15 continues Jesus’ teachings on the proper response to the coming of the kingdom of God. The sometimes-labeled “Travelogue to Jerusalem” stretches from Luke 9:51 to Luke 19:27. It includes events, teachings, and miracles selected to provide a context for Jesus’ death and resurrection and the establishment of the church. This chapter contains the three “lost parables.” These are the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the prodigal son. Each parable represents someone who has left God for different reasons: foolishness, ignorance, and rebellion. Since they all result in restoration of what was lost, some also refer to them as the “found parables.”

Luke 15:1–2 sets the scene. As at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (Luke 5:27–32), a crowd of social outcasts and “sinners” have gathered around Him. This disgusts the Pharisees and scribes: lawyers who specialize in the traditional oral law. The religious leaders criticize Jesus for associating with such persons. Jesus responds with three parables describing how religious leaders should react when faced with sinners who wish to repent.

Luke 15:3–7 gives the parable of the lost sheep, representing a sinner who has left God out of foolishness. A shepherd with one hundred sheep discovers one has strayed. He leaves the ninety-nine and goes on a search. When he finds the lost sheep, he carries it home and celebrates with his friends. In the same way, heaven rejoices when a sinner repents: why can’t the Pharisees?

Luke 15:8–10 contains the parable of the lost coin, symbolic of a sinner who does not know he is lost. A woman has ten silver coins; one goes missing. She sweeps every corner until she finds it and, again, celebrates with her friends and neighbors. In the same way, the angels rejoice when a sinner repents; are the Pharisees more pious than angels?

Luke 15:11–32 is the parable of the prodigal son; this typifies a sinner who leaves God intentionally and rebelliously. A son dishonors his father, takes his inheritance, and spends it frivolously. Famine and poverty lead to regret and humility. The son returns home in hopes his father will make him a servant and at least feed him. Instead, the father restores him to a loving relationship. The son’s older brother, however, resents his father’s easy forgiveness. As educated religious leaders, the Pharisees have every advantage God can give. Why can’t they rejoice when another returns to God and God restores him?

The next section contains several parables and teachings on how to respond—or not to respond—to the arrival of God’s kingdom (Luke 16:1—17:10). After two more sections that include a miracle and teachings on the kingdom of God (Luke 17:11—18:34; 18:35—19:27), Jesus enters Jerusalem to face the cross.

Chapter Context
Luke 15 contains three parables with the theme of something “lost.” The lost sheep, coin, and son represent sinners who leave God foolishly, unknowingly, or rebelliously. God seeks the foolish and the ignorant and waits patiently for the rebel to return to Him in humble repentance. Next is a collection of teachings on the differences between worldly and kingdom living (Luke 16:1—17:10). After two more groups of a miracle, teachings on the kingdom, and teachings on salvation (Luke 17:11—19:27), Jesus will enter Jerusalem and prepare for the crucifixion.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.

Jesus has just given some hard qualifications for being His disciple. We must love Him so much that the love for our family looks like hate. We must be willing to give up our lives and all we have (Luke 14:25–33). Unlike the Pharisees and their lawyers, who place unrealistic expectations on people and reject them when they fail (Luke 11:46), God is always willing to help His people come to Him.

At some point, Jesus is swarmed by “sinners” and “tax collectors.” These two terms are used to imply a wide range of social and moral outcasts; these are people shunned and despised by the self-righteous religious elites of Jerusalem (Matthew 9:10–13; Mark 2:15–17). In this context, a “sinner” was anyone who had rebelled against God to the point that they seemed to no longer be in relationship with Him. Tax collectors were hated not only for cooperating with Roman oppressors, but also because they were frequently corrupt. The King James Version uses “publican” instead of tax collector; “publican” is from the Latin for someone who collects public funds.

Jesus doesn’t just meet with these people or condemn them for their sin; He eats with them. He shows them the fellowship of a friend, and He did so from the beginning of His ministry (Luke 5:27–32). The Pharisees are incredulous that someone who calls Himself a teacher of God would associate with sinners (Luke 15:2).

Jesus responds with parables representing three ways sinners may leave God’s followship. In the parable of the lost sheep, the sinner foolishly walks away. In the parable of the lost coin, the sinner doesn’t even know he has strayed. In the parable of the prodigal son, the sinner intentionally, rebelliously rejects God. In the case of the first two, God seeks out and rescues the lost; in the third, He waits patiently for the lost to turn toward home and eagerly meets him on the way. In all three, when the lost has returned, the Lord celebrates.

God seeks out the lost. Jesus invites sinners to fellowship with Him. As He will later tell the repentant tax collector Zacchaeus, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

Context Summary
Luke 15:1–2 sets the scene for three upcoming parables. Smug religious leaders think it disgusting that Jesus would interact with people they deem immoral. The religious leaders have forgotten their purpose; they are not to bar the repentant from God, but to gently lead people towards obedient worship of God. In the stories of the lost sheep, coin, and son, Jesus invites them to celebrate repentance instead of focusing on past failure. The setting is reminiscent of Luke 5:27–32. These parables are only found in Luke.

Verse 2. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

A crowd of spiritual outcasts has swarmed Jesus (Luke 15:1). We don’t know if they have repented of their sins or not—it’s probably a mix. A “sinner,” in this situation, is someone who does not follow societal mores. They are those considered blatantly out of fellowship with God, such as prostitutes, thieves, and open non-believers. Pharisees place tax collectors in the same category as the “extortioners, unjust, [and] adulterers” (Luke 18:11). Tax collectors were hired by the occupying Roman government to collect a minimum amount from their fellow Jews. If they took more, they were allowed to keep it—many were deeply corrupt.

That doesn’t stop Jesus from associating with them. At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus called Matthew the tax collector to be His disciple. In turn, Matthew invited Jesus to a formal banquet with his friends, many of whom were also tax collectors. When the Pharisees and scribes condemned Jesus’ attendance, He responded, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:27–32).

To eat with someone is to publicly show fellowship with them. Jesus doesn’t condone their sin, but He knows the best way to bring someone to repentance isn’t to stand off to the side and insult them (Luke 18:9–14). It’s to invite them into a relationship. It’s to show them a better way. The Pharisees value perfection to the exclusion of repentance; often we do, too.

