On this episode of The Concordia Publishing House Podcast, Elizabeth Pittman is joined by theologian, author, and podcast host Bryan Wolfmueller to discuss his newest book with CPH, Finally Free: Three Lessons in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. In this short book, Wolfmueller digs into the popular parable of the Prodigal Son to bring hope and aid to our hurting conscience. 

Get the book at cph.org/finallyfree.

Show Notes

In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus tells a story most of us know by heart. Yet beneath its familiarity, He exposes three kinds of bondage that touch every human heart: the pull to do whatever we want, the fear that we’ve sinned too much to be welcomed back, and the quiet pride that trusts in our own goodness. In this episode, author Bryan Wolfmueller talks about his book Finally Free: Three Lessons in the Parable of the Prodigal Son and explores how Jesus uses this beloved parable to reveal our slavery to sin and, more importantly, the freedom He gives through His suffering, death, and resurrection. 

Questions

• The parable of the prodigal son is one of the most familiar stories in Scripture. What made you willing to take the risk of writing an entire book on such a well-known text? 
• In Luke 15, Jesus tells three lost-and-found parables in a row. How does the presence of the older brother change the pattern of “lost, found, joy” in the third parable?
• You argue that the older brother is not a side character but the entire point of the parable. Why do we so often overlook him, and what do we miss when we do?
• The first slavery you discuss is “Belly Slaves” What is this and how does the younger son illustrate it? Why is this slavery so appealing? How does the younger son illustrate our enslavement to pleasure, desire, and self-rule—and why is that slavery so appealing?
• What happens when an entire culture succumbs to belly slavery?
• You say despair, the second slavery, is a theological slavery. Tell us about this.
• You write that the third slavery, pride, is a two-fold slavery. What do you mean by this?
• You write that each of us has “a little Pharisee living in our hearts.” What are some subtle ways this Pharisee shows up in our church life and personal faith?

About the Guest

Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller is the pastor at St. Paul and Jesus Deaf Lutheran Churches in Austin, TX.  Prior to that he was the pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Aurora, CO since 2005. He is the co-host of Table Talk Radio, the world’s most famous Lutheran theological game show. Bryan has a new hobby every day, but he always comes back to reading about Law and Gospel. Bryan lives in Round Rock, TX with his wife Keri and four children.