Drafted with AI assistance, then reviewed, edited and approved by Jeff Robb. Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Key passage: Luke 15:20-24 (KJV)
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But 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. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Reflection
Jesus told this story to a mixed crowd. Luke says the publicans and sinners drew near to hear Him, and the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. So Jesus told three stories about lost things. A lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son.
The younger son asks for his share of the inheritance early, goes into a far country, and wastes it all with riotous living. Then a famine comes, and he ends up feeding pigs, so hungry he would gladly have eaten what they were eating.
And then a turning point. He came to himself. He remembers his father's house. Even the hired servants there have bread enough and to spare. So he rehearses a speech. Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
Then comes the verse that is the heart of the whole story. But 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.
The father saw him a great way off. That means he had been watching the road. He ran. Then he hugged and kissed his son before the son could say a word of his speech.
The son does start his speech. He gets as far as, no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father doesn't let him finish the part about the hired servants. Instead he calls for the best robe, a ring, shoes, and the fatted calf. This my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.
The son came home hoping to be a servant. The father welcomed him as a son.
That is the picture Jesus gives us of God. Not a father with his arms folded, waiting for us to grovel. A father watching the road, who runs.
Some of us feel like we've wandered too far. We think we need to clean ourselves up first, or prove we've changed. But the son didn't come home clean. He came home hungry, dirty, and ashamed. All he did was turn around and come.
If there's something you've been carrying, some distance between you and God, today is a good day to turn toward home. You don't need a perfect speech. The Father is already watching the road.
Cross-references
Prayer
Father, thank You that You watch for me and run to meet me when I turn toward You. I confess the ways I have wandered. I come home not because I deserve it, but because You are merciful. Thank You for welcoming me as Your child. In Jesus' name, amen.
For today: If you've drifted from God, don't wait to fix yourself first. Turn toward home today. The Father runs to meet you.