Two Ways to be Lost
Two Ways to Be Lost
Luke 15:11-32
March 30, 2025
Pastor Scott Skones
There are very few stories in scripture as well known as our text for today. It is a story that almost every Christian could explain to you and one that is well-known even by many who do not consider themselves to be Christians.
One of my favorite theologians called this parable, “The crown of all parables.”
Alongside the parable of the Good Samaritan, I can’t think of any of Jesus’ stories that convey as much emotion and meaning as what has become known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
It has often been the inspiration of artists, attempting to capture that emotion and substance in visual form.
Pompeo Batoni, who painted in Italy in the 1700s, focused on the moment when the father welcomed his son home.
Or there’s the work of Drolling the Elder, a French painter who captured the love of the father and the reaction of the older brother on the right side of the painting.
The British painter John Macallan Swan painted his version of the moment that the son comes to his senses while still in the far country.
Perhaps the most famous is Rembrandt’s painting of the father embracing his son.
For more information on Charlie Mackesy and his work, visit: https://www.charliemackesy.com/
And then, finally, one of my favorites from the present era – British artist Charlie Mackesy has a series of prodigal son and prodigal daughter works that are just stunning.
But one of the challenges of a well-known story is that we come in with preconceived ideas. Many of us have heard dozens of sermons on this very parable. In our minds, we assume we know it. And so it can be easy to just sort of disengage. But I would remind you that God’s word is alive. It is living and active.
What does that mean? I’ll never forget the first time I saw the view of Painted Canyon in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It was almost breathtaking. It’s one of those views that you could stare at for hours.
But now, living close by, when we drive by I’ll still make sure to look, but it’s not with the same awe. Why? Because the view hasn’t really changed, and I’ve grown accustomed to it.
But if you slow down and look, you’ll notice that every time you’re there, the light is at a little different angle, illuminating different details. Sometimes it’s more green and sometimes it’s more brown. If you’re there shortly after rain, the hues in the soil will be entirely different than if it’s really dry.
That same thing can happen with particular parts of God’s word that we are accustomed to. That we know well. We can forget to slow down, put the car in park, and take a walk so that we can breathe in the details and meditate upon the beauty of the text.
God’s word doesn’t change, but it is alive. These words are not like all other types of literature. They are living.
Not only that, but you have changed since the last time you read them. You are a different person than you were the last time you heard a sermon from Luke 15. Your understanding of God and his heart and his grace is different. Your struggles are different. Your heart is, perhaps, softer. Or, on the contrary, your heart might be more calloused. You might be closer to the Lord than you were the last time you heard these words – or, you might feel like you’re in a spiritual far country.
And so my encouragement to you today is to forget for just a moment all that you think you know about this famous parable – and let God’s word speak to your heart today.
And so I want to pray and ask for God’s help to do that, and then we will read our text.
God, your word is true and it is good and it is alive. Help us to set aside our preconceived notions of the text today and we pray that you would speak. Give us fresh eyes and receptive hearts to hear what you are saying through your word – especially when it comes out how we understand you, ourselves, and our neighbors. And give us faith to believe. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
I invite you to stand as I read our text for today:
Luke 15:11-32
“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.’”
Here ends the reading of God’s word. You may be seated.
It might be helpful for us to take a moment to consider what prompts the story that Jesus tells. And, first, it’s important to notice that Luke 15 in its entirety is one collection of three different parables. The Prodigal Son is the longest of the three, but it is preceded by the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin.
Three parables taught one right after another. But, what is it that leads Jesus to teach this collection of stories? We find the answer in the first two verses of Luke chapter 15.
Luke 15:1-2 - “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Jesus shares these three parables because the tax collectors and sinners were flocking to hear him speak. The phrase “tax collectors and sinners” is one that the Gospels use to describe those undesirable members of society that the Jews tended to look down upon and despise.
And the Pharisees and teachers of the law – those respected Jewish religious leaders – make note of this and it says they mutter, or they grumble that Jesus WELCOMES sinners and eats with them. Think about that. As Jesus goes about his ministry, he isn’t just KIND to sinners, he shares a meal with them. It signifies a deeper level of fellowship and connection.
