Luke 15:11–32
11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 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. 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. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to1 one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
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! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 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. 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.’2 22 But the father said to his servants,3 ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 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.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 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. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
1 Greek joined himself to 2 Some manuscripts add treat me as one of your hired servants 3 Or bondservants
Section Overview
In Jesus’ most famous parable, he continues to respond to the accusations of the Pharisees and the scribes. The first two parables of this chapter have been about a lost sheep and a lost coin; this is a parable of two lost sons. Calling this the parable of the “prodigal son” causes us to miss one of the central themes of the parable. The older son represents the Pharisees and scribes; he is also lost and separated from the father even though he lives in the father’s house. The story itself is beautiful and elegant. The father divides his property between his two sons; the younger son leaves home and squanders his inheritance. In his misery the younger son realizes that he would be happier in his father’s house as a servant than living in poverty in a land far from his father. When the son returns to his father, acknowledging his faults, his father receives him with joy and celebration. The older son is indignant upon hearing that his father has prepared a feast for his dissolute younger brother. The father entreats the older son to come to the celebration as well, and the story ends with the question: will the older son come to the party? Or will he continue to stew and sulk in his anger over how the father has treated the younger son? The anger and indignation of the scribes and the Pharisees over the repentance of tax collectors and sinners shows them to be like the older brother.
Section Outline
IV. Galilee to Jerusalem: Discipleship (9:51–19:27) . . .
B. The Journey Continues (13:22–17:10) . . .
3. Jesus Defends Welcoming Sinners (15:1–32) . . .
b. Parable of Two Lost Sons (15:11–32)
Response
True repentance means that we keenly sense that we are unworthy of forgiveness. The Book of Common Prayer (Church of England, 1662) rightly catches this in saying we are “miserable offenders”; the hymn “Amazing Grace” by John Newton likewise speaks of God’s saving a “wretch like me.” Some find the idea that we are unworthy to be discouraging, but such people have a poor understanding of the gospel. We know we understand the gospel when we have a deep and profound sense of our own sin and at the same time know that God loves us. Christ has satisfied the wrath of God and died for our sins. Knowing our sins does not ultimately discourage us but liberates us if such knowledge drives us to the love of God in Christ Jesus.
In this parable the father knows the son is repentant and forgives him. The son cannot merit forgiveness by becoming the father’s servant. Forgiveness is free, though it is never cheap, since it is based on the death of Christ. No matter how far we have wandered from God, we can come back to him. The heart of a Pharisee is full of grumbling and discontent and resentment, and we are like him if we keep God’s commands out of a sense of duty rather than from a heart of joy. The only thing the older son can think of is how his father has not been good to him. We become like the older brother if we go to church and pursue virtue but lack compassion and love for others. We show that we do not understand grace if we become angry when God does not reward us in the way we expect. God does not owe us anything, but he graciously gives us all things we need in Christ Jesus. He is a loving Father who longs for his children to come home. Whether we are like the younger brother or the older brother, the Father entreats us to come home to him.
Greek joined himself to
Some manuscripts add treat me as one of your hired servants
Or bondservants
15:11–12 The response to the complaints of the Pharisees and scribes to Jesus’ eating and welcoming tax collectors and sinners (15:1–2) continues with this parable. Jesus tells a story of a man with two sons. The younger son asks for his part of the inheritance to be given to him. It would be unusual to ask a father for the inheritance, as the request indicates that he wishes his father were dead. No explanation is given as to why the father grants the request, and perhaps this is the wrong question to ask of a parable anyway.
15:13–16 It becomes apparent why the younger son wants his part of the inheritance. He desires to get as far away from his father as possible. He takes all that he owns and moves far away; upon doing so he lives a dissolute life and wastes the entire inheritance (cf. Eph. 5:18; Titus 1:6). We think here of Proverbs 29:3: “A companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.” The younger son finds himself bereft of his money; he has squandered all that he owned. At the same time, a famine strikes the region in which he lives, and he falls utterly destitute. He is desperate to find any means to survive and so finds work caring for pigs; we must recall that pigs were unclean animals for the Jews. The younger brother, it seems, could hardly go any lower. But in fact things do get worse: he has nothing to eat and desires to eat the pods he feeds to the pigs. The younger son stands for the tax collectors and sinners who rejected God’s rule over their lives. They traveled to a far country in that they moved far away from the Lord in their hearts and lives. They lived for the pleasures and joys of this world but found, as life continued, that the things of this world did not bring true or lasting joy. They were not respected in society, and their prospects for the future were bleak.
15:17–19 The younger son is destitute and in danger of death, but he comes to his senses as he considers his situation. He thinks of the servants hired by his father, who have plenty of food, while he is in danger of dying of hunger. The younger brother realizes that the best thing to do would be to go home again. He rehearses what he will say to his father: he will freely acknowledge that he has sinned against God on high and against his father. There are no excuses for his behavior. Indeed, since he has wasted his inheritance, he has no claim to be identified as his father’s son. Still, he would like to be hired among his father’s servants. Some argue that this repentance is not genuine, but such a reading is unconvincing. In addition to his words, his physical return also indicates his repentance (cf. Isa. 55:7; Jer. 3:12; Hos. 14:1–2).
Jesus conveys here the repentance of tax collectors and sinners, those who realize their dire situation before God, decide to come home again, and return to the God they have forsaken. Such people acknowledge that they do not deserve God’s kindness; they have no excuse for the way they have lived, but they seek to return to the family.
