We’ve taken two steps through the parable of the prodigal son:

Part 1 showed that this is not just a generic salvation story. It’s Israel’s story. The prodigal represents wayward covenant members—the “sinners and tax collectors” who had squandered their inheritance. The older brother represents the Pharisees, angry at God’s mercy. The father represents God Himself, eager to welcome His people back from exile.

Part 2 showed that this covenantal frame also clears up a theological puzzle. The prodigal son has often been misread as a foil to Calvinism, as if it celebrated human free will against God’s sovereign grace. But once we see that the prodigal was always a son, that the father’s initiative dominates, and that the climax lies in the elder brother’s resentment, the tension with Calvinism evaporates. The parable doesn’t undermine Reformed theology; it illustrates it.

The Point We Can’t Miss

At the heart of the story is this question: Will we share the Father’s joy?

The father runs, embraces, restores, and feasts. His joy explodes in celebration when the lost are found. But the elder brother refuses to enter the party. That’s the final note of the parable—a door left open, inviting us to answer.

The Pharisees in Jesus’ day largely chose the elder brother’s path. They rejected the party because they couldn’t accept a God who welcomes sinners so lavishly. But the call to us is the same: will we resent grace when it offends our sense of order, or will we rejoice with heaven over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7)?

The Covenant Joy Of The Father

The parable is covenantal through and through. Israel’s God was gathering His people through Jesus, restoring the wayward, and redefining the family around repentance and faith. That same God still does the same today. He welcomes His children home—not because they earned it, but because His mercy is greater than their sin.

A Final Word

The parable of the prodigal son is not:

• A generic story about “getting saved.”
• A free-will parable that contradicts grace.

It is:

• Israel’s story of exile and return.
• The Father’s story of covenant mercy.
• Our story, whenever we lay down our sinful pride, repent, and come home to the Father’s joy.

The question remains open: will we stand outside, arms crossed with the elder brother? Or will we go in and join the feast?