“This man” or “this one” is a derogatory, dismissive term. “Receive” doesn’t just mean to accept into one’s presence but to greet warmly. Paul will later use the word to refer to how we should interact with other believers (Romans 16:2; Philippians 2:29). The Pharisees believe Jesus is breaking the Old Testament tradition of disassociating from anyone who is a known sinner (Psalm 1; Isaiah 52:11); they interpret Jesus’ actions to mean He is indifferent to sin.

In response, Jesus gives three parables. Jesus is not only willing to seek those who have strayed from God through foolishness or ignorance, He will even happily welcome the return of open rebels who repent. In any of these cases, reconciliation is cause for celebration (Luke 15:3–32). May we have the same grace.

Verse 3. So he told them this parable:

The Pharisees are condemning Jesus’ choice to associate willingly and warmly with immoral, socially outcast people (Luke 15:1–2). This is not new for Jesus (Luke 5:27–32; 7:36–39). The Pharisees are afraid of becoming ceremonially unclean if they interact with sinners (Mark 7:1–4), not to mention the damage to their reputation. Jesus has explained that He associates with sinners to draw them to repentance. He is not endorsing sin, but offering forgiveness, so they can be restored to relationship with God: “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).

In response to this latest critique, Jesus gives three parables. This is also characteristic to Jesus’ interactions with Pharisees. Parables are extended metaphors set on earth that represent a spiritual truth. They’re also a kind of code. Only people who trust Jesus enough to ask can accept their spiritual meaning. The rest of the audience, which often includes the Pharisees, usually don’t understand what Jesus is really saying. As He told the disciples, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand’” (Luke 8:10). If audience members don’t want to know what Jesus is talking about, He makes it easy for them to remain in their ignorance.

The three parables represent three different ways a person can pull away from God and how God responds to each. The parable of the lost sheep shows how willing God is to pursue someone who abandons Him because of their foolishness. The parable of the lost coin talks about someone who doesn’t even know they’ve left God. The parable of the prodigal son shows how God waits patiently for those who deliberately rebel against Him to come home so He can restore them with His love.

Context Summary
Luke 15:3–7 contains the parable of the lost sheep. This is Jesus’ first response to the Pharisees who demand perfection and reject repentance (Luke 15:1–2). The story typifies sinners who abandon faithfulness to God the way a stupid sheep wanders into danger. When the shepherd finds the lost animal, he rejoices. Later parables refer to those who don’t know they’re lost (Luke 15:8–10) and those who are intentionally rebellious (Luke 15:11–32). Matthew includes a similar parable to the lost sheep in a slightly different context (Matthew 18:10–14).

Verse 4. “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?

Religious leaders are condemning Jesus’ decision to engage people they deem “too sinful” to even acknowledge. Jesus responds with three parables that show how God longs to reconcile with those who need Him most (Luke 15:1–3). Jesus begins here with the parable of the lost sheep. Jesus frames the parable to put the listener in the role of the main character. You are a shepherd. You have ninety-nine sheep. One of them wanders off, which is unwise, unsafe, and irrational. Roaming away from protection and safety is “stupid,” in the sense of being a terrible choice. Still, what would a shepherd do about such a sheep?

This challenge has historical significance. The Pharisees are religious leaders. While not as official as priests, they are more familiar to the people and more easily respected. Practically speaking, they are the primary spiritual leaders of the people; they are the “shepherds” of that “flock.” But Jewish spiritual shepherds do not have a good track record. In Ezekiel 34, God strongly condemns religious leaders who abuse, take advantage of, and abandon God’s people (Ezekiel 34:1–5). He specifically says, “My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them” (Ezekiel 34:5–6).

Jesus is challenging the Pharisees to see themselves as they really are. They have abused and abandoned the people by burdening them with laws God did not give them and then refusing to help them fulfill those laws (Luke 11:46). Instead, they should emulate God and actively seek out and rescue the foolish. The Pharisees should welcome the sinners and tax collectors and invite them to meals. Spiritually, sinners are the “poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” (Luke 14:13) and the Pharisees will be blessed by God for feeding those who cannot repay (Luke 14:14).

Verse 5. And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

In the New Testament, tax collectors took money from fellow Jews on behalf of the Roman government. To pay their salary, they were allowed to take extra for themselves. Many were corrupt, and all were hated by their fellow Israelites. The “sinners” in these passages are those considered immoral or irreligious. Such persons have been flocking around Jesus. He welcomes them and willingly eats with them, showing a level of acceptance that the Pharisees find deplorable in someone who claims to teach God’s truth (Luke 15:1–2).

In response, Jesus tells three parables about God’s desire to forgive and reconcile with those who don’t know Him or who have rejected Him. He starts with the parable of the lost sheep. Jesus challenges the Pharisees to imagine themselves as shepherds with a flock of a hundred animals. One of their sheep foolishly wanders off away from safety, food, and protection. How should they react (Luke 15:4)?

In the days surrounding the Babylonian captivity, religious leaders were like shepherds who abused and took advantage of the sheep in their care. The sheep “wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. [They] were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them” (Ezekiel 34:6). That is not God’s heart for people who stray. He seeks out the lost. When He restores that one lost person, He rejoices.

This parable is reassurance for the lost. There is no place so dangerous, dark, or tough that God cannot reach in and save you. There is no decision so foolish that God is not willing to rescue you. God will rejoice over every returned soul, including yours.

Verse 6. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’

The Pharisees have found Jesus associating with those who violate Mosaic law and others who betray their fellow Jews. Despite this being a common occurrence, the Pharisees still can’t accept that Jesus’ ministry is to call sinners to repent (Luke 5:27–32).

Many of the people Jesus meets with have made foolish choices. They’re like the sheep of this parable: one who leaves the protection of his shepherd and wanders off. The sheep is either oblivious of danger or distracted by other urges. It’s unaware that it could fall into a ravine, drown, or get eaten by a lion. By the time it realizes the danger it’s in, it doesn’t know how to get back home (Luke 15:3–5).

The Pharisees, so far as the parable is concerned, are like a shepherd who stands around lecturing the ninety-nine faithful sheep about how evil the lost one is. Jesus proposes a better way: go after the one who is lost. The ninety-nine will persevere long enough for the shepherd to make that effort. What benefit is there to staying with the ninety-nine if it means losing a chance to find and restore the lost sheep? That’s what Jesus is doing. And if He finds that lost sinner and restores him to God, the Pharisees should celebrate. This is not a situation calling for judgment, but for joy.

