Are we missing the point of one of Jesus’ most famous parables?
In this episode of The Semi-Seminarian Podcast, Pastor Jim Wilhelm takes a closer look at Luke 15 and the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Most sermons focus on the younger son’s rebellion or the elder son’s bitterness—but Jesus may have had someone else in mind all along.
This Bible study walks through the passage verse by verse, exploring the cultural background, the Pharisees’ grumbling, and the surprising focus of Jesus’ story. Along the way, we’ll uncover how grace confronts self-righteousness, why God’s covenant never changes, and what it means to rejoice when the lost are found.
📖 Scripture Reading: Luke 15:11–32 🔑 Themes: grace before transformation, elder brother resentment, the Father’s covenant, missing the heart of God.
If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t belong in church—or like holiness was for somebody else—this episode is for you.
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On Purpose with Jay Shetty
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