Luke 15:11-24
Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger son said to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. After a few days, the younger son got everything together and journeyed to a distant country, where he squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent all he had, a severe famine swept through that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. He longed to fill his belly with the pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him a thing. Finally he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food, but here I am, starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. The son declared, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let us feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again! He was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.
Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Read all of Luke 15 · Words of Christ are set in red.
19 songs meet this passage
“Oh, you a Muslim now, no more dope game”
I Ain't Mad At Cha (feat. Danny Boy) · 2Pac
resonates with Luke 15:11-24
The surprise and even mild mockery at a friend's transformation mirrors the older brother's reaction to the prodigal's return; real change unsettles those left behind.
“I ran away from home and left my mother and my dad”
The Master's Call · Marty Robbins
resonates with Luke 15:13
Like the prodigal son, the narrator leaves home and squanders his life before a turn toward return and repentance.
The House That Built Me · Miranda Lambert
resonates with Luke 15:17
Like the prodigal son 'coming to himself,' she recognizes she has drifted from her true identity and seeks to recover it.
Wake Me Up · Avicii
resonates with Luke 15:17
Like the prodigal son's moment of coming to himself, the refrain captures sudden self-awareness of having been lost, even without naming a Father to return to.
“Contigo tenía todo y lo perdí”
Estos Celos · Vicente Fernández
resonates with Luke 15:17-18
Like the prodigal, he comes to himself only after squandering what he had, recognizing the loss clearly only in hindsight.
“It was not your fault but mine”
Little Lion Man (Live from Shepherd's Bush Empire, 2010) · Mumford & Sons
resonates with Luke 15:17-19
Like the prodigal son's 'I have sinned,' the refrain is a genuine taking of blame, a necessary first step toward reconciliation.
Kill Yourself V · $uicideboy$
resonates with Luke 15:17-20
The ache for a father figure and admission of being lost echoes the prodigal's longing to return home, though here it remains unresolved.
“Drunk off my ass than I have in church”
Need a Favor · Jelly Roll
resonates with Luke 15:17-20
Like the prodigal, he's painfully honest about how far he's drifted, which is the very turning point toward return.
“I'm only one call away from home”
Son of a Sinner · Jelly Roll
resonates with Luke 15:17-20
Like the prodigal son, he knows the way back even while still far off, and senses home is reachable.
“Forgive me, father, I love you, mother”
Can You Feel My Heart · Bring Me The Horizon
resonates with Luke 15:18
Like the prodigal son rehearsing his confession, this line reaches toward reconciliation and admission of wrong rather than self-justification.
“She bowed her head to pray”
Jesus, Take the Wheel · Carrie Underwood
resonates with Luke 15:18-19
Her confession, 'I'm sorry for the way I've been living,' echoes the prodigal son's return and humble admission of need.
Mr. Mircale · Kid Cudi
resonates with Luke 15:20
The prodigal son 'came to himself' and found his way back home to a waiting father. Cudi's refrain 'I found my way back home, now I get it' carries the same beat — the moment of return and sudden clarity.
Salt Water · Kid Cudi
resonates with Luke 15:20
The longing for a father's pride and affirmation echoes the prodigal's return and the father's embrace, a picture of belonging restored.
“This prayer is for everyone that feels they're not good enough”
Ultralight Beam · Kanye West
resonates with Luke 15:20
Echoes the prodigal's welcome home, the assurance that shame and distance do not bar return to the Father.
“need you back home”
Baptized in Fire (feat. Travis Scott) · Kid Cudi
resonates with Luke 15:20
The chorus's ache for a lost 'big bro' to return mirrors the father's longing for the prodigal; the call home is real even if no one answers it here.
“Took twenty-eight years of blood I was lost in”
28 · Zach Bryan
resonates with Luke 15:20
The long road home and the ache to finally feel loved mirrors the prodigal's return, a homecoming after years of distance.
Come As You Are · Crowder
resonates with Luke 15:20
Recalls the father running to meet the returning prodigal, welcoming him before he even finishes his confession.
Nothin' Can Change This Love (Alternate Version) · Sam Cooke
resonates with Luke 15:20
The gracious welcome offered without resentment echoes the father's embrace of the returning prodigal son.
“I was lost, but He brought me in”
Who You Say I Am · Hillsong Worship & Brooke Ligertwood
resonates with Luke 15:24
Mirrors the parable of the lost son being welcomed home, a picture of grace receiving the unworthy.