Running Toward Rebels – Gospel Hope in the Parable of the Lost Son

The most familiar of Jesus' parables has never really been about the prodigal son at all. Every surprise rests on the Father who sprints into scandal, pleads with the self-righteous, and insists that joy fill the whole town.

TAKEAWAYS

• The Father absorbs our public shame and shields us in Christ’s cross.
• Prideful record-keeping isolates; grace gathers the community in shared joy.
• Absolution is the Father’s run toward you, spoken before your confession ends.
• The Lord’s Supper is the banquet the elder brother rejected but the Church receives with empty hands.

SCRIPTURE INDEX

• Luke 15:11–32 – the Father seeks both sons and calls the community to rejoice.
• Deuteronomy 21:18–21 – the law’s sentence on a rebellious son highlights the Father’s mercy.
• Galatians 3:13 – Christ becomes the curse, carrying our shame to the cross.
• Romans 8:16 – The Holy Spirit assures us we are children of God.
• Luke 15:1–7, 8–10 – lost sheep and lost coin set the pattern of shared celebration.

Location: St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Gibbon MN | Subscribe and walk with us in weekly gospel joy.