camouflage his immorality, deny his guilt, disavow his need for redemption, and declare his own righteousness. That’s why Jesus repeatedly said things like, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Matthew 9:12). In Jesus’ parable, the Prodigal Son obviously represents open sinners—the rebels, the dissolute, the debauched, the deliberately immoral people who make no pretense of faith in God or love for Him. In other words, the character of the Prodigal is a symbol