The Parable of the Lost Son(s)

Parable of the Lost Son should actually be called “Parable of the Lost Sons”

Introduce: The Son in this Parable most people don’t talk about!

The Tony Evans Bible Commentary B. Discipleship and Opposition (12:1–15:32)

The story opens on a man with two sons (15:11). As we’ll see, they were both legitimate sons, but neither were experiencing intimacy with their father. The younger of the two had become tired of the restrictions of living at home. He wanted to spread his wings; he wanted his freedom. So he asked his father to give him his portion of the inheritance. It would not be normal, of course, for a father to divide his estate before his death. But this one did it (15:12). In requesting his inheritance, it was tantamount to wishing his father were dead. The younger son was thus independent, unencumbered, and well-funded. And it soon became clear why he wanted to leave: He squandered his estate in foolish living (15:13). You can always find out what a person cares about when you look at how he spends his money. A person’s heart is revealed by his credit card statement. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (12:34).

15:14–16 Then the bottom fell out. When all his money was gone, a severe famine struck that country (15:14). The young man became so desperate that he accepted a job feeding pigs (15:15). Don’t miss that. This is a Jewish man accepting a job to feed unclean animals. Furthermore, he had nothing to eat: He longed to eat his fill from the pods that the pigs were eating. The “pods” were carob pods, the fruit of the carob tree, which were used to feed animals. Since no one gave him anything to eat (15:16), the pigs were doing better than he was. His newly acquired “freedom” had come at a high cost.

15:17–19 Then he came to his senses. Sometimes God lets us experience a tremendous fall because that’s what it takes to open our eyes. It took life on a pig farm to bring this young man to his senses. He finally saw things as they really were and realized he should never have left home. His father’s hired workers were doing better than he was (15:17). So he resolved to return, confess his sin against God and his father, declare his unworthiness, and ask to be treated like the hired help (15:18–19).

15:20–22 While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him. What does that imply? The father had been looking for him. When he saw his son, he was overwhelmed with compassion, ran to him, and embraced him (15:20). The son tried to say his rehearsed confession, but the father cut him off, commanding his servants to dress his boy with a robe, a ring, and sandals (15:21–22).

That’s a beautiful picture of salvation and the restoration of erring saints. A destitute sinner comes to a holy God in repentance and faith with nothing to offer but desperate need. God the Father responds with love and compassion, granting the sinner all the privileges of sonship in the family and showers him with blessings—“every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ” (

We have to be very careful when we take an assessment of ourselves. We have to be able to tell ourselves the truth. Do we know the truth? Can we recognize the truth? People that have grown up being “good people, and not doing people wrong, relative to what is good amongst us” or that have grown up in church; can lose sight of their need for Jesus because of what they do/how they are!! That is so dangerous!

The Second son had been there all along. In the “ministry” if you will. Hustling, with the father, going through the motions, following direction, not breaking the rules, or “commands”, being exactly, on the outside, what the father wanted/needed him to be. However, he was not transformed, he was not renewed in the mind and on the inside therefore missing the boat!

What good is it to do all the things you were supposed to do (except believe) just to hear, “away from me you evil doers I never knew you”. Paul says, what good is it for you to conquer the whole world yet forfeit your soul!

We have people in this Church that have been going to church all their lives, had great examples for parents, were drug to church as kids, kept it all going into adulthood, exude good Christian discipline (to the human eye), yet they are rude, sharp with other people, extremely judgmental, treat other people like they’re stupid, and/or look for opportunities to chastise people for whatever mistake they might make. Walking around here with some holier than thou attitude, and a sour face to go along with that sorry attitude!! (if you’re that person then you’re the second son) Never lost like the first son, i.e. gone in their transgressions, but certainly lost in spirit

Matthew 8:28–33 “And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.”

Acts 19:11–20 “And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.”

Here’s the crazy part for those of us who might find ourselves relating to the second son...

Those demon possessed men recognized Jesus immediately. The one dealing with the 7 sons of Sceva said he knew Jesus and could recognize Him!! This is why he said “but who are you?” because he did not recognize Jesus in them!!

The demons recognized Jesus right away; but the men of scripture, good church going people (Pharisees, and the Sadducees, scribes, and teachers of the law) couldn’t recognize Him at all!!! Even, as he stood right in front of them proving through miracles and signs and SCRIPTURE that He was indeed the Christ!

Which Son are you? Both are lost and both need Jesus!!

Invitation