Parable of the Prodigal Son
This is the last of three parables about loss and redemption. It follows the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Parable of the Lost Coin. Jesus tells this parable after the Pharisees and religious leaders accuse him of welcoming and eating with "sinners." The father's joy described in the parable reflects divine love, the "boundless mercy of God," and "God's refusal to limit the measure of his grace."