In tune with the Father’s Heart

The Pharisees had gathered around Jesus and were listening to him speak, they commented that Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them. In response, Jesus shares three parables, one of which is the Parable of the prodigal son. This parable can be read in its entirety in Luke 15:11-32.

A brief overview of the parable: A Father had two sons. The younger son asks for his inheritance, leaves home with his share, eventually squanders it all and finds himself destitute, hungry, lonely and miserable. He decides to return to his father to ask for forgiveness and hopes to live as a servant in his father’s house. As he is returning, the father sees him at a distance, runs to him, embraces him, places a ring and a robe on him and has a celebration. As the celebration is underway, the older brother upon hearing what is happening, is disgruntled. He refuses to go in and join everyone. The father goes to his son to plead with him. The older brother grumbles saying that he has been sincerely slaving for the father and not once was he given something to celebrate with. The father replies, “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Jesus often used parables to illustrate a spiritual point. Through the heart of the father in the story, and how he responds, Jesus reveals to us the heart of God, the yearning he has for each one of us to be restored to him. There is much we can learn from this passage; I share with you some of the things that stood out to me as I revisited this parable.

At first glance, we can see the differences between the two brothers, the younger was selfish, irresponsible, foolish at the start, and later he is repentant. The older brother is obedient and dutiful at the start, but we see a jealous and resentful response from him later.

But in what ways are they the same? Both the brothers at different points fail to understand the father’s heart and rebel in their own way against the father. The prodigal son rebels by pursuing his own will and pleasure, failing to understand the beauty and protection that comes with being within the boundaries the father establishes. The older son does so in self-righteous anger, feeling like he deserves better.

They each miss the deepest truth that they both are their father’s precious children whom their father deeply loves. It is the father’s love that causes him to not treat the prodigal son based on his past mistakes when he returns, and not allowing the son to keep deeming himself unworthy but restores him back to what he truly is, his son. The younger son’s sins could not overshadow his father’s love. It is the same for us too, our sins do not overshadow his grace, but neither are we to take his grace for granted.

The father’s love is also reflected when he corrects the older son when he complains. He always lived in his father’s house but forgets the father’s heart. As followers of Christ, we have to remain cautious to not allow ourselves to feel self-righteous or more deserving than someone else. As we serve the Lord, there can be a tendency to feel like what we do makes us deserve better. What the older brother felt was a very human response, the beauty in this part of the story, is we get to see the father’s compassion and care as he reaches out to his older son and speaks lovingly as he corrects him. God does the same for us too.

There are three main points that the father reminds him of as he speaks to him that we can learn from;

He calls him, ‘My Son’ – As the father celebrated his other sons return, it did not in any way make this son of his any less of a son to him. No, he still was and will always very much be his father’s son. May we never forget this truth ourselves; we always are our Heavenly Father’s children. As Romans 8:39 says “Nothing can separate us from the love of the Father.”

You are always with me and all I have is yours – The Father rejoices in the fact that his older son never left his side. God sees each and every faithful choice and decision we make and rejoices in it. And even though his older son mentions that he was never given even a goat, but more was given for his brother’s celebration, it did not mean that his older son deserved less. As the father reminds him that all he has is his, in the same way may we have our heart enlightened to know the hope of his calling and the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 2:18)

But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours – When the older son grumbles to the father, he says ‘this son of yours’. How often have we said similarly. When my son does something to annoy me, I find myself saying to my husband ‘Your son has done….’ In the story, by saying, ‘this brother of yours”, he reminds his son of their connection, their bond and why what happens to his brother should matter to him.

Lord, thank you for this beautiful reminder of your love for each one of us. May we always rejoice in the way we serve you and never forget that all our righteous acts can never earn anything from you, but it is only through your grace that we are made righteous. Lord, may we never forget your heart, and the love we are to show each other. We can never do it in our own strength, and may we always have a heart for things that matter to you. Amen.

God Bless.