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One of the most moving scenes I’ve ever witnessed was shown on television. The setting was an airport terminal and people were everywhere. As the people left the plane and descended the walkway to the terminal screams of joy were heard as family members finally saw their loved ones. Then the camera focused on the weathered face of an older man. Emotion overcame him and tears started to flow as he spotted his soldier son. As they embraced he said, “Welcome home, son! Welcome home!”
Being separated from our loved ones is difficult. Sometimes the separation is what we desire. At other times it goes against our wishes. But a reunion of parent and child after a separation is a wonderful event, no matter how far or how much time separated the two.
Luke records a parable in Luke 15:11-32 about a man who had two sons. This is the parable known mostly by the name of the parable of the prodigal son. Some have suggested that this one parable is actually two—one dealing with the younger, prodigal son and the second dealing with the elder son. The father in this parable is seen as God. With this in mind, let’s review the actions of the younger son and then reflect on the actions of the father. This reading will be from Luke 15:11-24.
Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’
“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘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 fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.”
Let’s briefly review three things about this father of the prodigal son. First of all, he allowed the son to leave. That is free will. Even though the father knew that it was best for the son to remain, he allowed the son to make and live by his own choice.
Second, the father longed for the son to return. That is hope. Even though God allows us to make choices against His will, He is still hopeful that we will see our errors and “come to ourselves” and return to Him.
Third, the father rejoiced to see the son appear. That is the essence of the true love that God has for us. God knows our mistakes and knows our shortcomings. Yet He waits for the wanderers to return to His faithfulness.
Peter says it this way in 2 Peter. 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
God loved us enough to send His Son to die in our place. And yet He loves us enough to allow us to refuse salvation if that is what we desire. But rather than count us as lost forever, God the Father, longs for our return and is ready to rejoice when we repent and join with our God. He is ready to say, “Welcome home.”
On Our Daily Walk today, may we never forget that God is always willing to forgive us if we will repent and return to Him. If not right with God today, may we have some event that will cause us to “come to ourselves” and see that we really need to be with God.
Our thought for the day: “You can’t repent too soon, because you don’t know how soon it may be too late.”
May God bless you on your daily walk.
© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.
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