The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, 2 but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 So to them he addressed this parable.
11 Then he said, “A man had two sons, 12 and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. 13 After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. 14 When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. 15 So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. 16 And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. 17 Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. 18 I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’ 20 So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ 22 But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began. 25 Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. 26 He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. 27 The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. 30 But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ 31 He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. 32 But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’”
Luke introduces this parable with a brief scene that explains why Jesus tells it. Tax collectors and other sinners are gathering around him to listen, while the Pharisees and scribes complain that he welcomes sinners and even eats with them. In that culture, sharing a meal signified acceptance and fellowship. Jesus responds to their criticism by telling a series of parables about what has been lost and then found. The story of the two sons is the most detailed of these and reveals both the depth of human failure and the surprising mercy of God.
The story begins with a request that would have shocked Jesus’ listeners. The younger son asks his father for the share of the estate that would normally come to him only after his father’s death. In that society, such a request carried the implication that the son wished his father were already dead. Instead of rebuking him, the father divides the property between his two sons.
The younger son soon leaves home and travels to a distant country. There he wastes everything he has received, living recklessly until his resources are gone. When a famine strikes, he falls into extreme poverty and hires himself out to tend swine. For a Jewish listener, this detail signals how far he has fallen. Pigs were considered unclean animals, and working among them represents both humiliation and separation from the life he once knew.
At his lowest point, hunger and hardship force the young man to reflect on what he has lost. He remembers his father’s house, where even hired workers have enough food. Realizing his situation, he decides to return home. His plan is not to ask for restoration as a son but simply to survive as one of his father’s hired laborers. His prepared words reveal the beginning of repentance: he acknowledges that he has sinned against heaven and against his father.
Before he can even reach the house, the father sees him from a distance. Instead of anger or rejection, the father is moved with deep compassion. In an action that would have appeared undignified for an older man in that culture, he runs to meet his son, embraces him, and kisses him. The son begins his confession, but before he can finish, the father interrupts and orders the servants to bring the finest robe, a ring, and sandals. These items symbolize full restoration to the household. The robe signifies honor, the ring represents authority within the family, and the sandals distinguish him from slaves, who typically went barefoot. The celebration that follows marks not merely the return of a runaway but the restoration of a son. The father explains the reason for the feast: the son who seemed lost and as good as dead has returned and is alive again.
The parable then shifts to the older brother, who has been working in the field. When he learns that his brother has returned and that a feast is underway, he becomes angry and refuses to enter the house. His reaction reveals that he has misunderstood his relationship with his father. He speaks as though his years of obedience were the labor of a servant rather than the life of a son. He complains that he has never received even a small celebration with his friends, while the brother who wasted the family property is welcomed with a banquet.
The father responds gently, reminding him that he has always been with him and that everything belonging to the father is already his. Yet the father insists that the celebration is necessary. A brother who was lost has been found, and one who seemed dead has returned to life. The parable ends without telling us whether the older son accepts the invitation to join the celebration.
This open ending reveals the purpose of the story. The younger son clearly represents those sinners who have turned back toward God. The older son reflects the attitude of those who see themselves as righteous and resent the mercy shown to others. Jesus’ listeners must decide which response they will choose. The parable therefore challenges anyone who hears it to recognize both the seriousness of sin and the extraordinary compassion of the Father who welcomes the lost and calls the self-righteous to conversion as well.
Almighty God, you are rich in compassion and ready to welcome those who return to you. Help us to recognize our own need for mercy and to rejoice when others are restored to your friendship. Teach us to trust in your forgiveness and to reflect your compassion toward others. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Sources and References
- New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), Lk. 15:1-3, 11-32 and notes.
- Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, commentary pp. 136-137.
- The Navarre Bible: St. Luke, commentary pp. 315-317.
- Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, commentary on Lk. 15:11-32, p. 707, para. 147.
- John J. Collins, Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, O.P., and Donald Senior, C.P., eds., The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century, 3rd fully revised ed., commentary on Lk. 15:11-32, p. 1336.
- The Paulist Biblical Commentary, commentary on Lk. 15:11-32, p. 1077.
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