There is a difference between being cordial with someone that you meet on the street and sharing a meal with them.
As we just heard during our time in Leviticus, the Jews were subject to many regulations and laws regarding food. And so to share a meal with a sinner likely meant that you might become unclean at some point.
They are just astounded and angered that Jesus seemed to care more about the PEOPLE than he did about how this looked.
It is the grumbling and complaining and judgmental comments from the Jewish religious leaders that prompt this collection of three stories that reveal the loving heart of God as clearly as anything that we read in Holy Scripture.
I also want to discuss one other thing quickly as we get into the text, and that’s the meaning of the word “prodigal.”
We don’t really use this word other than as it relates to this particular story, and so many people have a skewed understanding of what it means.
The word prodigal means “wasteful” or “lavish” or “reckless.” Referring to the son wasting his inheritance.
As we look at this story, it might be worth asking who the real prodigal in the story was. Which character in the story was most lavish?
Well, today we are going to make note of three particular things that we learn from the parable.
1 - The parable teaches us that the quest for worldly freedom often ends in slavery.
I’m not sure if that’s an observation that most of us would notice on first reading of this parable, but think about it.
V. 13 - “The younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country…”
The son asks for his share of the inheritance, gathers everything he owns, and sets off in search of a new life. We don’t get a lot of details, but the implication is that he was done with his dad and the rest of the family. He wanted to be independent. He wanted to establish his own life. He wanted to be free.
But his version of “freedom” was the version offered by this world. Do what you want. March to the beat of your own drum. Don’t conform to social norms. Throw off the heavy burdens of religious, moral, and cultural expectations. Carve out a life for yourself where the only thing that matters is you. Be your own person. You do you. Do what makes you happy. Focus on yourself first.
This is the popular religion of our culture. And it always has been.
And like so many both before and since, this son sets off in search of himself and the kind of life that he wants to live.
But he quickly discovers that his quest for freedom ended in slavery. Rather than living his best life, he wakes up one day with nothing to his name and his only option is to get hired as a ranch hand. Starving, he found that even the food that the pigs were fed was appetizing.
Think about this path that he was on. From the good life when he was home with his father, to longing to eat pig food.
Maybe some of you have discovered that lesson – have walked that journey. You set out in search of freedom, but you find that the freedom that this world offers is fraudulent. It doesn’t deliver what it promises. And it leads to slavery.
We weren’t made for freedom in the way that our world defines it. And it very rarely ends in joy and satisfaction.
For example, Our world teaches that marriage and children are a burden that can hold you back from discovering yourself and growing in your career. But consistently the happiest and most content people are those who have been married for a long time and who have children.
Worldly freedom is fraudulent and often leads to slavery.
What else does this parable teach us?
2 - The parable teaches us that the heart of God is inclined toward sinners.
This point, of course, goes back to the purpose of this collection of parables in the first place. The accusation was that Jesus’ decision to associate with sinners, and especially to eat with them, was scandalous.
We saw in verses 1 and 2 a parallel comparison. In verse 1, the tax collectors and sinners “draw near” to Jesus. They gather around him. They are drawn to him.
And then compare or contrast that with the parallel in verse 2. The religious leaders stand back and mutter and grumble.
Consider those differing postures. Sinners come near, those who think they AREN’T sinners, stand back and observe him skeptically from a distance.
And then Jesus tells the three parables that illustrate clearly that God’s heart is inclined toward sinners.
There’s another parallel in the text that shows us this as well – this time the parallel between the heart of the Older Brother and the heart of the Father.
Think about how Jesus describes the heart of the older brother in the parable: The older brother was focused on fairness and justice. He was making a case for the things that HE had done. And how the Father’s excitement over the younger brother was unfair and reckless.
The older brother was focused on fairness and justice while the Father was focused on the person.
In other words, God isn’t repelled by sinners. Does sin grieve God? Of course. Does God desire obedience rather than sin? Certainly! But God isn’t repelled by sinners. His heart is inclined toward the sinner.
This is good news for a couple of reasons. First, because you are the sinner. Whether you know it or not, you don’t have an ounce of moral or behavioral credibility on which to stand in the presence of a perfect and holy God.
