“His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began. (Luke 15:21-24 NLT)
When accused by the religious leaders of wasting his time with undeserving members of society, Jesus tells the story of a prodigal son who sought an early inheritance from his father, and on receiving it, turned his back on his family, and went off to squander his newfound wealth in what he supposed would be a lifetime of opulence. However, in the tradition of easy-come, easy-go, the lad soon realised that a) he was not as mature or responsible as he thought, b) life outside the shelter of his father’s home was brutal and unforgiving, but most importantly c) going back to his father was his only hope.
You may identify with the prodigal son. Perhaps in your abundance, there has been no room for God in your life; or your life is so steeped in sin, you feel God could never want anything to do with you. We all run from God at different times of our lives, but like the prodigal, we eventually arrive at that point of brokenness – where we are stripped bare emotionally, materially, and of course, spiritually. In most cases, our expected sources of help are simply not enough.
If this describes your situation, take your cue from the prodigal son. Foolish to begin with, he ‘came to his senses’, wised up to the error of his ways and returned home, knowing that once he turned up at his father’s doorstep, he would find forgiveness. Years of relationship meant he understood his father’s loving and gracious nature. Jesus Christ, in his life, death and resurrection, embodies the Father’s heart of compassion to you and me.
True to type, the father in the story had been watching out for his son’s return. He never gave up hope – much like God does not give up hope that we will return to His loving arms. In the above account, the father, filled with compassion – a requisite for grace – embraced and kissed his son. The son was expecting to find forgiveness, but instead, found favour. Grace goes beyond pardon for our sins and lavishes favour on us. The son thought his father would treat him as a servant, but grace threw him a welcome party. He expected to find shelter with his father’s hired hands, but grace dressed him up in robes fit for a king, provided a ring of honour for his finger, shoes for his feet, and killed the fatted calf to celebrate his return.
Heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away (Luke 15:7 NLT).
Through the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus reveals the extent of the Father’s love towards the sinner. You can return to the Lord, knowing that no matter how far you may have wandered, He awaits your homecoming, not just with forgiveness, but with an abundance of loving-kindness, mercy, spiritual blessing and of course, unmerited favour.