A Sermon on the Prodigal Son | Luke 15 | The Bridge Church | Ian Simkins

Have you ever mistaken someone’s identity, only to realize your error in a moment of embarrassment? It’s one thing to get someone else’s identity wrong, but it’s another thing entirely to lose sight of your own. Many of us, at some point, have forgotten who we truly are—sometimes not because someone stole our identity, but because we’ve surrendered it or let it slip away. Today, we explored what it means to forget who we are, and how Jesus, through the stories he told at tables, invites us to remember and return.

In the culture of Jesus’ day, sharing a meal was a radical act of acceptance and belonging. Jesus was constantly found at tables, eating with those whom society had cast aside—tax collectors, sinners, the outcasts. This was so controversial that the religious elite grumbled, accusing him of welcoming and eating with sinners. In response, Jesus told three stories about lost things: a sheep, a coin, and a son. We focused on the story of the lost son, often called the Prodigal Son, but it’s really about two sons and a father whose love defies expectation.

The younger son’s request for his inheritance was more than just greedy; it was a wish for his father’s death, a severing of relationship. Yet, the father grants the request, enduring public humiliation and heartbreak. The son squanders everything, finds himself in utter ruin, and only then “comes to his senses.” This is the biblical picture of repentance—not just feeling bad, but realizing how far we’ve wandered and choosing to return home.

But the most shocking part of the story is the father’s response. Instead of waiting with crossed arms, demanding an apology or repayment, the father runs—sprints—to his son. In that culture, a dignified man never ran; it was humiliating. Yet, the father takes on this shame to reach his son before the community can reject him. He embraces him, restoring him before a word of apology is spoken. This is the heart of God: a love that runs to meet us, that takes on our shame, and welcomes us home before we can earn or deserve it.

No matter how far we’ve wandered, no matter how broken or unworthy we feel, God’s love is relentless. He is the Father who scans the horizon, longing for our return, and when we take even a single step toward home, he runs to meet us.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Mistaken identity isn’t just about others—it’s about ourselves. We often forget who we are in God’s eyes, surrendering our true identity for lesser things. The journey home begins with remembering what is most true about us: we are beloved, even when we feel lost or unworthy. [01:48]
• 2. Repentance is not merely feeling bad about our failures; it’s coming to our senses and realizing how far we’ve wandered from home. True repentance is a turning—a metanoia—that leads us back to the place where we belong, not out of fear, but out of longing for restoration. [08:48]
• 3. The father’s willingness to endure humiliation for the sake of his son is a profound picture of God’s grace. In a culture where dignity and status mattered, the father runs, exposing himself to shame, to reach his child first. God takes on our shame so that we can be restored, not condemned. [14:33]
• 4. The ceremony of “kah” (being cut off) was the expected fate for the wayward son, a public declaration of his brokenness and rejection. Yet, the father’s sprint interrupts this narrative, declaring instead that the son is loved, welcomed, and whole. God’s love always gets to us before condemnation can. [16:12]
• 5. God is not waiting for us with crossed arms, demanding repayment or perfect apologies. He is the Father who scans the horizon, longing for our return, and when we take even a single step toward him, he runs to meet us with compassion and joy. Our brokenness does not disqualify us from his embrace; it is the very thing that draws him to us. [17:57]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:34] - Mistaken Identity and Social Anxiety
• [01:11] - Childhood Story: Lost in the Grocery Store
• [01:48] - Forgetting Who We Are
• [02:17] - Jesus at the Table: Radical Hospitality
• [02:55] - The Controversy of Eating with Sinners
• [03:30] - The Parable of the Two Sons
• [04:42] - The Younger Son’s Request and Its Meaning
• [05:53] - The Son’s Downfall and the Public Scandal
• [07:08] - The Reality of Famine and Desperation
• [08:16] - Feeding Pigs: Hitting Rock Bottom
• [08:48] - Repentance: Coming to Our Senses
• [09:55] - The Son’s Plan to Earn His Way Back
• [11:06] - The Father’s Compassion and Sprint
• [14:33] - The Father Takes on Humiliation
• [15:35] - The Ceremony of “Kah” and Being Cut Off
• [17:57] - The Father’s Love Interrupts Condemnation
• [18:27] - The Story of Derek Redmond: A Modern Parable

Bible Reading

Luke 15:11-24 (ESV) —
> 11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
>
> 17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 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. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Observation Questions

1. What did the younger son ask his father for, and what did this request mean in the culture of Jesus’ day? ([04:42])
2. After the son left home, what circumstances led him to “come to his senses”? ([08:16])
3. How did the father respond when he saw his son returning from a distance? What actions did he take? ([11:06])
4. What was the expected community response to a son who had acted like this, and how did the father’s actions interrupt that? ([15:35])

Interpretation Questions

1. Why was the younger son’s request for his inheritance considered so offensive, and what does this reveal about his relationship with his father? ([05:18])
2. The sermon describes repentance as “coming to our senses” and choosing to return home. How is this different from just feeling bad about our mistakes? ([08:48])
3. The father’s act of running to his son was seen as humiliating in that culture. What does this teach us about the nature of God’s love and grace? ([14:33])
4. The ceremony of “kah” was meant to cut off and shame the returning son. How does the father’s sprint to his son change the story for both the son and the community? ([16:12])

Application Questions

1. The sermon talked about how we sometimes forget who we are—not because someone stole our identity, but because we let it slip away. Can you think of a time when you lost sight of your identity as God’s beloved? What led to that, and what helped you remember? ([01:48])
2. Repentance was described as “coming to our senses” and returning home, not just feeling guilty. Is there an area in your life where you need to “come to your senses” and turn back toward God? What would that first step look like for you? ([08:48])
3. The father didn’t wait for an apology or repayment—he ran to his son. Are there people in your life you find it hard to forgive or welcome back? What would it look like to show them the same kind of grace? ([11:06])
4. The son rehearsed a speech to earn his way back, but the father restored him before he could finish. Do you ever feel like you have to “earn” God’s love or forgiveness? How does this story challenge that mindset? ([09:55])
5. The father’s sprint interrupted the ceremony of “kah”—the public shaming and rejection. Are there voices (internal or external) that try to tell you you’re not welcome or not enough? How can you remind yourself of the truth of God’s welcome? ([16:12])
6. The sermon said, “God is not waiting for us with crossed arms, demanding repayment or perfect apologies.” How does this picture of God change the way you approach him in prayer or worship? ([17:57])
7. Jesus often ate with people who were considered outcasts. Is there someone in your life or community who needs to experience this kind of radical welcome? What is one practical way you could extend hospitality or acceptance to them this week? ([02:17])