Defining Prodigal

I have always thought that the word "prodigal" meant "wayward." This is not the case. According to the dictionary, a prodigal is someone who spends extravagantly, lavishly and abundantly. This spending can be wasteful, or bounteous, depending on whom the prodigal is. In the context of the gospel, God is a prodigal God because he is bountifully extravagant, lavish and abundant with his grace. If you will read Keller's The Prodigal God with me, we are going to discover that in Jesus' parable in Luke 15, "there are two brothers, each of whom represents a different way to be alienated from God, and a different way to seek acceptance into the kingdom of heaven." I'm all ears.