The Path of the Prodigal Pt 6
"So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." Luke 15:20
"So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." Luke 15:20
What a great verse this is! This verse is one of the greatest parts of this whole story. After rehearsing this whole speech to himself, the son finally gathers the wits to get up and get going. He begins the long road back to his father's house, probably very afraid and very anxious about what his father will do. He is sure to himself that his father will cast blame and judgement upon him, and rightly so. How wrong he is, however!
The verse here says that he was a long way off when his father saw him. While it doesn't exactly say how far off, we can most certainly get the impression that the father has been looking for his son to return this whole time. While the son is anxiously awaiting for judgement, the father is anxiously awaiting for his son to return home to him. I can well imagine that the father has been up at night, worrying for his son, wishing he were home again. I can imagine this because this is what I hear from loving parents when their children leave home or run away.
In either case, the father sees his son from far off and, for this one time in all of Scripture, Jesus portrays the Father as a man who eagerly runs to a son. This man in the story was rich, perhaps powerful, perhaps influential. Those sorts of people don't run. They walk, they take cabs, they have limos, but they don't run. This man forsook all of that, it all wasn't important in light of him seeing his beloved son coming home. He threw dignity to the wind and took off towards his son.
That is how our Father loves us. Don't get me wrong, His first priority is to His glory and to His great name, but that doesn't change the fact that our God loves us so that He would run to us and embrace us and kiss us. Notice that it doesn't say in this verse that the son washed up or got better clothes. He came home just as he was, and the father didn't mention the stink of the pigs or the mess of the party. He just threw his arms around his son and showed him love. When we first came to our Father, we had the stink of the sty on us as well, but God loved us anyways.
Oh, how great is the love with which the Father loves us! It should fill our hearts with joy and a passion for this great King who does so much to see us home! I urge you, brethren, to please let this verse and this love so saturate your minds and hearts that it would transform you!
The verse here says that he was a long way off when his father saw him. While it doesn't exactly say how far off, we can most certainly get the impression that the father has been looking for his son to return this whole time. While the son is anxiously awaiting for judgement, the father is anxiously awaiting for his son to return home to him. I can well imagine that the father has been up at night, worrying for his son, wishing he were home again. I can imagine this because this is what I hear from loving parents when their children leave home or run away.
In either case, the father sees his son from far off and, for this one time in all of Scripture, Jesus portrays the Father as a man who eagerly runs to a son. This man in the story was rich, perhaps powerful, perhaps influential. Those sorts of people don't run. They walk, they take cabs, they have limos, but they don't run. This man forsook all of that, it all wasn't important in light of him seeing his beloved son coming home. He threw dignity to the wind and took off towards his son.
That is how our Father loves us. Don't get me wrong, His first priority is to His glory and to His great name, but that doesn't change the fact that our God loves us so that He would run to us and embrace us and kiss us. Notice that it doesn't say in this verse that the son washed up or got better clothes. He came home just as he was, and the father didn't mention the stink of the pigs or the mess of the party. He just threw his arms around his son and showed him love. When we first came to our Father, we had the stink of the sty on us as well, but God loved us anyways.
Oh, how great is the love with which the Father loves us! It should fill our hearts with joy and a passion for this great King who does so much to see us home! I urge you, brethren, to please let this verse and this love so saturate your minds and hearts that it would transform you!
posted by Charlie | 2:07 PM
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