A Man and His Wayward Son

Although we have rejected and rebelled against Him like the prodigal, the Father has been waiting for us to come home and welcomes us with open arms and a passionate embrace.

Lk 15:11b (ESV) ... There was a man who had two sons.

When Jesus wished to describe the heart of His Father, he told the parable of the Prodigal son. This parable tells us of a man with two sons. In the story, the younger son could not wait for his father’s death before receiving his inheritance. So he asked his father to divide his property and give his part to him now. The father obliged, divided up his possessions and gave the son his heritage. With this newfound wealth, the son turned his back on his family, left his home and travelled to a distant country. There, he squandered his fortune on excess and reckless living. After some time, the money ran out. And the boy found his need was so great that he took a job feeding the village pigs. Even so, there was not enough food, and he longed to eat the swill that he gave to the swine. In his desperation, the boy remembered how good it had been at home and how even the helpers in his father’s house lived better than him. He knew he had insulted and rejected his father. There was no possibility that things would ever be the same. But he was desperate. He hoped that maybe he could return, now no longer as a son, but perhaps as one of his father’s servants.

When the boy arrived back, however, an amazing, beautiful thing happened. To his surprise and relief, the father did not reject him. There was no report required. No questions were asked about where the money had gone. Nor were there any lectures on the need to reform. He didn’t even have time to apologise. Instead, the Father ran to him, embraced him and smothered him with kisses. The father covered his shame and grime by putting the best robe on the boy. He put a ring on his finger, signifying sonship and sandals on his feet, showing that he was not a servant but a family member. With a passionate cry, he declared, “Let’s have a party for this child of mine was dead but now is alive. He was lost but now is found.”. And there was a great celebration.

Jesus told this story to explain the heart of His Father. He wanted us to understand that we are like the prodigal son, and our Father in heaven is like this earthly father. Although we have rejected and rebelled against Him like the prodigal, the Father is waiting for us to come home and welcomes us with open arms and a passionate embrace.

This is the heart of the Father. This is what He is really like. He was not an angry judge stomping through the Garden of Eden looking for Adam and Eve to punish them. He was not an exacting Father wanting to express his disappointment. Instead, He was a broken-hearted Dad who knew His children were in trouble and He was getting involved to make it right.

Imagine for a moment what the prodigal son must have felt as his father embraced him. Imagine what he must have felt knowing that he was home, safe and loved. No longer an outcast, but welcomed back as a much-loved son.

Further reading: Lk 15:11-24

The Father ran to him, embraced him and smothered him with kisses. 

This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.