When we consider our Lord’s parable of the prodigal son, our attention is naturally confined to the prodigal himself, the younger son who left his home for a life of reckless abandon in a faraway country. But the story of the younger son who returns home is only about the half of it, literally!

In Luke 15 the parable of the prodigal takes up a full 22 verses. But the last 8 verses are all about the father’s oldest son. For some reason, the story of this other son doesn’t seem to get the attention that it deserves, and the lessons that we should learn often go unobserved.

The parable of the prodigal son is really about two lost sons, one a long way from home who eventually returns, and one very close to the father, yet remaining distant and estranged. And despite the apparent differences in their respective stories, the two sons have much in common, at least initially.

Sunday’s message will be taken from Luke 15:25-32 where the second story in this parable, the story of the ‘second prodigal son,’ is presented by Jesus. I hope you will take time to carefully and prayerfully study these verses. And as you do, please pray that the Word of our Savior will bear its beautiful fruit in our lives as we hear it proclaimed this Lord’s Day.