What is the parable of the prodigal son about?
The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15) is Jesus’ portrait of God as a Father who runs to welcome home a wayward child — and who also pleads with the older brother who is right outside.
A younger son demands his inheritance, squanders it in a far country, and ends up feeding pigs. Hungry and ashamed, he rehearses a confession and turns home.
"While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and ran to him." The father interrupts the prepared speech with embraces, a robe, a ring, a feast. Repentance meets mercy.
But the older brother resents the welcome. The parable’s point is not just lost sons but lost-but-respectable hearts. The Father stands outside, pleading: "All that I have is yours… we had to celebrate."
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.