Sam's Biblical Insight, Exploring the Word, Faith, Theology, Doctrine, and Christian Life in the Spirit

Text: Luke 15: 11-32

The Prodigal Son parable isn’t just about the lost son—it’s an in-house call to the Church.

1. The Primary Audience

When Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son—better understood as the parable of the two sons—His primary audience was the Jewish community, the chosen people of God. This is crucial: the story is not about outsiders, but family members. Both sons belong to the same father’s household. Their names are written in his family, yet both are estranged in their own way—one in heart, the other in both heart and life.

The two sons reflect the spiritual condition of Israel in Jesus’ day, and by extension, the condition of the Church today:

• The first son (older) represents those who stay within the household of faith but live with cold indifference—outwardly obedient, yet loveless and resentful, with no intimate relationship with the Father. Their faith is lip service, not heart devotion.
• The second son (younger) represents those who belong to God’s family yet live as “unbelieving believers”—bearing the name of the Father, but pursuing life as though He were absent. They are members of the household but live self-centered, estranged, disconnected, and God-ignoring lives.

Both are in the Father’s house, yet both are lost in different ways of estrangement.

This parable, in essence, is an in-house call: a message directed to God’s people—first Israel, then the Church, and even the “other sheep” Jesus spoke of in John 10:16—exposing their true spiritual condition and summoning them back to the Father.

2. Why Did the Second Son Leave?

The text does not tell us directly. Nevertheless, in the first place, it is rare for a son to demand his inheritance early—and even more so to abandon his own family in a family-centered society where he was born and raised. Perhaps the son had become disillusioned and saw no reason to remain, finding little meaning in staying within. And now, to his eye, the grass on the other side looked greener.

The house in the parable points to the covenant community of God: in Jesus’ time, the house of Israel under Judaism; today, the Church. When the house becomes lifeless and Spiritless, it risks driving sons and daughters away.

If Jesus’ words reveal something, it is the weary futility of a people burdened by ritual without Spirit, weighed down by law without life: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28–30). He spoke even more directly in His critique of the religious system: “You have made my house a den of robbers” (Mark 11:17), and with sharper tone still, “How dare you turn my Father’s house into a marketplace!” (John 2:16).

This was the condition of Judaism in Jesus’ day—outwardly religious yet inwardly hollow, a shell that had lost its spiritual purpose and true worship of God. The prophets had warned of this for centuries, but the people had grown cold.

Perhaps these words of Jesus, as written in the Gospel books, shed light that helps us understand the younger son’s departure. Lifeless and Spiritless religion has a way of driving people away. Just as Judaism in Jesus’ day had become a shell of its true calling, so today many leave the church when they encounter form without presence, rules without love. In every age, religion without God’s living Spirit leaves hearts restless and searching elsewhere. By contrast, Jesus declared, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37–38).

3. Where Did the Son Get the Thought of Returning?

The natural reading of the narration shows him as coming to a sudden realization of his dire situation, reasoning within himself, and deciding to act on it (Luke 15:17). In most retellings, we highlight the dramatic scenes—the son leaving his father, his reckless living, his pig-pen misery, and the joyful reunion when the father sees him from afar. Yet the key question is often overlooked: where did the thought of returning come from? That part of the story remains untold in the natural narrative; however, the larger context in which this parable is placed may suggest a deeper spiritual reality beyond what the parable directly describes.

This parable, unique to Luke, follows immediately after the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. Together they carry the kingdom theme: what is lost is sought and restored. But unlike the sheep and the coin, the prodigal seems to “find himself.” Here lies the mystery. Jesus said He spoke what He saw in heaven, where He came from (John 3:11–13). Therefore, when He tells a parable, there is always more than a natural storyline—there is an untold spiritual dimension.

In Scripture, repentance—to turn back—is expressed by the Greek metanoeō (μετανοέω) and the Hebrew shûḇ (שוב), both carrying the sense of turning to God. Since the Fall, our hearts may recognize brokenness and desire change, and the universal religious impulse across cultures shows a longing to return to the divine. Yet this turning to God in the Bible is never self-generated; it is God who initiates and enables true repentance by His Spirit, while our part is to respond in faith and obedience to the Gospel call, as the parable shows.

Repentance is therefore never “self-brainstorm generated at will.” Human reflection may admit failure and regret choices—as in the case of Judas, the betrayer—but the turning of the heart toward God is always stirred by His Spirit. Lydia believed only because “the Lord opened her heart” (Acts 16:14). Cornelius was devout and seeking truth, yet it was the Spirit who directed him to hear Peter’s message (Acts 10). As Jesus Himself said, “When the Spirit comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8).

In this light, the prodigal was not merely calculating his way home. He was being drawn—quietly awakened and nudged by the unseen hand of God through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Since the Fall, our hearts may recognize brokenness and desire change, and the universal religious impulse across cultures shows a longing to return to the divine but we cannot rise up in faith without God’s call and enabling. Just as the lame man was healed, his legs strengthened, and he leapt up in faith, so sinners cannot truly return apart from the Spirit’s call—and without responding in faith and obedience.

Conclusion

The parable of the two sons is far more than a sentimental tale of rebellion and return. It is a mirror held up to God’s covenant household—first Israel, now the Church. Both sons belong to the same house. Both are estranged in their own way—one in heart, the other in both heart and life. And both alike need the Father’s grace and His call to return.

The good news is that the Father still waits with compassion. Whether you have grown cold within the faith community or wandered in open rebellion, His invitation is the same: repent, return, and believe the gospel. In Christ, there is forgiveness, restoration, and a place at His table for all who believe in the Son.

But this parable also speaks to the Church itself. God’s household must not drift into becoming just another religious community or benevolent society. The Church is called to be alive with the presence of God—preaching not the wisdom of man but the Word of God in the power of the Spirit. As Paul testified, “Our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5; cf. 1 Corinthians 2:4–5). Without the Spirit, the house grows cold and lifeless; with Him, it becomes the dwelling place of God and the light of the world. Most importantly, His presence and power set apart Christ’s Church to overcome the spirit of this world, keeping God’s people near the Cross—not drifting into empty religion, reduced to a mere human institution, or becoming the kind of house that makes more prodigal sons.

Even our returning is never self-born but Spirit-stirred, as the parable itself shows. From the cries of the prophets to the voice of Christ Himself, God has been calling His household back to Himself. Now, by the Spirit, that call still comes to us. Let us not harden our hearts but respond to His gracious invitation. Today is the day to turn back and embrace a God-centered life—like the prodigal who found his way home. For Jesus also promised, “I am the good shepherd. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10–11).

Sola Scriptura! Sola Fide! Solar Gratia! Solus Christus! Soli Deo Gloria!