In part one of this series, What Is The Parable Of The Prodigal Son Really About? Part 1: The Younger Son, we looked specifically at the younger son in the parable, and what we can learn from him about the emptiness of extravagance with ourselves.
In part two, we looked at the older son in the story and what his character can teach us about the emptiness within ourselves when we are extravagant with no one.
In this final part of our three-part series on the parable of the Prodigal Son, we’ll take a closer look at the father in this story, and how the few details we’re given about him paint a vivid and beautiful picture of God’s character and love toward us.
Read part one of this series: What Is The Parable Of The Prodigal Son Really About? Part 1: The Younger Son, here.
Read part two of this series: What Is The Parable Of The Prodigal Son Really About? Part 2: The Older Son, here.
THE STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON: OVERVIEW
In Luke 15:11 Jesus tells the story of a man who had two sons. The younger son asks for his share of the inheriance early, then leaves home and squaders all he has on wild and sinful living. When he had spent everything he had, a famime came upon the land and the son found himself in poverty. He found a job feeding pigs for one of the locals, but when he found himself so starving that he actually envied the slop the pigs were eating, he realized that even the servants in his father’s house lived better than this. He decided to return home and ask his father’s forgiveness, and beg for a low position among the servants.
When he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming, ran to him, threw his arms around him and rejoiced at his return. He had his servants prepare a feast and dress his son in his finest robes and threw a massive celebration.
When the older son came in from the field and heard the party, he learned from a servant that his younger brother had returned. Angry, he stayed outside and refused to join the party. But his father went out after him and pleaded with him to come in. The older son said to his father:
“Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!”
His father answered him: “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. BUt we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (Luke 15:11-31 paraphrased).
WHAT IS THE MAIN MESSAGE OF THE PRODIGAL SON?
The main message of the prodigal son is commonly thought to be about the repentence of sinners and the forgiveness of God, and although that theme is definately there, I believe the truer and deeper meaning of the parable is actually about extravagance.
WHAT DOES “PRODIGAL” MEAN?
The word “prodigal” actually means “spending money or resources freely or recklessly; wastefully extravagant; Having or giving something on a wreckless scale.” Some dictionary definitions use the term “lavish.” (dictionary.com)
Based on this definition, the parable of the Prodigal Son could also be called, “The Parable of the Extravagant/Lavish Father,” since it describes not only the younger son’s extravagance with himself but also the way the Father receives him home at the end.
What Can We Learn About The Father?
We aren’t given many details about the father in this story, but the few things we know about him tell us volumes! These few details actually give us a rich and beautiful picture of God’s character, and how He relates to us as His children.
Attentive
The father was actively watching for his son. He had not given up hope. He had not closed the door of expectation. His heart remained open, anticipating, hoping, waiting, and at the first glimpse of his son’s silhouette on the horizon, he ran for him and embraced him before the son had a chance to express repentance, or even utter a word (v.20).
Affectionate
The father’s display of affection was emotional, extremely demonstrative, dramatic, and dare I say, undignified. He was not concerned with what was “proper.” He was not concerned with what others would think or feel about how he received his son home. He threw his son a party.
This father was extravagant with his lost son with his forgiveness, his grace, and his affection. He was completely unconcerned about “ruffling feathers,” even with his older son! Although this younger son’s repentance began before he came home, it came to completion after his father’s undignified display of affection.
Accepting
Verse 20 tells us that “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.” His father was watching for him! He was waiting and hoping for his return, heart tenderly longing for the restoration of his son’s relationship, and at the first glimpse of his son’s silhouette on the horizon, he ran for him!
He didn’t go inside the house, draw the curtains and wait for the son to come all the way to the front door. He didn’t make his son ring the doorbell, magnanimously open it, cross his arms and wait for the son’s apology. He didn’t require his son to make a certain level of commitment to the family before allowing him to rejoin it. In fact, just the opposite. He accepted his son home, just as he was.
The son already knew he didn’t deserve his father’s forgiveness, let alone his provision, and begged for the lowest position among his father’s servants. Yet his father was the one to close the gap of distance between them, and threw his arms around his son, embracing him before he even uttered a word! His process of repentance may have begun in his own emptiness, but it came to completion in his father’s embrace.
Affirming
But this loving father’s extravagance isn’t just for his lost, younger son, but for his faithful, older son as well. While his older boy was outside, angry about the celebration for his younger brother, the father came out after him. He met him where he was, saw his heart, and embraced him too, with tenderness and compassion.
This gentle, patient exchange with his older son amazes me! He doesn’t take him to task for his crappy attitude like I probably would have done. He doesn’t wag his finger and say, “Listen, you! You better get your act together and get in there with a smile on your face! Don’t you dare embarrass me!”
Instead, he sees past his son’s behavior to the state of his heart. He sees that his precious older boy needs restoration also, and reassurance of his value to the father. And so, he gives him that, reaffirming his affection for his son, his value, and cherishing him not because of what he does, but because of who he is.
And then, instead of a stern correction, he offers his son a gentle invitation. An invitation to see from a different perspective,
“But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” (v.32, NIV)
The KJV uses the phrase “it was meet that we should make merry.” The Greek word here for “meet” is “dei,” which means necessary, binding, must. The father’s lavish response to the younger brother’s return is not just necessary, it’s crucial! In other words: “It’s like your brother was dead and came back to life again! This is HUGE! How could we not make a big deal about it?!”
Lessons From The Father For Our Lives Today
Ever notice how the parable ends here and we don’t get to find out the older son’s response? Does he agree? Does he have a change of heart and go inside to join the party? Or does he stay outside in the cold, holding tight to his anger and pride?
Jesus doesn’t tell us how it ends because we get to choose it. We get to decide whose perspective we will cling to. We can hold tight to our own feelings of hurt, our own betrayal, our own pride, our own rights. Or we can accept our Father’s loving invitation into a deeper, richer perspective, laying down our rights, and embracing grace instead.
1 Corinthians 4:15 says:
“Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me.”
Here Paul is grieving the fact that within the church there are many teachers, but not many fathers, and pleads with the believers in Corinth, (and with us!), to follow his example of “fatherhood,” and choose to see each other with the eyes of the Father, rather than either of the two sons.
This grace is extravagant. It is unearned and undeserved. It will shock and awe. It will raise eyebrows and ruffle feathers and rock boats. But it will also heal and hold. It will rescue and restore. This grace is sufficient, and it redeems.
And the most beautiful part of this incredible, divine grace, is that we get the freedom to choose it!
Questions For Reflection:
- Which character in the story most accurately reflects my heart? In what ways?
- Think of a specific situation in which you saw from a “son’s” perspective. How do you think the father would have seen it?
- Spend a few minutes in prayer and ask your patient, loving Father to give you His heart, and help you see with His eyes.
