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The Prodigal Son: Two Rebels, One Grace

The Prodigal Son: Two Rebels, One Grace

Last updated on: August 6, 2026 at 4:08 pm by Beverly R. Green

The Prodigal Son: Two Rebels, One Grace 2026-08-06T16:08:02-04:00 Beverly R. Green

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Luke 15:11-27

“There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

I Chase Sunsets series note:

This is “The Art of the Parables” series. To read part two, click here.

“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. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

“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! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 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.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“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. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 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. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!”

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 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.'”

Regardless of what you’ve heard, this is not the tale of a good son and a bad son. It is about a son who was “honestly” rebellious and a son who was “hypocritically” rebellious.

Prodigal primarily means being recklessly wasteful, extravagant, or spending money and resources without thinking about the future.

The Characters

The Younger Son (The Rebel): He represents the “sinners” and Gentiles. He values the father’s money more than the father himself, demanding independence and seeking fulfillment through reckless, worldly living.
The Father (The Merciful God): He represents God’s unconditional love. Breaking all cultural norms of dignity, he allows his son to make mistakes, watches for his return, and actively runs to offer restoration.
The Older Son (The Legalist): He represents the Pharisees and religious authorities. While physically present, he is emotionally and spiritually distant from his father. He views his relationship with his father as a performance-based transaction.

Historical & Cultural Context

Demanding the Inheritance: In ancient Jewish law, asking for an inheritance while the father was still alive and healthy was the cultural equivalent of saying, “Father, I wish you were dead.”
Feeding the Pigs: After spending all his money, the younger son takes a job feeding swine. For a Jewish audience, pigs were strictly unclean animals (Leviticus 11:7). This detail shows that he had reached the absolute lowest point of spiritual and physical degradation.
The Run of the Father: In the ancient Near East, an elderly patriarch would never run, as it required him to lift his robes and expose his ankles, which was considered deeply humiliating. The father intentionally shames himself to shield his returning son from the community’s scorn and the traditional Kezazah ceremony.

Kenneth Bailey, author of The Cross & the Prodigal, explains that “if a Jewish son lost his inheritance among Gentiles, and then returned home, the community would perform a ceremony, called the kezazah. They would break a large pot in front of him and yell, “You are now cut off from your people!’ The community would totally reject him.

“So, why did the father run? He probably ran in order to get to his son before he entered the village. The father runs — and shames himself — in an effort to get to his son before the community gets to him, so that his son does not experience the shame and humiliation of their taunting and rejection. The village would have followed the running father, would have witnessed what took place at the edge of the village between father and son. After this emotional reuniting of the prodigal son with his father, it was clear that there would be no kezazah ceremony; there would be no rejecting this son — despite what he had done. The son repented and returned to the father. The father took on the full shame that should have fallen upon his son, and clearly showed the entire community that his son was welcome back home.

“The amazing application for our own lives is crystal clear. Our heavenly Father has taken our shame through his Son, Jesus, who willingly endured the cross on our behalf. He took our sins’ shame so that we would not have to. As a result, we can be forgiven, restored — accepted. We do not have to fear going home to our Father and confessing our sins, no matter what we have done, or how many times we have done it (remember, Jesus taught his followers to forgive 70 times seven).

“In the parable, only the father could restore the son to full sonship in the family. In our case, we are sinners, and there is nothing that we can do to restore our lost relationship with the Holy God of the Universe. He calls us and waits — a single repentant step in his direction, and he is off and running to welcome us back.”

The Robe, Ring, and Sandals: These were not just gifts; they were symbols of full restoration. The robe as a symbol of wealth and of covering, the ring as a symbol of family [signet], and the sandals which, on the barefoot son, symbolized [freedom to] walk wherever he wanted. Servants worked barefoot–sons of privilege walked in sandals.

The Older Brother

The Brother’s Reaction: That’s great for the younger brother, but what about the older brother? The older brother is hardworking and responsible, having stayed home to serve his father faithfully. However, he seems to view his obedience as transactional, an unofficial bargain or an unwritten contract. His angry words include slavery and orders. He was obviously not interested in serving his father out of love.

The older brother’s story serves as a cautionary tale about losing sight of grace. His story teaches us the dangers of self-righteousness, conditional obedience, and entitlement, while revealing a Father who loves both his wandering and his rule-keeping children equally.

Why is the older brother so angry? Because he did his part and dear old dad honored his wayward brother instead. However, the older brother was equally guilty of desiring the wealth that his father could give him more than the love and honor he should feel as his son. His service was a way to manipulate his father.

The Father’s Response: “Everything I have is yours. 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.” His words teach us the dangers of self-righteousness, conditional obedience, and entitlement, while revealing a Father who loves both his wandering and his rule-keeping children equally.

We don’t stop loving our children just because they do something wrong, even something terrible. What mother or father has not, at one time or another, been angry or disappointed at a son or daughter? What mother or father did not, at some point in time, disappoint his or her own mother or father? We make mistakes, but we are loved; we learn (and sometimes those lessons are harder than others) but we are loved; we repent (hopefully) and we are restored, and realize we have always been loved. That’s the way a good parent’s love works, and God is our Abba Father.

That is what the father wanted his older son to understand. “We’re all back together! Let’s celebrate the love of family!”

The lesson can be summed up in a word:

Grace

The parable ends on a cliffhanger. We never find out if the older brother joins the party. Jesus intentionally left it open as a direct invitation to the Pharisees and to us, to examine our own hearts and look to God, the Father, for forgiveness and restoration after our prodigal times.

Every Prodigal Son or Daughter Needs Grace

Ephesians 2:8–9

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Romans 5:20–21

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Hebrews 4:15–16

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

John 1:16–17

For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ

James 4:6

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Read Part 4: The Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin: Three Ways to Be Lost

God bless You!

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