15:11–32 The section reaches its climax in the Parable of the Lost (or Prodigal) Son. This time it is not a lost sheep or coin but a lost son. Unlike the lost sheep and the lost coin, which were not responsible in any way for being lost, the lost son is lost because of his own wayward actions. If anyone deserved what he got, it would have to be this ungrateful, selfish, and wasteful young man. Jesus graphically portrays the ingratitude, sin, and degradation of this person. He requests his share of the estate. He apparently has no concern for the well-being of his father (or family). He has not chosen to stay nearby; rather, he liquidates his inheritance and leaves home. He then went to a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. In the minds of respectable first-centu…