What does Luke 15:26 mean?

A loyal son has come in from working in his father's field. As he approaches the house, he hears a celebration: music and dancing (Luke 15:25). As the only son in his father's house, he's confused: what is this party and why didn't he know about it? He asks a servant what is going on. Years before, the son's younger brother had taken his inheritance and left. The older son either knows or strongly suspects that his brother wanted to spend the money on prostitutes (Luke 15:30). The younger son shamed their father and their family. But now he has returned, and their father has welcomed him home with a grand celebration (Luke 15:11–24).

The word for "servants" in this verse is the Greek word paidon. This refers to a particular servant of the house. In contrast, the younger brother's intent was to be his father's day laborer—tōn misthiōn (Luke 15:17)—and the older brother compares his own work to that of a slave, or doulos (Luke 15:29; Romans 6:20). The Greek for "asked" refers to a drawn-out process. The son and the servant have a conversation about what is going on.

During this discussion, it's possible the older son discovers his brother has not shown up expecting to return to his place in the family. He repented humbly. Either way, the older son knows that his father arranged for this celebration. He spent his resources celebrating the return of the son who betrayed and humiliated him yet gives no mind to the least pleasure his older son might wish for (Luke 15:27, 29).