Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare and Garrison Keillor all belong to the chorus of literary figures who have admired the parable of the prodigal son as outstanding literature: a powerful drama, rich in detail, succinct and intensely personal. But beyond the literary appreciation, MacArthur's point is that the message of this parable is one no reader can afford to ignore.

He reads it in its setting, as the third of three parables Jesus told in answer to the Pharisees' complaint that he received sinners, which means the elder brother is not a footnote but the point of the story. The cultural background of the father's running, the robe and the ring is drawn out carefully. Previously published under the title A Tale of Two Sons.