Abide | The Almost Allegorical Parable of the Extravagant Father

We continue our Abide series with the Parable of the Prodigal Son or, as we are focusing on what parables say about the nature of God, the Parable of the Extravagant Father.
It is so easy to see ourselves in multiple roles of the parable that it could be called almost allegorical. The younger son rejects his relationship with the father, eventually realizes he has stepped out of the circle of the father's love, and tries to return in a way that makes sense to him. The father, faithful to his character, allows the younger son to choose what he will. He then welcomes the younger son back with joy and extravagance, teaching us how to love. The older son, comparing the father's treatment of him and his brother, tries to put himself at the center of order and in the process makes his relationship with the father about work and effort, not about love.