Luke 15:11–32
The Prodigal Son
The big idea
There are two ways to leave a father — and the parable ends with the respectable son still outside.
Context you need before you preach it
Chapter 15 opens with Pharisees complaining that Jesus receives sinners and eats with them. All three parables in the chapter answer that complaint, so the elder brother is not an appendix — he is the point of the whole thing.
The younger son's request for his inheritance amounts to wishing his father dead. The father grants it, which would have been read as extraordinary and probably foolish.
The outline
A request that means "I wish you were dead"
vv. 11–16Establish how offensive this is. And note the father gives it — the freedom to leave is real.
He came to himself
vv. 17–20aRead his rehearsed speech carefully. It includes "make me as one of your hired servants" — he is still negotiating terms.
The father runs
vv. 20b–24Sees him far off, so he was watching. Runs, which cost dignity. And the prepared speech never gets finished — the hired-servant line is cut off by a call for the robe.
The son who never left and never came in
vv. 25–32The parable ends unresolved, with the father outside pleading and the elder brother refusing. Jesus leaves it open because his audience is the elder brother.
Application
- Both sons wanted the father's things rather than the father. One took them and left; one stayed and earned.
- Grace interrupts the prepared speech. You cannot negotiate terms with someone already calling for a robe.
- The parable has no ending on purpose. The Pharisees were being invited to write it.
Where preachers go wrong on this text
- Stopping at verse 24. Preaching only the younger son gets the story exactly backwards relative to its audience.
- Making the elder brother a minor character. He is the target.
- Calling it "the prodigal son" without noting that the father is arguably the main figure in all three parables of the chapter.
Other ways to structure it
The outline above is one defensible reading, not the only one. If it does not fit the congregation in front of you, these are legitimate alternatives:
- Preach the elder brother alone, which most congregations have never heard done.
- Preach all three parables of Luke 15 together, since they answer one complaint.
- Preach it from the father's perspective as a sermon on the cost of loving people who leave.
Illustrations that fit this text
Frequently asked questions
Why does the parable of the prodigal son have no ending?
Because Jesus is telling it to Pharisees who are grumbling that he eats with sinners — they are the elder brother, and the open ending hands them the choice. Resolving it in your sermon removes the pressure the parable was built to apply.
You have preached this passage before
Probably more than once, and the earlier version had a line in it you would want back. Transcribe your sermons and every text you have ever preached becomes searchable by reference — $19/month for as many as you preach, and the first one is free.
More from Luke
Preaching resources for Luke — themes, famous chapters, and background for the whole book.