To poke the Pharisees a little more, Jesus hints that they are the ninety-nine. And when one of these sinners and tax collectors repent, heaven will celebrate more than for those who don’t have such an obvious need for repentance (Luke 15:7).

Verse 7. Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Jesus finishes the parable of the lost sheep. He is explaining why He is willing to eat and socialize with the kind of people that self-righteous Pharisees think should be shunned. These “sinners” are lost. Many have made foolish decisions that led them away from God. They are like a sheep who wanders off into danger. Whether the choice was wise or not, they are helplessly separated and in need of rescue. Jesus is a good shepherd (John 10:11). The rest of the flock doesn’t need His direct oversight at that moment, so He goes searching for the lost one (Luke 15:1–6).

At the beginning of this parable, Jesus invited the Pharisees to gauge themselves as shepherds. If they are, they are poor examples, like the abusive religious leaders in Ezekiel 34. Now, Jesus frames the story to identify the Pharisees as the ninety-nine sheep who do not need to be rescued. The Pharisees don’t understand. To them, the purpose of feasting with someone is to build your reputation and show off that you associate with righteous people. Their default response to tax collectors and sinners is to publicly denounce them (Luke 18:11–12).

Jesus visited this theme early on in His ministry. When He invited the tax collector Levi, also known as Matthew, to follow Him, Levi responded by inviting Jesus to a banquet with his friends, including other tax collectors. The Pharisees grumbled then, too. Why, they thought, would someone who purports to be a teacher of spiritual truths associate with people who have abandoned God? Jesus pointed out that that’s why He came: to save the lost (Luke 5:27–32).

The parable of the lost sheep is one of three such stories Jesus uses to show God’s heart toward the lost. It illustrates how God reacts when people reject Him through foolish choices: He goes after them (Luke 15:3–7). In the parable of the lost coin, Jesus describes people who don’t know they’re lost and have no idea they’re in need of rescue. Again, God goes after them (Luke 15:8–10). In the last parable, the prodigal son, the lost are flagrantly rebellious. In this case, God waits until they are humbled, their hearts are softened, and they come toward home voluntarily. Then He runs out to greet them, eager to restore them as His children (Luke 15:11–32).

The celebrants in the three parables intensify. Here, there is joy “in heaven.” Next, there is rejoicing by unnamed parties “before the angels” (Luke 15:10). Finally, it is the Father, Himself, who rejoices (Luke 15:22–24).

A similar parable in Matthew describes a naïve God-follower who goes astray. The focus is more on God’s desire that the lost be reconciled than the celebration of the repentant (Matthew 18:10–14).

Verse 8. “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?

Jesus continues to challenge religious leaders to see sinners as God does. The Pharisees have watched several times as Jesus interacted with Jews who have lived an ungodly life. They see a man who claims to teach God’s truth interacting with people whose lifestyle indicates rejection of those teachings. They think Jesus’ engagement is an endorsement of their lifestyle. They don’t recognize a rescue mission (Luke 5:31–32; 15:1–2).

Jesus responds with three parables. First, He talks about how some of these sinners made foolish choices. They’re like a sheep that left its loving shepherd and wandered off into danger. What good shepherd wouldn’t go after the sheep and rejoice once it was safe with the flock again (Luke 15:3–7)?

Now, Jesus tells a parable referring to those who don’t realize they are separated from God. In this parable of the lost coin, Jesus describes a coin that has gone missing. The woman who owns the coin, worth about a day’s wages, has nine more, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to find the one. She scours the house until she finds it. When she does, she invites her friends and family to celebrate with her. The legalistic Pharisees need to rejoice when the lost are found, not question the woman’s motives for searching for the coin (Luke 15:9–10).

Context Summary
Luke 15:8–10 continues Jesus’ three parables about lost things, here speaking of a coin. In this analogy, the sinner is like a lost coin that doesn’t know it needs rescuing. When the woman finds the coin, she invites her neighbors to celebrate with her, like how heaven rejoices when a sinner repents. The prior parable referred to those who leave God for foolish reasons (Luke 15:3–7); the last describes sinners who intentionally rebel against God (Luke 15:11–32). When any sinner repents and returns to his Father, God is eager to restore their relationship. These parables are unique to Luke’s writing.

Verse 9. And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’

Three parables explain why Jesus chooses to interact with “sinners” and “tax collectors.” The first, the parable of the lost sheep, illustrates that some are lost because of foolishness. That being the case, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to find their way home, so Jesus—the Good Shepherd (John 10:11)—goes after them (Luke 15:1–7).

In the parable of the lost coin, Jesus compares a missing silver coin to a person who does not know he has strayed from following God. Such a lost person cannot return on his own. God is represented by a woman who searches her house diligently until she finds the coin (Luke 15:8). When she does, she invites her friends and neighbors to celebrate with her. In the same way, when a sinner turns from his way and repents, heaven will celebrate the restoration.

The value of the coin in this example was about a day’s wage. While not a trivial amount, this is also not a catastrophic loss. To men like the ancient Pharisees, a single sinner doesn’t seem important enough to make such a fuss over. Certainly not enough for a respected teacher—Jesus—to sully His reputation.

“Friends” and “neighbors” here are both in feminine form as opposed to the masculine found in Luke 15:6. Luke’s Gospel is known for including many stories and parables where the protagonist is a woman.

Verse 10. Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Jesus finishes the second of three parables about lost things. Pharisees and their lawyers—scribes—are grumbling at Jesus. He has a warm relationship with those who abuse fellow Jews or have abandoned proper God-worship. The parable of the lost sheep addresses sinners who wandered away from God because of their foolishness (Luke 15:1–7).

This parable, the parable of the lost coin, speaks about those who wander off without recognizing it. A coin is unthinking. It can fall and roll away into a dark corner without conscious intent. But the woman who owns it values it, even though it is not worth a massive amount: just a day’s wages. She lights a lamp and sweeps the whole house until she finds it. When she does, she invites her friends to celebrate with her (Luke 15:8–9). In the same way, God desires a relationship with those who don’t know they’ve abandoned Him. When such a sinner repents, heaven, itself, rejoices.

