This text has been described as the greatest short story ever written. Junior comes to Dad and demands his portion of the inheritance, takes the loot, and heads off only to blow it all in high living, eventually having to take a job feeding pigs. Finally he decides that life back home was infinitely more appealing; so he heads back to what turns out to be a joyous reunion. Most sermons on the passage correctly point out the eternal analogy: that in spite of our rebelliousness and sin, our heavenly Father not only wants to welcome us back home, but actually chases down the road to bring us back with a love that is beyond measure. It is a great comfort, especially to those who have led really wretched lives.

That is only half the story. Besides Dad and Junior, there was another in that hous…