Religious leaders often criticized Jesus for welcoming and sharing meals with those they labeled as “sinners” and “bad” people (Luke 15:1-2). In response to one such occasion, Jesus told three parables that revealed God’s heart for the lost, including the well-known story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32.

The younger son, restless even in his father’s house, demanded his s

hare of the inheritance—a request out of place in his culture and time. He squandered it in reckless living, chasing freedom that only left him empty, hungry, and ashamed. Broken and desperate, he resolved to return home, not as a son, but hoping to be received as a servant.

But when he came back, the father ran to him, embraced him, and celebrated his return. Instead of rejection, he found restoration-his shame was lifted, his place in the family renewed, and his belonging affirmed.

Yet not everyone shared the joy. The older brother, angry and resentful, could not understand such grace. The story closes with the father’s open invitation, reminding us that God’s love seeks the lost, restores the broken, and calls everyone-everyone, including the older son to join in the joy of reconciliation.