The image of the celebration is suspenseful. In the parable of the lost sheep, the celebration was in heaven (Luke 15:7). Now, it is “before the angels.” In the upcoming parable of the prodigal son, we learn that it is God, Himself, who rejoices when the sinner returns to Him (Luke 15:21–24).

Verse 11. And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.

Pharisees have criticized Jesus for fellowshipping with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus has given two parables that begin by identifying the main character and describing what the person has lost: a shepherd and his sheep, then a woman and her coin. The stories go on to explain that the main characters go out of their way to seek what’s out of place. That includes both the foolish sheep and the unwitting coin. The owners return them to safety and celebrate their restoration. The parables reveal that God will seek out the foolish and the unwitting who wander away from Him (Luke 15:1–10).

This verse sets the scene for the third parable in the same way. The father is the main character and represents God the Father and Jesus. The sons are those who are lost. The parable, however, is more involved. Unlike the sheep and the coin, the younger son becomes lost because he rebels against his father and intentionally stays away (Luke 15:12–16). The older son is not lost geographically, but he is lost relationally (Luke 15:28–30).

How the father reacts is also unique. He doesn’t search for the rebellious son. He waits until the son shows the slightest sign of repentance and then, rather scandalously, rushes to restore him (Luke 15:17–24). When the older son starts to act like he is lost relationally, the father goes to him and graciously explains that all he must do is turn around and realize they have always been together (Luke 15:31).

Context Summary
Luke 15:11–32 records the famous parable of the prodigal son. To be “prodigal” is to be wastefully extravagant. Jesus is speaking to Pharisees who condemn His association with sinners. His point is that God seeks sinners so they can be saved (Luke 15:1–10). In this parable, Jesus presses others to join God’s celebration over the return of repentant sinners. This is one of the most detailed and developed parables in the Bible, almost on the level of allegory, and is unique to Luke. Next, Jesus teaches how the lives of Christ-followers should differ from those in the world (Luke 16:1—17:10).

Verse 12. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.

Jesus begins the main body of the parable of the prodigal son. A man has two sons. The younger asks for his share of his father’s estate. Because he is apparently unmarried, he is likely in his latter teens.

The first occurrence of “property” or “estate” is tēs ousias in Greek, which means wealth, not necessarily land. The second is ton bion which means “the life” or “the livelihood.” The son is asking to be immediately given what he would have inherited when his father dies. In essence, he’d rather his father were dead so he could have the money instead. It would be an understatement to say this is a brutally callous, uncaring demand.

The actual amount the son seeks to gain is irrelevant to the story, and so it is not included in the text. Deuteronomy 21:17 indicates that if there are only two sons, the youngest can receive one-third of the total estate. Abraham lived before the Mosaic law, of course, but he “gave gifts” to Ishmael and his sons through Keturah, then sent them away from Isaac so they would not be rivals (Genesis 25:1–6). The younger son seems to want something similar. He takes the money and moves far away (Luke 15:13).

In the Roman Empire during Jesus’ earthly ministry, nearly three-fourths of the population were slaves or servants of some kind. Even in Jewish territories, relatively few people owned land. This father, however, has servants, fields, cattle, and goats (Luke 15:22, 23, 25, 29). It appears he is quite wealthy and as a landowner would have a respected position in the community. Yet this teenager despises his family, preferring money, instead. He dishonors his father and shames him as the patriarch and a leader in society. And yet the father gives him what he asks for and lets him go.

Verse 13. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.

The parables in this passage are delivered in front of a crowd, but their lessons are aimed at religious leaders. Jesus is correcting the attitudes of scribes and Pharisees who condemn Him for associating with sinners. Jesus is trying to explain that when He looks at these “sinners,” He sees lost souls who need to be found. The Pharisees should join in the work, or at least celebrate when the lost people repent and return to God (Luke 15:1–10). Jesus has spoken about those who fall away from God through their own foolishness or because they weren’t paying attention. In both cases, the Lord seeks the lost and restores them to safety.

In the parable of the prodigal son, He explains God’s attitude toward those who intentionally rebel against Him. The younger son of a wealthy father requests the money he would receive if his father died. He would rather live as if his father were already dead than maintain the relationship. And he would rather live a life of depravity than respect the honor of his family. Unlike the prior two examples, this son intentionally goes astray. He rebels against his father, disrespects him, and leaves. The father does not follow. Rebellion is not conquered by physical restraint or control but by teaching the truth which often comes through suffering consequences.

The son thinks he’s escaped a rigid life and goes to a “far country” where he can be free. The son doesn’t understand he is replacing a loving father with a cruel master. Nor does he understand that by spending all his money on prostitutes (Luke 15:30), he is buying fake love and a poor substitution for life. But like many, he would rather be a slave to sin because it feels freer than being a child of a loving father (Romans 6:16). The Greek term describing his lifestyle is a-sōtōs: the opposite of preserving, saving, or rescuing. The term is translated in Scripture as “reckless,” “loose,” or even “riotous.” The English term “prodigal,” the traditional term applied to this story, literally means to spend money wastefully and extravagantly.

Verse 14. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.

Jesus is telling the parable of the “prodigal” son. The term “prodigal” refers to wasteful, excessive spending. A son has dishonored his father by requesting the wealth expected to come from his father’s death. He takes this money and then moves far away. He wants to live as if his father has died. He spends the money on prostitutes (Luke 15:30) and other pleasures which provide hate and death in the guise of love and life. He has rejected everything good and honorable his father has provided him (Luke 15:11–13).

In love, the father gave the son what he wanted and let him go, but the son cannot escape God. As David said, “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you” (Psalm 139:11–12). At the very moment the boy comes to the end of his ability to fend for himself, God takes away the community’s ability to help or even care.

We are short-sighted in our sin but God is patient. He is willing to let us fall and then make us fall further if that’s what it will take to show us where we are. It doesn’t have to come to such extremes. God is willing to accept our repentance at any point in our sin. However, we must be paying attention.

Verse 15. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

The prodigal—wastefully spending (Luke 15:13)—son took the inheritance meant to build his family and fled to a foreign land. The money went to various obscene pleasures (Luke 15:30) which provided no joy and no lasting future. Shortly after he realizes his money is gone, a severe famine descends upon his new home. Instead of paying to experience pleasure, he’s reduced to menial labor in the hopes of earning enough to survive (Luke 15:11–14).