And the second reason that it’s good news is that it actually sets you free if you believe it. It sets you free from being the obedience police. You don’t have to be the morality referee. You don’t have to be the sin watchdog.
Why? Because the father’s heart is inclined toward sinners. He knows it all. He’s not naive and gullible. He doesn’t need your watchful eye pointing out the sins of others so that his grace doesn’t get taken advantage of. He knows. And he chooses to pour out his mercy upon sinners. He chooses to be prodigal with his grace. His heart is inclined toward sinners.
And as you grow in your faith, his desire is that your heart is increasingly inclined toward sinners as well.
We often have this perception that the more people grow spiritually, the more we are supposed to be easily offended by sin. Like if we are really loving Jesus more we have to put on this show of being repulsed by sin.
That’s not what Jesus did. True spiritual maturity means that when you see someone's sin, your heart is moved even further in their direction – inclined more acutely toward them. Why? Because that's how the Father responded. Because that’s who Jesus is.
I had a situation not all that long ago where I was visiting with someone and they dropped the F-Bomb – and then quickly realized what they just said in front of the pastor and got embarrassed and apologized. And I said, "Man, I’m way more offended by the person who thinks I would judge them for letting me see the real them than I am by a word that slips out in conversation."
You see, I’ve discovered that the more that I am learning about God’s grace and the heart of our Heavenly Father for sinners – the more that I’m refreshed by people who don’t pretend – and the more that I’m exhausted by people who try to impress others with their righteousness.
And I pray that God continues that work in me and in you. Inclining our hearts toward sinners – just like his.
Well, there’s one more thing for us to notice about Luke 15.
3 - The parable teaches us that there are two ways to be lost.
Notice how the parable ends. Verse 32. It ends with the loving father leaving the party to talk to the principled and cautious older brother. The father reiterates his love for the older brother but refuses to apologize for throwing a party. In fact, he doubles down. He says “WE HAD TO CELEBRATE because your brother was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found.”
Fade the lights.
Lower the curtain.
The end.
And that’s a fascinating way to end the parable. Why? Because it leaves us in great tension. Did the brother ever go to the party or not? Did he persist in his anger and jealousy? Did he keep stomping his feet about fairness?
And what you discover when you follow the emotional journey of the parable is that there wasn’t just ONE lost son. There were two. Two lost sons. Two ways to be lost. Both sons needed to return to their father.
I want you to think about the certainty that Jesus gives in the parable. We KNOW That the rebellious, wasteful, immoral younger son was reconciled with the father. We know that their relationship was fine.
But did the older brother ever reconcile with the father? Was his heart ever softened? Did he ever repent of his sin? We don’t really know. Jesus doesn’t resolve that. He makes it clear that the younger brother was restored and forgiven. We don’t have the same clarity about the older brother.
Perhaps the reason for that is that Jesus knew that we would be wrestling with this passage today – and that we need to consider whether we might be that older brother. Whether we might be more concerned with fairness than with people. Whether we might be trusting in all of the things we have done – in the good life that we have put together for ourselves, than we are in God’s grace to us.
Tim Keller, who has been a huge influence on me, reflected on the older brother. He identified a handful of characteristics of the older brother’s heart. I’m going to share just a few this morning briefly.
Elder brothers engage in Joyless Mechanical Obedience.
Elder brothers see other lost people as the enemy.
Elder brothers suffer from a deep lack of assurance in the father’s love.
Do you see any of those in your life today? Maybe you’ve been living a pretty good life. A life that most would call a life of obedience to God. But it’s joyless. Mechanical. It’s not true heartfelt obedience out of deep love for God.
Maybe you’ve noticed that you see people who are far from God – people wandering in the far country – as the enemy. Jesus certainly didn’t see them that way.
Or maybe you, like the older brother, just doubt the father’s love. “Look at all I’ve done for you, God. Where’s my goat? Where’s my celebration?” Those are the words of a doubter. Of someone who doesn’t think that the father really loves him. If he was secure in the father’s love, he would understand. If his heart was like his father’s heart, he would be inside with a drink in his hand celebrating the new life of his brother.
