While still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and was filled with compassion. The parable of the prodigal son is among the teachings of Christ which seem next to impossible to accept and embody. A common reaction to the parable is to question the logic behind the father's treatment of the younger son: "If we treat those who have erred in the same manner in which the father treated the younger son, how will those who have made such mistakes learn? How can such people be held accountable for their actions if they are treated in such a manner?” Our justification for such a ’normal’ and ‘human’ reasoning notwithstanding, the parable of the prodigal son comes to us as a teaching that is worth our reflection. Moreover, it is a story that invites us to become part of it. It is a teaching that demands that we take sides in the story, and specifically the side of the father. But can we? Is that even possible? It is possible, at least according to Jesus. All that we need to do is to contextualize the parable. 
People from all backgrounds were responding to Jesus' invitation to the good news of God's mercy. Those considered sinners and thought to be "unredeemable" such as tax collectors were coming to Jesus in droves and embracing his message, a move that did not go well with the self-proclaimed "righteous." These self-proclaimed righteous were unhappy with Jesus because in their estimation, Jesus was opening too wide the doors of the kingdom. What had once been a reserve of a select few was now open to one and all. They could not understand how God could let this happen. To them, this could not be God's doing. How could God do this to them? How could they sit at the same table with a people who had never known God or kept God's commandments as they (the proclaimed self-righteous) have been doing? Were they not entitled to some kind of preferential treatment? However, in the eyes of Jesus, no matter how much they were claiming to have known God, it appears that these self-proclaimed righteous individuals had really never known God. They were still thinking in human terms. They needed to begin looking at issues from the perspective of God.
Jesus uses the parable to invite his listeners, especially the self-righteous, to the knowledge of the Lord God. He reminds them that God is not just a Father to all but rather a Father whose mercy is without limits. God's relationship to us is not dictated by our actions. Notwithstanding how far we move away from God, God will always remain our Father. It is how the father relates to the wayward son that is the central point of the teaching. As the parable reminds us, the father never stopped caring for the son. Even though he knew that there was a possibility of the son never returning home, he never stopped hoping. The father waited for the son to return home, for he believed in their relationship. Even had the son never returned, the father would still have waited for him. He would still have remained his son. It was not what the son did that became important but rather what the father did. The father gave back to the son his life. This is how God relates to us. This is how God expects us to treat our brothers and sisters.