The son replaced the yoke that was easy and light (Matthew 11:30) for the boot of an oppressor. Like all of us, at times, he is seduced by the mirage of freedom which surrounds sin. Sin tempts us to become a slave to those who use us, rather than remaining children of a loving father, because it deceptively feels “freer” (Romans 6:16; James 1:14–18).

Pigs are not as unsanitary as portrayed in popular culture. However, they love rolling in mud, will eat almost anything, and their dung is arguably the most foul-smelling of typical barnyard animals. Worse, for the young man in this parable, they are ceremonially unclean for a Jew. The son of a wealthy Jewish landowner finds himself feeding animals his culture finds repulsive. Even worse, he grows to be jealous of despised swine: wishing he were one of them because at least then he’d get food (Luke 15:16).

Pharisees have criticized Jesus for associating with sinners and tax collectors (Luke 15:1–2). They see Jesus’ friends much like the younger son: Jews who have rejected the dignified title of God’s chosen people for the transitory and unclean “blessings” of the world. Jesus sees the sinners as lost. Like the older brother, the Pharisees follow the letter of the law, but they do not know their Father’s heart. They don’t understand their Father is inviting them to join Him in celebration when the lost are found and the spiritually dead find life (Luke 15:31–32).

Verse 16. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

The coldly selfish son of a rich man has spent all his money (Luke 15:11–15). He has nothing to show for it, not even friends. A famine has swept across the land. The only work he can find is as a hired hand charged with feeding pigs. As a Jew, pigs are especially repulsive to him. Yet, in these circumstances, he has no other choice. Despite having work, the man cannot earn enough to properly feed himself. He wishes he had as much to eat as the pigs. He finds himself jealous of unclean animals because they get to eat.

The son had the wealth meant to build and raise a family and a legacy. He was poised to steward family land, maybe build a business, or add a trade. Before long, he’d be expected to marry and have children. This is the blessing God gave the Jews: obedience leads to a good harvest, a healthy family, and peace in the land (Leviticus 26:3–13).

Now the young man is destitute, and no one gives him anything. Everything is stripped away as it was for Judah: “All your lovers have forgotten you; they care nothing for you; for I have dealt you the blow of an enemy, the punishment of a merciless foe, because your guilt is great, because your sins are flagrant” (Jeremiah 30:14). But God promises restoration, too: “For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 30:17).

The “pods” mentioned here are described with the Greek term keratiōn. This may refer to husks such as those removed from crops. Most likely, however, these are the fruits of the carob tree. Carob pods have a sweet, fleshy taste vaguely like chocolate. They are fit for human eating—the point of this detail is not that the young man is desperate enough to eat something inedible. Rather, it’s that he’s fattening pigs while barely surviving, himself.

Verse 17. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father ‘s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!

The foolish son in this parable (Luke 15:11–12) is apparently unmarried but old enough to strike out on his own. That means he’s probably a mid- to late-teenager. In modern culture, particularly in the west, it’s common for teenage boys to want to rebel against their fathers, spend all their money, and leave the discipline of home behind. That wasn’t common in Jesus’ day. Most people in the Roman Empire were slaves or servants. Being the son of a Jewish landowner was a privileged position. This young man did more than disrespect his responsibilities and waste his opportunities. He also shamed his family by choosing to live as if his father were dead.

After spending all his inheritance, the son finds himself in the middle of a severe famine. He’s toiling on another man’s farm, jealous of the pigs he is feeding (Luke 15:13–16). The Greek word translated “hired servant” means a day laborer who earns the very least. The boy’s father even provides seasonal farm hands with enough bread to sate them. He realizes that the lowliest of his father’s servants has more than he does.

Often, we attempt to justify sin by removing ourselves from reality; we fool ourselves into thinking we’ve created a better life. When things go sour, the tendency is to make excuses and invent reasons to believe we’re still better off. At some point, wisdom may inspire us to consider how we found ourselves in this position and what we left behind. That is the first step of repentance: recognizing we are wrong and God is right. The second step is acting on that truth (Luke 15:18).

Verse 18. I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.

The arrogant, selfish son (Luke 15:11–13) has spent his money, earning him the traditional title of “prodigal” (Luke 15:14–16). Eventually, he wastes everything and becomes jealous of the pigs he is forced to feed. He realizes his father’s seasonal laborers are better off than he is (Luke 15:15–17). Even more important, he admits he has disrespected his father and disobeyed God.

The first step of repentance is acknowledging we are wrong and God is right. The second step is determining the right response based on that truth. The son does so immediately. He doesn’t stop to think if he has another option to keep his independence. He doesn’t contemplate what his father might have done to contribute to his situation. The son just acknowledges the right thing to do and does it (Luke 15:19–20).

Jesus is telling this story to Pharisees and scribes who don’t understand why Jesus associates with sinners (Luke 15:1–2). At least some of these sinners—the tax collectors—are not poor. Their job is to collect money from the Jews and other residents for the Roman government, and if they can collect any more, they’re welcome to keep it. These tax collectors and other sinners are Jews who have forfeited the culture, fealty, laws, and God of their people: their extended family. They haven’t responded to a lack of money. They’ve experienced a deeper poverty: a poverty of the soul which has left them spiritually hungry and vulnerable. With the help of Jesus’ community, they’ve remembered they have a Father who can fill their souls with life. Their hearts are softened and open to God in a way the Pharisees could never imagine. Their newfound appreciation for their Father makes them truer sons than the religious leaders who superficially appeared to stay near to the Lord (Luke 3:8–9).

Verse 19. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’

The title of “prodigal” son is applied to this young man because he foolishly wasted all his money with sinful pleasure and wild living. Here, he continues rehearsing what he will say to his father when he returns home (Lukes 15:18). He has treated his father horribly, demanding his inheritance as if his father was already dead. He took the money and ran far away where the shame of what he’d done couldn’t reach him. Now, the money is gone, spent on unwise and immoral things (Luke 15:30). His new home is under a terrible drought. Once the son of a wealthy landowner, he is now jealous of the pigs he’s been hired to tend because they get more food (Luke 15:11–17).

Standing among the pigs, the son has come to his senses. His father’s day-laborers—seasonal hires who receive minimal pay—have more to eat than he does. His best option is to go home, grovel, and beg that his father accept him as a servant.

