Luke 15:11-32 (NIV)
Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Discussion Questions
The sermon described two paths to being lost — the younger son’s path of self-discovery through rebellion, and the older son’s path of moral conformity through rule-following. Which of those two do you find yourself more naturally drawn toward, and what does that reveal about where you tend to look for identity and worth?
The younger son’s demand for his inheritance was, in that culture, the equivalent of wishing his father dead. Have you ever made a choice that was essentially saying to God, “I want your blessings but not your presence”? What did life look like on the other side of that threshold?
The sermon connected the younger son’s story to Adam and Eve — both left a place of flourishing because they believed God’s boundaries were keeping something good from them. Where in your own life have you chafed against a boundary that was actually meant to protect you?
The older brother never ran away, never wasted his inheritance, never ended up in a pigsty — and yet Jesus presents him as just as lost as his brother. What does that say about the danger of using our obedience as a measuring stick for other people’s worth?
The older brother’s resentment reveals a heart that was serving the father out of obligation rather than love — convinced he had earned what his brother was simply given. Have you ever found yourself in that place, expecting God’s favor as a reward rather than receiving it as a gift?
The Father exposed himself to public shame twice — once when he let the younger son go, and again when he went out to plead with the older son. What does that double exposure tell you about the nature of a love that doesn’t protect its own dignity?
The sermon said the Father “kept watch” — his eyes always scanning the horizon, not knowing if or when his son would return. What does that image of a waiting, watching God mean to you personally, especially in seasons when you’ve felt far from home?
Pastor Dave said new beginnings don’t require going back to the way things were — they just might require one step toward a different future. Is there a relationship or a wound in your life where you’re being invited to take one step toward a new beginning, even if full restoration isn’t possible yet?
The Father’s words to the older son — “You are always with me, and everything I have is yours” — suggest the older son had access to everything he wanted all along, but never asked. What is something you may have been striving for or resenting the lack of that God has actually been offering all along?
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