‘Son,’ the father replied, ‘you are always here with me. Everything I have is yours.
Now this son of yours comes back, having spent your money on prostitutes, and you kill the fattened calf for him!’
But we should be happy and celebrate! This is your brother who was dead, but who has returned alive; he was lost but now he's found!’”
A slave doesn't have a permanent place in the family, but the son is part of the family forever.
But then I ask, “Has God rejected his people?” Of course not! I'm an Israelite myself, from the tribe of Benjamin.
Who has ever given anything to God that God would be obliged to repay?
They are my fellow-Israelites, God's chosen people. God revealed to them his glory and made agreements with them, giving them the law, true worship, and his promises.