In this parable, Jesus is explaining the act of conversion. He speaks to Pharisees and scribes who belittle Him for associating with sinners and tax collectors (Luke 15:1–2). Like the prodigal son, the sinners took advantage of the blessings God gave them and acted as if He was nonexistent. Inevitably, they found life unfulfilling and longed to reconcile with God. So, like the son, they repent: they acknowledge they are wrong and God is right. They then act on that understanding by asking for forgiveness with the desire to change (Luke 15:17–18).

“Conversion” is a word used often enough that it can start to lose meaning. The parable of the prodigal son beautifully describes the concept. To “convert” is to turn away from one thing and turn toward another, giving this new thing all your attention. The wayward son converts his priorities: from the lie of unending pleasure and irresponsibility to submission under his loving father. He’ll soon find the result of such a conversion is restoration of his position as beloved son.

Verse 20. And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

The prodigal son returns home. He insulted his father, took his money, and fled to a foreign country where he could live as he pleased. It wasn’t until the money was gone and a famine took all his food that he realized his “friends” treated him the same way he did his father (Luke 15:11–16). By returning home, he is completing the final step of repentance. The first was acknowledging that he was wrong and his father was right. The second was recognizing that he needed to go to his father and ask for forgiveness (Luke 15:18–19). The third is acting on that understanding. He did not try to justify his sin or find some way that his father could have prevented it. He understands that the fault is entirely his own, and he needs to pay the price.

His intent is to grovel before his father and beg to be treated like the seasonal laborers in the field. The pay is poor, but it provides more food than feeding pigs (Luke 15:17). He probably intends to walk somberly to his father, bow to the ground, perhaps even kiss his feet in submission. He is dirty from working with pigs and traveling; what he has done to his father is even more noxious. But his father doesn’t wait for him to come all the way home. Instead, as soon as he sees him, his father runs to him, already prepared to forgive.

The parable of the prodigal son is one of three parables centered around lost things. The first is about a foolish sheep that wanders off. The shepherd leaves the rest of the flock and searches and finds the sheep. The second parable is about a coin that unwittingly rolls away. A woman sweeps the whole house until she finds it (Luke 15:3–10).

In this parable, a son rebelliously and intentionally leaves his father. Instead of searching, the father lets him go. Without developing God’s intention too distinctly, it is true that you can’t rescue someone else’s hardened heart. As Jesus says elsewhere, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother” (Matthew 18:15, emphasis added).

Much has been made about how the father runs out to the son, breaking all kinds of cultural taboos. Respectable men in that culture don’t run. They don’t restore their son so easily. They wouldn’t embrace their son until their son was cleaned up.

In the context of these parables, however, the message is simply that God has great grace for intentional sinners. He will readily forgive them and reconcile with them when the sinner repents. When we deliberately disobey and walk away from God, we need to recognize our sin and ask for forgiveness. Until we come to that realization, we’re subject to whatever consequences come from those choices.

Verse 21. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

This is a beautiful example of whole-hearted repentance. The prodigal son found himself penniless and starving, used by acquaintances in the same way he had used his father. Finally, in desperation, he acknowledged his sin, recognized he needed to repent, and immediately set out to do so (Luke 15:13–19). “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). The son could have stopped there. He could have accepted his father’s love and hoped his father knew his intent, leaving no reason to say anything more about it.

For the first time, however, the son has the humility and integrity to own his shame. He fully realizes his position before his father and wants to live out of that truth. With that, he has fulfilled his responsibility. This is biblical repentance: acknowledging the truth about our sin and rebellion against God, desiring to change our ways, and asking Him to forgive us. This is not a work—a deed or an action—we must do to earn forgiveness. It’s merely accepting and living out reality. To call it “work” throws contempt on the true work Jesus accomplished by hanging on the cross and taking the wrath of God our sin deserved.

Despite his plan (Luke 15:19), the prodigal son doesn’t offer to be his father’s servant. The father’s display might make this inappropriate or the son may realize that even that offer would be an attempt to earn something he doesn’t deserve. He is content to accept his father’s decision. With the son’s repentance, the rest is up to the father.

Verse 22. But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.

As the prodigal son returns home, two things happen simultaneously. The son is properly repentant. He recognizes he has sinned against his father and against God. He took their blessings and then lived as if they had no more authority in his life; in fact, as if they did not exist. He wants to sincerely acknowledge his sin and beg for any mercy they may offer (Luke 15:11–19). At the same time, the father accepted his repentance before he heard his voice. He saw his son walking home from a distance and knew his heart. He had already begun the restoration process before his son could get the words out by embracing and kissing him (Luke 15:20–21).

The words are important for the son to say for his own sake. The father has already moved to the next step. He gives his son three things to signify the restoration of their relationship, although the specific meanings are ambiguous. The ring, the robe, and the shoes may just be signs that the father has restored his son to fellowship and an honored position (Esther 6:6–11), but they may mean more. If the ring is a seal, it is a sign of restored authority within the family (Genesis 41:42). The robe may be a sign that the son’s sin is covered (Zechariah 3:4–5; Isaiah 61:10; Revelation 3:18).

The shoes are especially poignant. Slaves don’t wear shoes; sons do. For reasons scholars debate, the son did not finish his intended apology: he did not ask to be made a servant (Luke 15:19, 21). The shoes are a subtle sign that the father would not allow it anyway.

Verse 23. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.

The lost son has been found (Luke 15:11–22). Like the parable characters of a shepherd (Luke 15:4) and a woman (Luke 15:8), the father invites others to celebrate (Luke 15:6, 9). The man celebrates with his servants as God celebrates with the angels when someone confesses and turns to Him (Luke 15:7, 10).

This is the final parable about lost things which Jesus teaches to Pharisees and scribes. The religious leaders don’t like that Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors (Luke 15:1–2). The wayward Jews would invite Jesus to dine at their homes at formal banquets. They would invite their friends—equally sinful—to hear Jesus teach. Jesus went willingly, and when the Pharisees objected, He would say, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31–32).

In the parable of the prodigal son, the father does not accept his wayward son’s invitation to a dinner; the father plans the celebration. The idea of the celebration parallels the Jewish understanding of the great feast God will provide when His people are resurrected. The Pharisees can’t help but see the connection: these tax collectors and sinners will be with them in the presence of God. If they’ve been listening, they would know that the repentant sinners may well enjoy the banquet without the Pharisees (Luke 14:24).

