faithfully remained home working for his father is upset by this generous welcome. He complains about the compassion shown to his brother and how none of this has ever been done for him. This older brother represents the self-righteous of the church who view sinners as outcasts and not worthy of God’s love. The father asks the older to come to the feast and to be happy about the return of the prodigal son saying, “…we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” The spiritual condition of the prodigal or sinner is one of death since they are absent from God and then returning to obedience to God the spirit is alive again. The theme of “The Parable of the Prodigal Son” is that a sinful life is not fulfilling and eventually leads to destruction. As the prodigal was determined to do what he wanted and fell into ruing so can sin lead others down a destructive path. However, God, as shown by the father, is always waiting with loving-kindness to welcome any and all into His family of believers....