15:20 The younger son returns to his father, and even while he is far away his father sees him. Instead of condemning his son, the father is filled with compassion as he sees his son’s condition. The father could legally have the son killed since he has been rebellious, a glutton and a drunkard (Deut. 21:18–21). But he does just the opposite. Older men did not typically run since it was considered undignified, but the father is so filled with joy that he runs to meet his younger son. In embracing his son he echoes Jacob, who “fell on [Joseph’s] neck” (Gen. 46:29) when he was reunited with Joseph after thinking that he had been killed by a wild animal many years earlier. The same expression (“fell on his neck”) is used in Luke 15:20 but is translated “embraced,” conveying the powerful emotion sweeping over the father upon seeing his son. Jacob “wept” when he saw Joseph (Gen. 46:29); here the father kisses his son (15:20). The love of the father in the parable signifies the love of God for returning sinners, indicating that he is compassionate toward those who come to him for forgiveness. Psalm 103:13 conveys well one of the central truths of the parable: “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.” The Pharisees and tax collectors should have the same compassion in their hearts for those who return to God.
15:21–22 The father’s embrace of the son does not deter the son from confessing his unworthiness. He rehearses again the words of Luke 15:18–19, acknowledging that has sinned against God in heaven and against his father and is no longer worthy to be his son. He does not add the words about treating him as a servant (v. 19). The son omits these words not because he no longer believes them but because he is interrupted by his father. What the son says is indeed true: he has sinned grievously, he is not qualified to be his father’s son, and he deserves to be no more than a servant. But the father’s love and grace are truly amazing, as we sing in the hymn “Amazing Grace.” The father clothes the son with his “best robe,” puts a ring on his finger, and provides shoes for his feet (cf. Gen. 41:42).
We should not read the robe here as the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, as if the parable teaches us about the alien righteousness of Christ. Reading the text in this way imposes categories onto the parable that have no textual warrant. At the same time, some misread the parable as if God’s love is received without repentance, but the story emphasizes the repentance of the younger son, and Luke regularly teaches that repentance is necessary for forgiveness (3:3, 8; 5:32; 10:13; 11:32; 13:3, 5; 15:7, 10; 16:30; 24:47). Nor should we read the parable as if it teaches that God’s love saves apart from the cross. We should not expect a parable to teach the whole of Christian theology, and it is illegitimate to demand such from a parable. The parable should not be played off against the storyline of Luke-Acts as a whole, in which the atonement plays a significant role (Luke 22:19–20; Acts 20:28). Those who read imputed righteousness into the story and those who affirm that the parable teaches that forgiveness can be obtained apart from the cross make the same hermeneutical mistake, even though they come from radically different places theologically. They both demand the parable to teach more than is warranted, as if a brief parable contained the entirety of Christian theology.
15:23–24 The father calls for a party as well; the return of his son means that it is time for a celebration. It is time to kill and eat delicious meat—the fattened calf—and to rejoice over his son’s homecoming. The father does not view his son as a hired servant but acknowledges him as “my son.” The father’s joy knows no bounds because his son was dead (cf. Eph. 2:1) but is now alive, was “lost” but now is “found.” We see from this account God’s love for tax collectors and sinners (Luke 15:1–2). The Pharisees and scribes grumble over such people’s inclusion in Jesus’ circle, but instead of grumbling they should be full of joy and celebrate.
15:25–27 The scene shifts to the older brother, who works the field during the day. He is returning from another day of labor, but as he approaches the house he hears music and dancing. Obviously a party, which has not been disclosed to him in advance, is taking place. Thus the older brother summons one of the servants to inquire about what is happening in the house. The servant identifies the person who has returned as “your brother,” telling him that his brother has come back and that his father has sacrificed the fattened calf because the younger son has returned safely.
15:28 The older brother does not rejoice but is upset and filled with righteous indignation, refusing to go to the party. The father does not upbraid the older son but rather entreats him, asking him to join the party. The Pharisees and scribes stand for the older brother. They refuse to rejoice over the repentance of tax collectors and sinners. Instead they are full of self-righteousness, thinking themselves to be far better than such sinful people. Still, Jesus does not abandon them: he speaks to their hearts, inviting them to celebrate as well.
15:29–30 The older son feels aggrieved and cheated by his father. He is the “good son” who always does what the father commands, never violating his instructions. But he feels that the father has not repaid him what he is owed. He has not even been given a “young goat” for a party with his friends. The younger son feels unworthy, but the older son is convinced that he is worthy and that the father has been unfair. He again represents the Pharisees and scribes who are convinced of their righteousness (cf. 18:9–14), who believe God will be impressed with all they have done for him. In other words, they do not feel that they need to repent.
The self-righteousness of the older son flames into view in 15:30. He refuses to call the younger son his brother but identifies him as “this son of yours.” He will not even acknowledge that the younger son is his brother but cuts off all ties with him. We see that the behavior of the younger son has been well known at home, which makes the father’s love and compassion even more striking. The older brother, on the other hand, despises his younger brother. What has happened, he thinks, is unfair since the younger son has eaten up half of the inheritance with prostitutes. He should not be welcomed but ought to be punished. The older brother’s idea of justice includes no forgiveness for past actions—people get what they earn. And yet the father throws a party for the younger son by killing the fattened calf and celebrating because he is no longer dead but alive, no longer lost but found.
15:31–32 The father continues to express his love for his older son. He remonstrates with him, reminding him that they are always together, that their friendship and fellowship have been never threatened. Furthermore, everything the father owns belongs to the older son. In other words, the father deeply loves the older son as well; he has not forgotten or neglected him. Still, the party has (Gk. edei) to go on. The only proper response to the younger son’s return is celebration, for there must be great joy when one who was lost is found and one who was dead comes to life. The parable ends, then, with this question: Will the older brother come to the party? Will the Pharisees and scribes share the same joy of God and angels over the return of tax collectors and sinners? The invitation is open. Jesus invites them to celebrate and enjoy God’s forgiveness as well—the choice is up to them.