The Prodigal Son

Luke 15:11–32

Big Idea: Whether you run from God in rebellion or hide from Him in self-righteousness, you need the Father's grace.

Which Son Is Lost?

“Who is the bad guy in the story of the Prodigal Son?”

Most will probably say:

“The younger brother.”

Then ask:

“What if I told you that by the end of the story… both brothers are lost?”

One runs away from his father. The other stays home.

One breaks all the rules. The other follows the rules.

But neither one truly loves his father.

And that's what makes this parable so powerful.

Jesus isn't simply telling us: “Don't be like the younger brother.”

He's showing us two different ways a heart can be far from God.

Read Luke 15:11–32.

Before getting into the story, briefly explain the context from verses 1–2:

Jesus is surrounded by two kinds of people:

Tax collectors and sinners are coming near to Jesus.

But the Pharisees and scribes are complaining:

“This man receives sinners…”

Then Jesus tells three stories about something lost being found.

A lost sheep.

A lost coin.

And finally…

lost sons.

1. The Rebellious Son Runs

Luke 15:11–16

The younger son comes to his father and essentially says:

“Give me my inheritance.”

Think about what he's asking.

Normally you receive an inheritance when your father dies.

So in a sense he's saying:

“Dad, I want what you can give me. I just don't want you.”

That's the heart of sin.

Sin isn't just: “I broke God's rules.”

At its deepest level, sin says:

“God, I want what you have created but I don’t want You.”

He Leaves

Verse 13 says he gathers everything and travels to a distant country.

There he wastes everything in reckless living.

At first, life probably seemed amazing.

Freedom. Money.

No father telling him what to do. He could live however he wanted.

But eventually…the money runs out.

Then a famine comes. And suddenly his “freedom” doesn't feel very free.

The Pigpen v 15

Eventually he takes a job feeding pigs.

For Jesus' Jewish audience, this would have sounded humiliating because pigs were ceremonially unclean animals.

And he's so hungry that even the pigs' food looks good.

Jesus is showing how far this boy has fallen.

He wanted freedom from his father.

Instead, he became a slave to his circumstances.

Illustration — The Fish

Imagine a fish saying:

“I'm tired of this water. Water has too many rules. I want freedom!”

So it jumps onto the shore.

For about three seconds it might think:

“I'm finally free!”

But the water wasn't restricting the fish.

The water was where the fish was designed to live.

God's commands aren't designed to keep us from life.

They're given by the God who created us and knows what life is for.

Sin promises freedom. But eventually it enslaves.

Teen Application

You may not move to another country.

But you can run from God while sitting in youth group.

You can say:

“God, I want friends, but I don't want You telling me which friendships are healthy.”

“I want relationships, but I don't want Your boundaries.”

“I want my life, but I don't want Your authority.”

You can want God's blessings while rejecting God Himself.

Teen Truth: Sin promises freedom from God but eventually leaves us empty.

2. The Repentant Son Returns

Luke 15:17–24

Then something changes.

Verse 17: “But when he came to himself…”

He finally sees his situation clearly. He remembers his father's house.

Even his father's servants have food.

So he decides: “I will arise and go to my father.”

That's repentance. Repentance isn't simply: “I feel bad.”

It's recognizing: “I've been going the wrong direction.” And turning around.

His Confession

Notice what he plans to say:

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.”

He doesn't blame his friends.

He doesn't blame the famine.

He doesn't say:

“I've just been going through some stuff.”

He says: “I have sinned.”

That's genuine/real repentance.

But Then Comes the Shocking Part

Verse 20: “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him…”

And what does the father do? He runs.

In that culture, a dignified older man wouldn't normally pull up his robes and sprint through town.

But this father doesn't care about looking dignified.

He runs toward his son. He embraces him. He kisses him.

The son begins his speech:

“Father, I have sinned…”

But notice something. He never gets to offer himself as a hired servant.

The father interrupts.

“Bring quickly the best robe…”

“Put a ring on his hand…”

“Shoes on his feet…”

“Bring the fattened calf…”

The father isn't saying: “We'll see if you can earn your way back.”

He's saying: “You're my son.”

