CF,
The prodical son asked his wealthy father for his portion of the family inheritance, which he took away to a foreign land and squandered on wild living. That land experienced a famine and the son was forced to take a job feeding pigs and was not even allowed to eat any of the pig food. After some thought, the son decided to return to his father and ask for a job as a servent because he was not worthy of anything else. The father saw the son a long way off and rushed out to meet him. He welcomed him back and ordered the best robe to be draped around him, a nice ring to be placed on his finger, and that the fatted calf be slaughtered for the welcoming feast.
When the son who had stayed diligently by his fathers side got news of these events, he told his father that this was, in effect, not fair, and that he would have none of it. The father tried to explain to him that he was simply elated to have his lost son back but the other son would not listen.
The moral of this story is that the father can do whatever he wants with his wealth and that, no matter what a lost sheep might do, there is still a welcome back into the fold. The conflict for many involves the fact that the inheritance would have to be divided again and that the younger son would appear to have gotten more than his fair share. The resolution is that the father never stops loving and that he is all supreme in all cases.
Regards,
Joe
To say that "God exists" is the greatest understatement ever made across space and time.
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