Jesus knows the Pharisees can’t easily accept this, so He gives them a representative: an older brother who never disobeyed and never thought of taking advantage of his father. They need to understand that the celebration is for the Father and for them. If they truly follow the Father, the sinners are reconciled to them, as well (Luke 15:25–32).

Meat was a luxury in the culture. The “fattened calf” was kept on hand for a special occasion. The father shares it as he shares his joy that his family is restored.

Verse 24. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

The younger son of a landowner chose to live as if his father—and God—were dead (Luke 15:11–12), but it was really he who “died.” He perfectly mirrored Paul’s description in Ephesians 2:1–2:

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience”

The son took his inheritance and spent it on wild living (Luke 15:13) and prostitutes (Luke 15:30). He indulged in relationships that kill God’s intent to create life in families and communities. When the money was gone, a famine came, and the son nearly died of starvation. He was spiritually dead because of his sin, relationally dead because the “friends” he chose did not care about his life, and nearly physically dead due to the famine.

Standing amidst another man’s pigs, jealous of the pigs’ food, the son took the first step toward life by realizing he was dead. Then he took the next step: accepted that he needed to repent for his squandered life. Finally, he returned to the father who gave him life (Luke 15:14–19). His father quickly returned him to life, physically and relationally. God the Father returned him to spiritual life. As the son’s earthly father celebrated, so did his heavenly Father (Luke 15:20–23).

However, not everyone celebrates. The Pharisees and scribes refuse to acknowledge the restored spiritual lives of the sinners and tax collectors who swarm Jesus (Luke 15:1–2). In the same way, the prodigal son’s older brother cannot accept that anyone who has sinned so egregiously should be restored by their father.

Verse 25. “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

The faithful, obedient older son is in the field, working hard for his father’s farm. Some time ago, his younger brother had taken his inheritance and left (Luke 15:11–13). The older son would never shame his father in such a way. As the older brother draws near, he hears a celebration he wasn’t invited to; the Greek root words suggest a band with dancing and singing. He had been working in the field. Why is there a party? Shouldn’t he have been informed? He asks a servant what is going on. The servant explains that his shameful brother has returned, and their father has spared no expense in welcoming him home (Luke 15:14–24).

This older son may not know that his brother returned humbly, acknowledging his sin, and hoping only to be treated as a servant. He rightfully understands that this party is all his father’s doing. Why is his father acting this way? Doesn’t he know that by welcoming back the son who rebelled, he is slapping the faithful son on the face?

Jesus is telling this story to a group of Pharisees and specialists of the Mosaic law. They are incredulous that Jesus chooses to fellowship with tax collectors who take money from Jews for the Romans. They are offended that He eats meals with sinners who have walked away from the law God gave His people (Luke 15:1–2). They probably think that by eating with them, an important cultural practice, Jesus is endorsing or at least putting up with their treasonous lifestyle. Like the father, Jesus claims to be an honorable man. Why would He betray the Pharisees’ law-abiding way of life for these lawless God-haters?

Verse 26. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.

A loyal son has come in from working in his father’s field. As he approaches the house, he hears a celebration: music and dancing (Luke 15:25). As the only son in his father’s house, he’s confused: what is this party and why didn’t he know about it? He asks a servant what is going on. Years before, the son’s younger brother had taken his inheritance and left. The older son either knows or strongly suspects that his brother wanted to spend the money on prostitutes (Luke 15:30). The younger son shamed their father and their family. But now he has returned, and their father has welcomed him home with a grand celebration (Luke 15:11–24).

The word for “servants” in this verse is the Greek word paidon. This refers to a particular servant of the house. In contrast, the younger brother’s intent was to be his father’s day laborer—tōn misthiōn (Luke 15:17)—and the older brother compares his own work to that of a slave, or doulos (Luke 15:29; Romans 6:20). The Greek for “asked” refers to a drawn-out process. The son and the servant have a conversation about what is going on.

During this discussion, it’s possible the older son discovers his brother has not shown up expecting to return to his place in the family. He repented humbly. Either way, the older son knows that his father arranged for this celebration. He spent his resources celebrating the return of the son who betrayed and humiliated him yet gives no mind to the least pleasure his older son might wish for (Luke 15:27, 29).

Verse 27. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’

An eldest son, the heir of his father, has come in from working in the fields. He approaches the house and hears dancing music. He asks a servant what is going on. The servant explains that the son’s younger brother, who years ago had disgraced the family, taken his inheritance, and ran far away, has returned. In celebration, their father welcomed him wholeheartedly. The younger son now wears a ring and the best robe. In addition, the father has killed the calf kept for the greatest celebrations and invited everyone to share his joy (Luke 15:11–26).

The term hygiainonta is from a root word referring to health or wholeness. It is also used poetically to mean something free from error. The younger son is likely not in great health. He left after nearly starving during a famine and has been traveling since. But he is alive. And yet, the younger son is indeed “free from error.” He arrived with a new understanding of what he had done. He had sinned against God and his father. He was no longer worthy to be his father’s son. He arrived in humble repentance, intending to beg to serve his father like a hired laborer.

This change in understanding is the repentance God seeks from all of us. To repent is to recognize our sinful state, understand we are wrong and God is right, and desire to be reconciled to God. With this repentance, our relationship with God, like the younger son’s relationship with his father, is sound. God covers us in Christ’s holiness as if it were our own like the father covered his son with the best robe (Isaiah 61:10). Our spiritual life is made sound. God gives us everlasting life so that we can be empowered by the Holy Spirit and live with Him forever (John 1:12).

Verse 28. But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,

The parable of the prodigal son is the last of three lessons centered around lost things. In the first, a foolish sheep wanders away and the shepherd leaves the flock to go find it. When he returns, he invites his friends and neighbors to celebrate (Luke 15:3–7). In the second, a mindless coin is lost. The woman who owns it sweeps her whole house; when she finds it, she, too, invites her friends and neighbors to celebrate (Luke 15:8–10).

In this example, a rebellious son has returned home to repent and finds himself whole-heartedly reconciled with his father. The father invites his servants to celebrate with him. This son, once lost in sin and as good as dead, is found (Luke 15:11–24). Unlike the previous two parables, however, this is not the end of the story. The obedient, well-behaved older brother sees no reason to celebrate. His brother’s actions seem unforgivable and his father’s response seems indefensible. In addition to the cultural shamefulness, it is an insult to all the older son has done for his father (Luke 15:25–27).

