The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) is one with which many people are familiar. We’ve spent the last three weeks examining the various perspectives of the prodigal son: the pride, the poverty, and the penitence (Part 1, Part 2, & Part 3). Just witnessing this transformation makes the story impactful. However, there is another mindset to consider – that of the father.
The prodigal son comes to his senses and recognizes he would be better off being his father’s servant than remaining in his current circumstances (Luke 15:17-19). And so, he makes the decision to return to his home and accept his new, reduced role in his father’s life. Yet, something amazing happens…
So, he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.” And they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:20-24)
As a reminder: the prodigal son had essentially told his father, “I wish you were dead. Having my inheritance is more important to me than having you.” How would the typical person respond? How would you? How would I? The father could have done a number of things. He could have said:
- “No, you can’t come back. I banish you for life.”
- ”Okay, you can come back, but you’ll be a slave and you’ll serve me for the rest of your days.”
- ”You can come back and earn your way back to being my son again.”
If he had responded one of those ways, there are many in the world who would have found that to be a perfectly reasonable response. Instead, we see a very different picture:
- The father saw him from a long way off – he was watching for his return.
- The father ran to him – he was so overwhelmed with emotion he couldn’t wait one second longer to embrace his son.
- The father celebrated – he welcomed his son back with open arms!
In the same way, God is waiting and watching for us to come back to Him. God doesn’t wish for any to perish and wants all to have the opportunity to find Him (Ezekiel 18:23; 2 Peter 3:3-9). Is that fair? After we’ve forsaken Him, and lived our life in a way inconsistent for someone who is His child? We’d like to think so – however, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll realize that there is an imbalance in these particular scales of justice. An imbalance in our favor. And that imbalance is God’s grace tipping one side of the scale.
As long as we have breath in our bodies, we can come to Him, repent, and He will be ready to accept us. And the angels will celebrate (Luke 15:10).
Thanks for stopping by the blog. We hope you’ve enjoyed this series. May we never take God’s amazing grace for granted!
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