A Father's Love
A Father’s Love
The father must have been heart-broken when his son took his inheritance and went to a “far country” (Luke ch.15:11-32) where he wasted everything. After sometime, “he came to himself.” He would go back to his father and acknowledge his sins. He would be humble, asking for nothing more than the status of a servant.
In the meantime, the father was waiting and watching. From a distance he saw his son. Compassion overwhelmed him and he could not wait until his younger son reached him:
He ran to his son.
He embraced him tightly.
He kissed him.
He did not respond to what the son was saying. In fact he did not give the son an opportunity to say all that he had planned to say.
He instructed the servants to clothe him in the “best robe”, put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet.
He gave instructions to prepare a big party so that all could rejoice because his son who “was dead, is alive again…” (V.24)
Such is an expression of the deep love which the father felt; and at last the son understood the nature of love, accepted it and basked in it. Such love! But it represents only a tiny fraction of God’s love.
Jesus told this parable to help his listeners to grasp the unfathomable love of God for all of us who at some point in time had strayed from Him and rejected His love. But His love is eternal and God only wants us to come back to Him, with faith in Christ, so that He can lavish His love on us.