Luke chapter 15 records the account of Christ’s parable of the prodigal son. Most Bibles have titles placed a certain points to help individuals find different accounts or changes in the flow of scripture. These titles are not original and were added years later. One title that I have always disagreed with is the prodigal son. This story is really not about the son, but the love of the father.
Here is the simple summary of the story. A wealthy father had two sons. The older son was responsible and always did the right thing. The younger son however was impetuous and impulsive. The younger son asked for his inheritance early and headed off to the city. While in the city he “squandered his money on reckless living,” in other words he partied away his wealth.
Once he had nothing left he became desperate and started working for a pig farmer. One day while working and eating with the hogs he realized that his father treated his servants better than this. The young man dusted himself off and headed home with the plan to be a servant to his father. What happened next was culturally amazing. Scripture tells us that as the son was coming home the father saw him and ran to his side to hug and kiss him.
What is so amazing about this picture is that in Christ’s time it was considered shameful for an adult male to run. It was seen as beneath him and a sign that he was not to be respected. When the father saw his lost son he could not contain his excitement, he ran to be with his child.
This is no different than us. At some point in our lives we were outside of the grace of God. When we turned to Him for salvation, I truly believe He ran to us like the father in the story. Once the boy was home, his dad did not make him a servant, but clothed him in royal robes and held a feast in his honor. The same is true for us.
It doesn’t matter where we have been or what we have done. The Father is anxiously awaiting the return of His lost son or daughter, and when He sees them, He drops everything to run to them.
Praise be to God!
Pastor Jason
Saving Grace 