So begins the most famous parable Jesus told, an essential tale of a father’s unyielding love for two very different sons.

The parable is nestled in a discourse about finding what is lost. If you had 100 sheep and lost one, said Jesus, would you not leave the 99 behind to look for the one, and when you found it, would you not rejoice? And if you had ten silver coins and lost one, would you not search carefully for the one that’s missing, and rejoice when you found it?