Jesus is telling these parables to a group of Pharisees and scribes. They saw Him eating with sinners and tax collectors, and they disapprove: they feel a teacher claiming to speak for God should not associate with sinners (Luke 15:1–2). The parables suggest that the Pharisees would welcome the return of those who foolishly or unknowingly broke the Jewish law, but not those who did so willfully and rebelliously, even if they repented. The angels in heaven may celebrate with God, but not these religious leaders.

The religious leaders, like the older son, forget their place. It is the father’s choice to accept his lost son back. It is his honor and dignity at risk. Even so, the father wishes to reconcile the two brothers. Jesus does this for us, too. Although this is not the message of the parable, Jesus’ sacrifice reconciles us with God, but it also reconciles us with each other—in particular, Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:11–21), “that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Ephesians 2:15–16).

The father goes out to the son and implores him to come in. The father is not unaware of his older son nor dismissive of him. As he pursued the younger son returning toward home (Luke 15:20), he pursues his older son.

Verse 29. but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.

Jesus continues the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–12). The father has come outside to the older son to try to convince him to join the celebration (Luke 15:25–28).

The story turns ironic. The younger son, having returned home in repentance after disgracing his family, is inside the home, enjoying a party (Luke 15:22–24). The elder son, who has remained with his father, slaving for him, is now feeling like an outsider. He is resentful that the father has made such extravagant fuss over his wayward brother (Luke 15:30), while the obedient son has been given nothing to celebrate with his friends. By making this comparison, he reveals that he doesn’t really understand what is going on.

The celebration isn’t about the younger son. It isn’t in honor of his newfound humility or even his return to his father. The celebration is an invitation into the outpouring of the father’s joy. True, the father has given a ring and the best robe to the younger son, but that too comes from the father’s joy, not any honor the younger son deserves. The father is inviting the older son to join in his joy; how could a “celebration” with a mere goat amongst friends compare?

“Served” is from the Greek root word douleuō, forming terms related to slaves and slavery. Whether dramatically or sincerely, the older son claims his father is treating him as a slave, not a son. He doesn’t seem to remember that whatever work he accomplishes builds his own inheritance (Luke 15:31).

Verse 30. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’

Scripture doesn’t give one single motive for the older son’s anger (Luke 15:25–28). It may be because he toiled for his father’s estate for years while his brother was shamefully spending his inheritance (Luke 15:11–13). Perhaps it’s because the father has killed an expensive, reserved animal for his brother but never thought to give him a goat to enjoy with his friends (Luke 15:29). Or it may be because the father so readily accepted the younger brother back and so easily dismissed his dishonorable actions (Luke 15:11–29). Likely, it’s all these complaints and more. In short, the older son feels that the father has rewarded the wrong son.

What the older brother fails to see is that the father considers him closer than he realizes. He is not slaving for his father’s estate; he is building his own. The father didn’t kill the fatted calf for his younger son; he killed it for himself—and the older brother—to celebrate their family’s restoration. The older brother uses “this son of yours,” denying all personal connection. The father wants him to see that the brother’s return is a blessing for the whole family, which the older son will one day lead (Luke 15:31).

Jesus sees the same attitude in the Pharisees and scribes who criticize Him for eating with tax collectors and sinners (Luke 15:1–2). They don’t see that the repentance of sinful Jews and their restoration to their heavenly Father is a win for all Jews. Their territorial display is not helpful. It’s no wonder the Pharisees who become Christians have a difficult time accepting Gentiles into the church (Acts 15).

Verse 31. And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

The prodigal son (Luke 15:11–13) has returned in humble repentance (Luke 15:21). The father has forgiven him and restored his relationship. In celebration, the father has provided a grand feast with music and dancing (Luke 15:24). The older brother is livid. Why should this shameful son receive such a celebration when he has worked so faithfully—like a slave—for his father (Luke 15:25–30)?

He doesn’t see that the celebration is not for the younger brother. It is for the father. The father is filled with joy and invites others into his joy. But the father also doesn’t see a functional distinction between himself and the older brother. “All that is mine is yours.” That certainly includes the estate; the younger brother has already wasted his part. All the work the older brother does will come back to him upon his father’s death.

As the heir, all that belongs to the father is his. This includes the reclamation of the wayward brother and the restoration of the family. It should also include the joy that overflows into a desire to invite others to celebrate.

Jesus is speaking these words to devout religious leaders, experts in the Mosaic and rabbinic laws. They are heirs of the kingdom of God. They are the ones who strive to keep a good relationship with God through work and obedience. What they miss is the loving, gracious character of God. If they could adopt God’s character as their own, they would celebrate the repentance of the tax collectors and sinners with Jesus (Luke 15:1–2).

Verse 32. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

The father of the prodigal son is explaining to his older son why he is celebrating the return of a rebellious, disrespectful brother (Luke 15:11–31). In parallel, Jesus is explaining to a group of Pharisees and experts in the law why He chooses to dine with sinners and tax collectors (Luke 15:1–2). God’s response to us when we repent isn’t just forgiveness and an accountant-like reconciliation of the debts of our sin. It’s joy and celebration and acceptance and an enthusiastic welcome back into the family (Luke 15:7, 10).

Those who stayed faithful to God are invited to celebrate the return of the lost, but they must realize an important truth: it’s not about them. Their loyalty has nothing to do with God’s choice to forgive and reconcile with the repentant sinner. God’s forgiveness does not cheapen the steady service of a religious leader, and that steady service has no bearing on the forgiveness of a rebel. As Jesus explains in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, God is free to bless His people as He sees fit (Matthew 20:1–16). The gift of salvation is so far out of human reach that there is no eternal difference between a “good” person and a “bad” person; all have sinned and deserve death (Romans 3:23; 6:23). The difference is in the life lived. It is a blessing to live a life faithful to God and stay in fellowship with Him. We should celebrate when others get the chance to join us.

This ends the three parables tied to the idea of lost things. Next is another section on Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom of God covering both those who choose to live in it and those who don’t (Luke 16:1—17:10). It begins with the parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16:1–9).

End of Chapter 15.

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