The Prodigal

I love the Parable of the Sower because it has so much to tell us about the gospel. But I am beginning to love the Parable of the Prodigal Son as much because it has so much to tell us about ourselves and God’s love for us.

I have been the younger son, the older son, and hope someday to model the father of the parable. The younger son leaves the father’s house and goes out into the world, squandering everything the father has given him. I have done that. He comes to a very low place in his life where he envies the pigs he is tending because they eat better than he does. I have done that. One day he comes to his senses and decides to go home to Dad:

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!” (Luke 15:17 ESV)

So he does what we all do when we decide we have had enough of sin; he rehearses a little speech to present to his father:

“I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.’” (Luke 15:18-19 ESV)

He wants to impress upon his father how bad he feels for having mistreated his grace. He looks for just the right words that will admit him back into his father’s graces. He assumes that his father will be angry with him for his poor choices. I can imagine that he repeated this little speech of contrition all the way home. He did not, however, ever get the chance to finish it:

And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. (Luke 15:20-23 ESV)

Do you see the great love of the father for his son? He does not care what the young man has done with what was given him. He does not care that the young man is contrite. He does not even hear what the young man has to say to him. The only thing that matters is that the young man is home:

“For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” And they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:24 ESV)

I don’t think that our heavenly father ever waits for us to finish our carefully crafted speeches of repentance to him. The minute we, in our hearts, arise to go to our father all is done. That is brokenness. Brokenness is never in what we say, but in the moment when we finally arise to head home. We want so much to say the things that will comfort us and assuage our consciences. But before we can even finish what we want to say, the Father has already embraced us and is rejoicing! We then have the choice to rejoice with him or keep on talking to ourselves about our sorrow. Brothers and sisters, choose the celebration!