Luke 15:11–32
Sermon on the Prodigal Son: The Father Who Runs
"But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
— Luke 15:20 (KJV)
Big Idea
The parable is not primarily about a wayward son — it is about a Father whose grace runs to meet the runaway and whose love also pursues the resentful elder brother.
Context
Jesus tells this parable in answer to Pharisees murmuring that He receives sinners. It is the third of three parables — lost sheep, lost coin, lost sons — where the joy of the finder is the climax.
Expository Outline (verse-by-verse)
1. The Younger Son Runs Away (v. 11–16)
- •Asking for the inheritance was equivalent to wishing the father dead.
- •'Wasted his substance with riotous living' — the freedom of sin is always followed by famine.
- •Pigs and pig food — for a Jewish hearer, the rock bottom of Gentile defilement.
2. The Younger Son Comes Home (v. 17–19)
- •'When he came to himself' — sin makes us not ourselves.
- •He rehearses a confession before he reaches the father.
- •He aims for the lowest place — 'make me as one of thy hired servants.'
3. The Father Runs to Meet Him (v. 20–24)
- •A middle-eastern patriarch did not run — it was beneath his dignity. Grace breaks decorum.
- •Robe, ring, shoes, feast — every gift is restoration, not probation.
- •'This my son was dead, and is alive again' — the gospel in nine words.
4. The Elder Brother Pouts Outside (v. 25–32)
- •He is just as far from the father — only at a different address.
- •His sin is self-righteousness, the harder sin to repent of.
- •The parable ends without resolution — the Pharisees must finish the story themselves.
Topical Outline (one big idea)
1. Two Ways to Be Lost
- •Run away in rebellion (the younger son).
- •Stay home in resentment (the elder son).
- •Both miss the father's heart; only one knows it.
2. What This Parable Reveals About God
- •He scans the horizon for runaways.
- •He restores instead of probates.
- •He pleads even with the bitter.
Cross-references
- Luke 15:1-7 — The lost sheep — joy in heaven over one sinner.
- Luke 15:8-10 — The lost coin — diligent search for the lost.
- 1 Timothy 1:15 — Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
- Romans 5:8 — While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
- Ezekiel 18:23 — God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
Illustrations
- "Tim Keller called this 'the parable of the two lost sons.' Most churches are full of elder brothers who don't know they're lost."
- "A father in our church once told me he stood at the airport for years every weekend, just hoping. When his son finally walked through arrivals, he ran. The whole terminal stared. He didn't care."
- "Rembrandt's painting 'Return of the Prodigal Son' shows the father's two hands on the son's back — one strong, one tender. Father and mother in one embrace."
Application questions
- Are you the younger brother — far from God in rebellion? Today is the day to come home.
- Are you the elder brother — close in body, far in heart? The Father is pleading with you outside the party.
- Whose return have you stopped scanning the horizon for? Will you start watching again?
Closing prayer
Father, we have all been the younger son in our rebellion and the elder son in our pride. Today we come home. Run to meet us. Put the robe on us. Bring us into the feast. And give us hearts that throw the door open for every runaway You are bringing back. In Jesus' name, amen.