In Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of a lost sheep, a lost coin, and two lost sons. The stories all have one thing in common: there is great rejoicing when the lost is found.

The story about the lost sons is different than the other two stories in one significant way: the lost sons must choose to come home.

When a shepherd finds a lost sheep, he doesn’t ask if it would like to go home. What would be the point? A sheep doesn’t know what it wants, so the shepherd picks it up and carries it home.

When a lost coin is found, the owner doesn’t ask if it would like to be returned to the piggy bank. A coin doesn’t know what it wants, so the owner picks it up and puts it in the bank.

A son is different. A son has a will, and no father can force a son to come home. Coming home is something a son much choose.

The younger son, often called the prodigal, came to his senses after craving the slop he was feeding to the pigs. He thought to himself, “How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father.” The prodigal son acted on his will and returned home to his father.

The older son never left home, but he was just as lost as his prodigal brother. He became angry when his father threw an extravagant coming-home party for his rebellious younger brother. He stayed outside and refused to join the celebration.

His father went out and pleaded with him to come inside. He responded to his father, “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” The father replied, “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

Jesus ends the story right there and leaves us to wonder if the older brother ever changed his attitude and went inside.

The bottom line is this: both sons misunderstood the nature of sonship. They each believed they were legally entitled to what belonged to the father. One took it and wasted it. The other, with his brother out of the way, believed he was entitled to the entire estate.

For the prodigal, entitlement led to failure and guilt. He forfeited sonship for the slavery of guilt and regret (I did this awful thing to myself).

For the older brother, entitlement led to slaving for what was already his and suffering offense at his father’s grace for his brother. He forfeited sonship for the slavery of jealousy and victimhood (someone else did this awful thing to me).

Both sons were lost — and when they separated themselves from the father, they were miserable.

My friend, sonship is not about what rightfully belongs to you, rather, it is a declaration of Who you rightfully belong to. A son belongs to the Father, but a son must be willing to accept that truth. We’re not like sheep and coins. God chose us for an eternal relationship, and he waits to see if we will choose him. His grace will remind us of home, and he will even plead with us to come inside and share in his happiness, but he will not force us.

His grace is inviting you home right now. Are you willing to let go of the regret and victimhood so you can experience sonship with your heavenly Father? Are you tired of the slop and filth of guilt and regret? Are you weary of slavery and bitterness?

Your Father is ready to receive you back into the family. You belong to him and everything he has belongs to you. This is the nature of sonship, and the only thing standing in the way is you. He is drawing you home right now. He is pleading for you to come inside and join the celebration. What will you do?

Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:34-36.

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1