Olive Tree Church

Gary Blair: The Prodigal Pharisee The first son was a rebel and wasted his inheritance to prodigal living. The second son was a pharisee, and wasted his inheritance to prodigal living. He wasted his inheritance because he never experienced it, for he was so busy trying to earn it that he couldn’t receive it. He is angered by the father’s generosity towards his rebel brother in restoring him as a son, but he is unwilling to receive the father’s generosity and so does not live as a son. Though in the home, he lives as a slave and not a son. He tries to find his significance, acceptance and security in his own performance rather than receiving it freely from his father.