Illustration — The Dirty Jersey

Imagine you've been playing soccer in pouring rain.

You're covered in mud.

Then someone gives you a perfectly clean white jersey.

You might say:

“Wait! Let me clean myself first!”

But that's impossible.

You're filthy.

The clean jersey has to be given to you.

That's grace.

We don't clean ourselves up and then come to God. We come as sinners.

And God receives everyone who comes to Him through Christ.

Don't Miss Verse 24

“For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”

That's salvation language.

Dead → alive.

Lost → found.

And then: They celebrate.

Why?

Because God rejoices when sinners repent.

Teen Truth: You don't have to clean yourself up before coming to God. Come to Him in repentance and faith.

But the Story Isn't Over

If Jesus ended at verse 24, we'd have a beautiful story.

But He doesn't.

There's another son.

And this son might actually be more dangerous because he doesn't realize he's lost.

3. The Religious Son Resents

Luke 15:25–32

The older brother hears music.

He asks: “What's happening?”

They tell him: “Your brother came home!”

You would expect: “My brother is alive?!”

Instead…

he becomes angry.

He refuses to enter the celebration.

So once again…

The father goes outside.

Don't miss that. The father ran toward the rebellious younger son.

Now he goes out and pleads with the self-righteous older son.

The father pursues both.

Listen to the Older Brother

Verse 29: “Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command…”

Basically: “Dad, I've been good!”

Then: “Yet you never gave me a young goat…”

Now we see his heart.

The younger brother said: “Give me my inheritance.”

The older brother essentially says: “Where's my reward?”

Different behavior. Same heart.

Both sons wanted what the father could give them more than they wanted the father.

One tried to get it by breaking the rules.

The other tried to get it by keeping the rules.

This Is Huge for Church Kids

You can:

Go to church.

Attend youth group.

Know Bible verses.

Avoid drinking.

Avoid drugs.

Behave better than your friends.

And still have a heart far from God.

Because Christianity isn't:

“I'm a good person, so God owes me.”

That's self-righteousness.

Illustration — Two Ways to Miss the Target

Imagine we're traveling to New York.

One person drives south toward Florida.

Obviously wrong direction.

But another person drives north toward Canada.

They're going a completely different direction…

but they're still not going to New York.

That's these brothers.

Their lives look completely different.

But both are separated from the father.

Teen Application

Some teens identify with the younger brother: “I don't care what God says.”

Others identify with the older brother: “I'm not like those bad kids.”

Be careful.

You don't get into God's kingdom because you're better behaved than somebody else.

Teen Truth: You can rebel against God by breaking His rules, or you can rebel against God by trusting in your rule-keeping.

THE GOSPEL

Now bring the entire story together.

There are two lost sons.

The rebellious son needs grace.

The religious son needs grace.

And so do we.

Some of us need to repent of obvious sins.

Others need to repent of believing: “I'm a pretty good person.”

Neither can save you.

But there's something else beautiful about this story.

The younger brother needed someone who would bring him home.

And ultimately, that's what Jesus came to do.

Jesus is the truly obedient Son.

Unlike the younger brother, He never rebelled against His Father.

Unlike the older brother, He obeyed without self-righteousness or resentment.

Jesus perfectly loved and obeyed the Father.

Then He went to the cross for rebellious sinners and self-righteous sinners.

He took our judgment.

He died.

He rose again.

And now He welcomes sinners who repent and trust in Him.

APPLICATION

I'd give them three questions and slow down here.

1. Am I running from God?

Maybe there's an area where you're saying:

“God, stay out of this part of my life.”

Your relationships.

Your phone.

Your sexuality.

Your friendships.

Your future.

Come home.

2. Am I trying to earn God's love?

Maybe you're thinking:

“I'm a good kid.”

“I go to church.”

“I'm better than those people.”

That's older-brother thinking.

You need grace just as much as everyone else.

3. Do I actually love God or just what He gives me?

That's the question both brothers expose.

Do I want God?

Or do I simply want:

His blessings?

Heaven?

A good life?

Protection?

Ask yourself: “If God gave me nothing else, would Christ Himself be enough?”