The parable about the “Prodigal Son” has come to be recognized in all languages and cultures as a superlative story which has few parallels and precious few equals. On the one hand the parable is of such a nature that it could happen in most any family, and on the other it is shot through with human drama and emotion. Interestingly enough, the older brother has become as much a study in contrasts as the main character of the story, the younger brother, is a study in profligacy and genuine repentance.
After the young man had abandoned hearth and home for the “far country” where he sought to enjoy life to its fullest, he wasted the fruit of his father’s lifetime of hard work and saving, only to fall upon hard times such as he had never seen before. When he “came to himself” under the rigors of his condition of total loss and exasperating poverty, he formed an inner resolve which became the basis for all of the remainder of the story. The Gospel of Luke records his words thus:
I will arise and go to my father, and I will say unto him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee…” (Luke 15:18)
The beauty of this moment of keen insight was that it was followed up on with absolute abandon. He did get up, and he did head straight for his father, and he did indeed speak these words to him precisely as he had planned. And that is certainly a good thing, for all of us know that we do not always do many of the things which we resolve to do, and no doubt it was the same with this young fellow as well. But in this case he did, and that is commendable in this instance, and for that matter, in every case. What we resolve to do that is good ought to be done in every instance.
As he rose up and left to return to his Father, he knew several things which all of us ought also to be aware of as we live out our lives in this world.
1. He knew that his Father would still be there when he went back home. In all of the years he had known him, he had never known his father to abandon the family. If he went home, he was absolutely certain that he would be there. What is, of course, especially interesting about this is that he had done exactly the opposite in his own case. He had abandoned the family and left without thought of how his own unfaithfulness to the family would affect the household and hurt others who depended on him. His father, on the other hand, was steady and dependable. And thus, it never crossed his mind to wonder whether or not he would be there if he returned. And so indeed, he found him there waiting when he got back. Now please understand that God is no different as our Father; we know that he will be there for us if we decide to return to him. It never enters our minds to think that maybe he will have somehow disappeared if we go back. He will certainly be there. You can be sure of it.
2. He knew that his Father would have plenty to provide for all of his needs if he went home. It is clear in this story that the Father of this young fellow was a very wealthy man. Apparently in his Father’s house he had never known want or gone without. He may have seen poverty from afar but he had never experienced it in the house of his Father. As he observed, “How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger” (Luke 15:17). If he could just make it back to the house of his father, he knew there would be plenty there for him also. His needs would be met in the house of his Father. Dear friend, you need also to know that in the house of your Father in heaven there is everything that your soul needs. God can and will richly supply the needs of both your body and soul. As Paul wrote confidently, “My God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).
3. He knew that he had a merciful Father. The years that he had spent in his Father’s house had given him much insight into the man whom he knew would be there when he returned. Although he was not quite sure about how exactly his Father might respond to him in this particular case, being that he had gone so far away and apparently made no effort at all to let the family know how he was doing up till now, and had squandered all of his Father’s living in wickedness, there may have been some sense of uncertainty and perhaps even some trepidation about how it would all work out. Nevertheless, he knew some things about his Father with absolute certainty. And one of those things was his Father’s merciful nature. Doubtless he had seen many instances of it played out before his eyes as his Father dealt with others. And so he was very confident that when he returned home he would see the same virtue demonstrated to him that he had seen others benefit from. We are no different with our Father in heaven. We have seen his abundant mercy evidenced in his patience with the children of Israel throughout their checkered history with him. We have read about his patience with the frailties and weaknesses of his children in all of the biblical narratives that have come down to us in the Bible. We know that “the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him” (Psa. 103:17). We can be confident that if we return to him he will be merciful to us, even though we have proven less than faithful.
4. He knew that his Father loved him. Although he could not have known the depth and profundity of his Father’s love for him, he knew that the one to whom he returned did not hate him and could not ever have hated him. It is certain that on many prior occasions his Father had demonstrated his love for him. His love had been apparent in a thousand kindnesses, large and small over a process of many years. So, it would have been entirely out of character for him to have treated him in any other way than the way in which he did ultimately treat him. Even though he knew that he had disappointed his Father severely this time, in point of fact he had disappointed him before, and he surely remembered how he had been treated previously. He was going home to that same loving Father. That he knew beyond all else, and so he arose and went to him. The God to whom we return in repentance is likewise a loving Father. He is always described so in the teaching of Jesus, who was closer to the Father than any other ever could have been or ever will be. He knew this side of his character well. When he prayed from the cross he revealed how much like the Father he was when he said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” That prayer tells us that he not only loves us who are his children by faith, he even loves a rebellious and cruel world. As John explained: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).
5. He knew that his Father would forgive him. Once more, his entire life prior to his departure into the far country had been lived in a close relationship with his Father. He knew him. Undoubtedly he had disappointed his Father before. Sons and daughter do that sort of thing. But he had found him to be someone who readily forgave his foibles and his sins. Of course, this was a big one this time, and we do not want in any way to minimize the nature of his sin against the family and against his Father. But his Father would forgive him, of that much he was sure. And he knew it because he knew his Father. It had nothing to do with how big or small his transgression was. It had everything to do with his Father’s forgiving heart. Now this is no less true in the case of our Father in heaven. We know that he will always forgive us if we will but return to him. Of that much we are absolutely certain. There are no “ifs, ands, or buts” attached to the promises of God. Our sins may be terrible (and in the eyes of a holy God they always are so), but our Father will forgive us of our sins if we return to him because it is within his nature to do so. If we know him truly, we have come to know this much about him. Peter could promise on the day of Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus from a cruel death on account of the Jewish appeal to “Crucify him, crucify him,” that forgiveness and remission of sins was certain on the basis of repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38). The promise was made, not on account of the nature of the sins committed, for they were surely as great as any sins have ever been, but on account of the nature of God the Father who made the promise!
Learn these important lessons about God and you will surely want to return to him when you have left him in unfaithfulness and sin. We need never to forget that the same Father waits patiently for our own return to him when we have finished with sinning!