Luke 15:11–32 (ESV)
Pastor Scott Berglin
God from Luke’s Eyes to Yours
“Fitting in His Story” | August 23, 2026
“And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” — Luke 15:20
Luke 15 begins with the Pharisees and scribes grumbling because Jesus receives sinners and eats with them. Jesus responds by telling three stories about what is lost, what is found, and the joy that follows—but in the final story, He turns the focus toward the religious leaders themselves. The younger son is obviously lost, but the older brother is lost in a different way: he is physically close to the Father while his heart is far from Him. Jesus is inviting the Pharisees to see themselves in the story and learn from the Father's heart. And then Jesus deliberately leaves the older brother's response unanswered. Will he go to the Father? Will he agree with the Father? Will he join the celebration? The story ends with the choice hanging in the air—not just for the older brother, but for the Pharisees, and ultimately for us.
Identify with the Son
v 13, 18–19, 24, 32
- The younger son recognized that he had wandered from his father.
- His return began when he recognized his own condition and got up and went to his father.
- The Father wasn't waiting to punish him—He was waiting to restore him.
- Before we can experience restoration, we have to recognize our need for it.
But Jesus isn't only asking us to identify with the obvious sinner. He is also asking the religious person to recognize his own need for the Father.
The road home begins with recognizing where you've been—and going to the Father.
Recover from Being the Brother
v 25, 27, 30, 32
This is where Jesus' story becomes especially pointed toward the Pharisees.
- The older brother was physically close to the Father but emotionally distant.
- He heard the celebration but would not go in.
- Unlike the younger son, who came to the Father in repentance, the older brother failed to go to the Father with his hurt, anger, and questions.
- He also failed to agree with the Father about what had happened: “this brother of yours was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.”
- Instead of sharing the Father's joy, he compared his own faithfulness to his brother's failure.
- His resentment revealed that he had been treating his relationship with the Father more like a transaction than a relationship.
And then something remarkable happens: the story provides no response from the brother.
We don't learn whether he went into the party.
We don't know whether he accepted the Father's invitation.
We don't know whether he changed his heart.
Jesus leaves the story wide open.
Why? Because the Pharisees now have to decide what they will do.
Will they go to the Father?
Will they agree with the Father's heart?
Will they celebrate sinners who repent?
Will they join the party?
The younger brother had to choose whether he would come home. The older brother had to choose whether he would come in. Jesus leaves the choice open for the Pharisees—and for us.
Aspire to the Father
v 12, 17, 20, 22–24, 28, 31–32
- The Father demonstrates compassion toward both sons.
- He runs toward the returning son.
- He goes out to the resentful son.
- He doesn't abandon either one.
- The Father's heart is marked by grace, restoration, generosity, and relationship.
- Jesus is showing the Pharisees what God's heart actually looks like.
The Father isn't simply inviting the younger son home. He's inviting the older son into His heart.
The goal isn't simply to identify with the son—the goal is to become more like the Father.
Act Like the Servants
v 17, 19, 22, 26
- The servants respond to the Father's direction.
- They participate in the celebration without needing recognition.
- Their role is simple: listen, respond, and serve.
- Kingdom life means joining the Father's work wherever He places us.
The servants don't argue with the Father's decision. They simply participate in what the Father is doing.
Sometimes fitting into God's story means being willing to serve the Father's purposes even when we don't fully understand them.
THE QUESTION JESUS LEAVES US WITH
The story doesn't actually end with the party.
It ends with a choice.
The younger son chose to go home.
The Father welcomed him.
The older brother was invited in.
But Jesus never tells us what the older brother chose.
That unfinished ending was intentional.
Jesus was giving the Pharisees an opportunity to choose.
And He gives us the same opportunity:
Will we come to the Father?
Will we agree with the Father's heart?
Will we celebrate what He celebrates?
Will we enter the story He is writing?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Luke 15 is directed not only toward sinners, but toward the religious people who were criticizing Jesus.
- Both sons needed the Father's heart, though their lostness looked very different.
- The younger son went to the Father; the older brother refused to go.
- The older brother also refused to agree with the Father about his brother's restoration.
- Jesus intentionally leaves the older brother's response unresolved.
- The open ending becomes an invitation for the Pharisees—and for us—to choose how we will respond to God's grace.
- God's desire isn't simply that we come home; it's that we learn to share the Father's heart.
CALL TO ACTION
- Identify: Where do you see yourself in the story—the wandering son, the resentful brother, the servants, or somewhere in between?
- Go to the Father: Don't stay outside with your resentment, questions, or pride.
- Agree with the Father: Ask God to reshape your heart around what He celebrates.
- Join the celebration: Rejoice when God's grace restores someone—even when you don't think they deserve it.
- Choose your response: Jesus leaves the older brother's story unfinished. What will your response be?
You don't have to be the main character in God's story. But you do have to decide whether you'll join the Father in what He's doing.
