The Loving Father

I have enjoyed preaching many times from the passage that some call “The Parable of the Prodigal Son”.  I prefer to call it “The Parable of the Lost Son”.  Anyway, there is so much in this parable that it is hard to limit yourself.

As we are fast approaching Father’s Day I was thinking about the father in this parable.  Look at Luke 15:20, “And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”

As I read this there is so much that comes to mind.  I love the beginning of the verse.  it says, “But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him,”  This speaks to me of the love of the Heavenly Father.  He was looking for us when we were not looking for Him.  Even though this father had received the demand of is son he was still watching for him.  This father saw his son “he was yet a great way off,”.  That tells me that the father was watching for the son.

This boy had been seen.  Don’t we all want that?  We want people to see us and acknowledge us.  We want to be appreciated.  We want to be noticed.

Then we see that not only did the father run to his son; but, he “had compassion,”.  This is a powerful emotion to say the least.  Someone described compassion as someone else’s pain in your heart.  How true.

Then we see the father make an effort to reach out to his son.  The Bible tells us that the father “ran,”.  This is no big deal to you and I; but, in this culture it was a shame for this man to be seen running.  Running was relegated to slaves.  They were the ones how were ordered to run to and fro taking care of the master’s business.  You were not to be in a hurry.  This man was in a real hurry to get to his son.

His treatment of the son is something to be thought through.  His son had taken his inheritance.  He took the things the father needed to live each day and then he left.  While he was away he basically set a match to the money.  It was now gone by foolish means.  Yet the father still loved his son.

He must have still loved his son.  Next he “fell on his neck, and kissed him.”  I can almost see this exchange in my mind’s eye.  What a joyous reunion!  His son was now home again.

Now, this returning son was still broke.  His inheritance was still gone because he had wasted it; but, he was still this father’s son.  No matter how bad we blow it as a Christian we are still God’s child.  Oh, there are consequences; but, we are still a child of the Most High God!

So, how are you doing?