The Pharisees would have had an intolerant, condemnatory attitude to the cheeky young son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son who had demanded that his father convert one-third of his property into liquid assets. This behavior in that culture would have brought severe repercussions. As the son begins to reap what he sowed, ending up eating pods with the swine, the Pharisees welcomed the impending demise of this rash young man. However, when the wronged father lavishes compassion on his repentant son, treating him with love and forgiveness, the Pharisees are dumbfounded, mirroring the attitude of the grumbling older brother, whom Christ intended as a symbol of the intolerant Pharisees, contrasting them with the compassionate father, symbolic of our Heavenly Father, who is ready and willing to forgive repentant sinners who have come to their senses, willing to humble themselves. We are mandated to exercise the kind of compassion exercised by the father of the prodigal son.