The Parable of Two Lost Sons: Understanding God's Searching Love
Notes from the message preached by Nate Bush at New City Church in Albuquerque, NM, on May 31, 2026.
In Luke 15, Jesus tells three powerful stories about lost things: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and lost sons. While we often call the third story "The Parable of the Prodigal Son," it's actually about two sons who are both lost in different ways. This parable reveals profound truths about God's love and the different paths that lead us away from Him.
God is Actively Searching for the Lost
The three parables in Luke 15 share a common theme: God's love is missional. In each story, someone actively searches for what is lost. The shepherd searches for the lost sheep, the woman searches for her lost coin, and the father searches for his lost sons.
This reveals something crucial about the nature of God's love. The Bible doesn't tell the story of desperate humanity searching for God. Instead, it tells the story of God searching after desperate humanity. From the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve sinned and hid from God, we see God walking in the cool of the day, calling out to them. Human beings are hiders by nature, but God is a searcher.
Why Do People Feel Comfortable Around Jesus?
The context of these parables is significant: "Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, 'This man receives sinners and eats with them'" (Luke 15:1-2). Tax collectors and notorious sinners felt comfortable approaching Jesus, while religious leaders criticized Him for welcoming them.
There's something about Jesus that covers shame and releases people from hiding. His love has a way of making those who feel unwelcome in religious circles feel completely at home with Him.
Two Ways to Be Lost
The parable reveals that there are two distinct ways to be separated from God, represented by the two sons in the story.
Lost in Rebellion
The younger son represents those lost in rebellion. He demands his inheritance early, essentially telling his father, "I wish you were dead. I want to move on with my life." He takes his share and squanders it in reckless living, including spending money on prostitutes.
The rebellious son is a taker who wants what the father has, not the father himself. He's willing to break all the rules for personal gain. Eventually, rebellion leads to rock bottom - he finds himself feeding pigs and longing to eat their food.
But there's an upside to rebellion: rock bottom teaches you that you're lost. You can't dance on the knife's edge without being cut. Rebels eventually learn they need rescue.
Lost in Religion
The older son represents those lost in religion. When the father throws a celebration for the returning younger son, the older brother becomes angry and refuses to join the party. He tells his father: "Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command. Yet you never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends" (Luke 15:29).
The religious son is not a taker but an earner. He believes he deserves blessing because of his good behavior. Like his brother, he wants what the father has, not the father himself - he's just trying to earn it through rule-keeping rather than rule-breaking.
The Danger of Religion
Religion is actually more dangerous than rebellion because it produces "good people" who don't recognize their need for salvation. Religious people tend to be judgmental, comparing themselves favorably to others and building their identity on being better than their rebellious counterparts.
As Isaiah writes, "All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" (Isaiah 64:6). Good deeds done with wrong motives are meaningless to God. Christians must learn to repent not just of their bad actions, but of their good actions done for selfish reasons.
What Does It Mean to Be Found?
The father explains to the older son: "It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found" (Luke 15:32). Being lost means being spiritually dead - incapable of saving yourself.
The Gospel Makes Dead People Alive
The gospel isn't about making bad people good; it's about making dead people alive. As Paul writes, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5).
When the younger son returns, he comes prepared to earn his way back into the family as a servant. But the father won't let him finish his speech. Instead, he orders the best robe, a ring, and sandals - symbols of full sonship. The father declares: "For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found" (Luke 15:24).
Both Sons Need the Same Grace
What's shocking about this parable is that both sons need the same salvation. The father runs out to welcome the rebellious son, and he also goes out to plead with the religious son to join the celebration. Both are lost, and both need grace.
The parable ends in a cliffhanger - we never learn whether the older brother joins the party. This is intentional, because Jesus is telling this story to religious leaders who are grumbling about Him eating with sinners. He's asking them: "Will you come to the party or not?"
Christianity vs. Religion
When Christianity first emerged, Romans called Christians "atheists" because they had no temples, priests, or sacrifices in the traditional sense. Christianity was seen as a "non-religion" because it was fundamentally different from other spiritual systems.
Religion focuses on what you should do. Christianity focuses on what Jesus has done. At the cross, we see both the ugliness of our sin and the beauty of our salvation. This creates a healthy tension of humility about our weakness and confidence in God's strength.
Life Application
The antidote to being either a rebellious child or a religious child is to become a repentant child. Whether you've been running from God through rebellion or trying to earn His favor through good works, the invitation is the same: come home to a Father who is already running toward you with open arms.
If you've experienced God's searching love and found yourself welcomed home, you're called to join Jesus in going after others. Foundlings become finders. To the extent you understand that God has chased after you, you'll have the strength to chase after others.
Consider these questions as you reflect on this parable:
Do you identify more with the rebellious son or the religious son? Why?
Are you trying to earn God's love through good behavior, or have you received it as a free gift?
How does understanding God's searching love for you motivate you to reach out to others who are lost?
What would it look like for you to "set a table like Jesus sets" - welcoming those who feel unwelcome in religious circles?
The beautiful truth of this parable is that no matter how you've been lost - whether in rebellion or religion - the Father is already running toward you, ready to welcome you home with celebration and joy.
