The Worthless Sons - Luke 15:11-32

Luke 15:12-32 is often called the Prodigal Son. It is more than just a story about a wayward son. It is a story about two sons and their father. It could be called the forgiving Father or the Joy of God.
The context of Luke 15 contains three individual’s expressing joy over something that was lost.
The idea here is that God has no joy in the death of the wicked. In the larger context of this passage we find the Pharisees and Scribes believing they knew God, but there was a conflict (Luke 15:1) . . .
publicans and sinners were coming to Jesus. They were considered by the religious elite to be the lowest of low-lives – the scum of society and for someone to eat with them in theMiddle Eastern culture was affirmation that Jesus was not of God. To them He had to be satanically inspired to perform miracles and eat with sinners. In this light Jesus brings forth these parables.