The parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates a costly independence, showing how the son’s selfish choices affected him and his family. How often in our lives do we make selfish decisions without considering the consequences? For all of us, spiritual immaturity often lies at the root of wanting independence or pursuing things we are not ready for.
While we can’t live life over, we can humble ourselves and repent of our sins. Repentance was what the Lord wanted for the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who were gathered around him. First, Jesus told a parable of the lost coin, then the lost sheep, building up to the story of the lost son.
Luke 15:11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. 13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.[1]
The Importance of Relationships
The younger son’s request for his inheritance indicates he valued his father’s possessions more than his father himself, essentially wishing him dead. His move to a “distant country” symbolizes not only geographical escape but also a desire to leave behind God’s moral presence. The younger son mistakenly believed that distance from the father benefited him, unaware that true life depends on relationships, not separation.
This physical gap reveals a spiritual truth: being apart from the father leads to loss. What seemed to bring richness results in emptiness. We can make similar mistakes through self-reliance, pride, or drifting, thinking we know better than God. Pursuing our plans and desires often costs more than we expect when we act independently of God.
The Hidden Cost
Yet even in this moment, there is grace. The father allows the son to go. This is not abandonment—it is love that permits choice. Sometimes, God allows us to feel the weight of our independence so that we might recognize our deeper need for Him. Though this passage focuses on departure, it sets the stage for restoration. The story does not end in independence; it moves toward reconciliation. The son’s journey away from the father reveals a deeper truth: we find wholeness only in returning to God.
Being made whole in Jesus begins with recognizing the cost of living apart from Him. It requires humility—the willingness to admit that independence has left us empty. But the beauty of this parable is that the father’s love never diminishes, even when the son walks away.
In Christ, we see the fulfillment of this story. Jesus makes a way for us to return, not as hired servants, but as restored children. Where independence leads to brokenness, surrender leads to healing. Where distance creates emptiness, relationship brings fullness. We don’t find true freedom in independence from the Father, but in dependence on Him. And in that dependence, we are made whole.
To learn more about a costly independence, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/podpanel/episode/made-whole-through-repentance
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Lk 15:11–13). Tyndale House Publishers.