Includes bibliographical references (p. 136-139).

Introduction -- The parable -- The people around Jesus : "all gathering around to hear Him" -- Two kinds of people -- Why people like Jesus but not the church -- The two lost sons : "there was a man who had two sons" -- The lost younger brother -- The younger brother's plan -- The lost elder brother -- Redefining sin : "all these years I've been slaving for you" -- Two ways to find happiness -- Two lost sons -- A deeper understanding of sin -- Both wrong, both loved -- Redefining lostness : "the older brother became angry and refused to go in" -- Anger and superiority -- Slavishness and emptiness -- Who needs to know this? -- The true elder brother : "my son, everything I have is yours" -- What we need -- Who we need -- Redefining hope : "He set off for a far country" -- Our longing for home -- The difficulty of return -- The feast at the end of history -- The feast of the father : "he heard music and dancing" -- Salvation is experiential -- Salvation is material -- Salvation is individual -- Salvation is communal -- Babette's feast.

Uses the biblical tale of the prodigal son to provide both an introduction to Christianity and a clarifying primer on the nature of the gospel for believers, in a resource that reveals how Jesus's essential message is revealed by the story in ways that can enable greater understandings of the Christian faith.