But instead, because he lacks the assurance of his father’s love, he can’t bring himself to go in.
And why does he lack that assurance? Because he’s lost! Because he’s assuming that his father's love is earned and deserved. Because he thinks he can work his way into his father’s good graces.
When the Gospel is preached with clarity, people who are trusting in their own performance get uncomfortable and angry, but sinners get intrigued.
Both sons took issue with their father regarding how he made use of his possessions. The younger son wanted his share now. The older son thought he had the right to criticize the father’s wastefulness.
The irony is that the older son accuses the FATHER of being prodigal, and wasteful.
And in a way he’s right. Who was the real prodigal in the story? Who was MOST lavish? It was the father.
He didn’t ask for repayment. He didn’t even ask for an explanation. As soon as he saw his son, he restored him to his rightful place as a son. He covered him in a robe of forgiveness. And he threw a party. The same son who took half of the estate and wasted it was restored and welcomed back and given a ring and a robe.
The key to the Father’s kingdom is unworthiness, not worthiness. Let me say that again: The key to the Father’s kingdom is unworthiness, not worthiness.
I showed you earlier a painting from British Artist Charlie Mackesy, and I mentioned that he has a series of works related to our Parable for today. I want to show you one of those now.
For more information on Charlie Mackesy and his work, visit: https://www.charliemackesy.com/
This is of course a depiction of the loving father embracing his son who was lost but now is found.
But I want to read for you what the artist wrote on the background of this painting.
It says, “This is the moment in the story of the prodigal son - when the trembling apologies and prepared speeches of the boy were hushed by the father who hugged him and held him and kissed him.”
This is the heart of the father. For BOTH kinds of prodigals. For by types of lost sons.
If you have been in the far country, let your father embrace you. And if you have been pouting outside, let your father embrace you. You and your brother are exactly the same. You are both lost.
There was a Swedish pastor and author who died in 1998 by the name of Bo Giertz.
Giertz wrote a novel titled “Faith Alone” that tells the story of two brothers who both were training for ministry.
One of the brothers, a man named Anders, was struggling with his faith and had lost his ministry calling. And there is a portion of the book in which a wise advisor gives him some spiritual clarity:
“Anders, it is not your sins that separate you from God, but your virtues. Or more properly: it is that you need to have something to bring before you step before God. This is why God has allowed you to be stripped of the shroud of holiness that you wore in Fröjerum [[ Fruh-yur-um]]. Not because you were zealous and pious. God grant that all priests would be as zealous as you! But because you made it into an article of faith and into your righteousness and put it between you and Christ. Now you are poor, destitute, and naked—like the prodigal son. Now the heavenly Father stands and waits for you. Now he wants to fold you in his arms and clothe you with the most precious garment, which is called Christ’s righteousness, in which not a single thread is spun by your hands, but for just that reason it lasts forever.” ― Bo Giertz, Faith Alone: The Heart of Everything
It is not your sins that separate you from God, but your virtues.
That is the story of the older brother, isn’t it? What separated the older brother from his father WASN’T immorality or other sins that we would categorize as big. It was his virtue. His hard-working nature. His “obedience.” His list of accomplishments and successes.
He misunderstood the father because he thought that he could do enough to merit the father’s love. But the father’s love is always a gift and never an obligation. It’s always freely given and can never be bought or bartered for.
And notice what Giertz says about the robe. When we come to God, poor, destitute, naked – like the prodigal son – knowing we have nothing to offer. What do we receive?
“He wants to fold you in his arms and clothe you with the most precious garment, which is called Christ’s righteousness, in which not a single thread is spun by your hands, but just for that reason it lasts forever.”
The clearest presentation of the Gospel in Luke 15 actually comes from the Pharisees themselves in verse 2 when they declare, “This man welcomes sinners…”
And it’s true. He does. Jesus welcomes sinners. And, by faith, clothes them in a robe of his perfect righteousness.
Thanks be to God.
This sermon is offered as a resource by Living Word Lutheran Brethren Fellowship in Dickinson, North Dakota. It has been lightly edited for the website, but the original tone remains unchanged, and no grammatical revisions or style adjustments have been made.