Luke 15:20-23 20And arising, he came to his father. But while he was still far away, his father saw him and had compassion, and running fell upon his neck and kissed him. 21And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe and clothe him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, 23and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat as we celebrate. 24For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
The prodigal made the difficult decision to get up from the pig slop and humbly return home. No doubt, it was a difficult journey. Many thoughts were likely going through his mind. At the top was regret. Regret is an important emotion to have as part of repentance. Sin must become detestable. The son was also attracted by what home meant. He was not thinking of relationships but of food. His father, however, was thinking of relationship.
Another major turning happens in the parable as the focus shifts to the second major character of the father. As many people have pointed out, it appears it was no accident that the father was looking for the son because of how he saw the son a long way away. Several significant things happen next. First is the first response the father had to his son of compassion (esplangchnisthē). The circumstances of their parting were not good, with a rebellious son asking for his share of the property that perhaps the father had saved for a long time. The father knew his son was making a mistake but could not stop him. When he saw his son coming back starving and likely in rags, his heart broke to see him in that condition.
Second is the shock to the ancient reader that the father by running toward the son. Older men at that time did not run. In fact, it would be difficult for any older man to run, but this father was so happy to see his son that he wanted to get to him quickly. Third, the emotion of the father is clear with how he embraced his son and kissed him. The story does not reveal the inner thoughts of the father, but this father definitely loved his son. When the people we love are absent, and we may fear that they are gone forever, when they return, our emotions burst forth like a dam. The pent up fear and doubts are released in the form of gratitude and happiness that the one we feared lost has returned.
At this point in the story, the listener begins to contemplate what type of man this father was. The parable teases the listener to begin making spiritual application based on the conclusions of the previous two parables in verses 7 and 10. There is no such application mentioned in this parable, but the connection is clear that the father represent God who receives the repentant sinner with compassion and love.
The humility of the son in verse 21 illustrates the type of attitude we must have before God. The son repeats his thoughts from verse 18. He knew he had messed up. Again, the story does not reveal the inner thoughts of the son during his journey home or at this point. He may have rehearsed what he would say when he saw his father. He would repent and ask for help, like he planned in verse 19. But when his father embraced him, he broke and could not even ask for help. He felt so shamed and unworthy to even be called a son. The next words he would say were begging for a job as a servant, but he never got a chance to say these words. The significant words that needed to come out of the son’s mouth were I have sinned. Repentance and restoration begin with the recognition of sin. The son had reached the bottom and in desperation, was seeking the forgiveness of his father.
Fourth, the father put the gears of the home into overdrive in celebration of the returned son. In response to the son’s return, the father did several things. To replace the son’s rags, the father ordered the best robes in the house be brought out of the closet and put on the son. To replace the son’s overwhelming shame, the father wanted the family ring put on the son’s finger to show he was restored to the family. To satisfy the starvation of the son, the father ordered a feast of the best calf the family had been saving and raising for a special feast. This was the feast. It was a time to celebrate.
The father gives the reason for the celebration in verse 24. He thought his son was dead to him. This could be because of the length of time or the son’s attitude when he left. The father had no hope of ever seeing his son again. There is no hint that this was from the father’s side in the form of rejection but on the son’s side because he was lost. The theme of lost and found comes out at this point in the parable. The father could not seek out the son in the foreign country but only wait for him to return. This idea provides another nuance to salvation. The previous parables show how God seeks out the sinner. This parable emphasizes how God receives the sinner. Like the other parables, when the lost is found again, there is a great celebration.
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