The Parable of the Loving FatherSample

Turning your back on the Father

“The younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.” (Luke 15:13)

In a few sentences, Jesus paints a heartbreaking situation. A father has two sons, but the younger asks for his share of his inheritance and then leaves to waste his money in a far away country. He does not want to stay with his father any longer. He literally turns his back on him, not planning to ever return. This must have hurt the father deeply. As he says later in the story, he feels like his son has died.

Since this is a parable about Jesus’ attitude towards people, it’s not too hard to figure out who this younger son may be. This son stands for people who turn away from God and do not want to have anything to do with Him. The Bible contains several examples of this. During the reign of King Hezekiah, for example, the people of Israel confessed: “Our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They have forsaken Him [...] and turned their backs.” (2 Chronicles 29:6) But it’s not just the Israelites who did this. Humanity as a whole has turned its back on God, by disobeying Him and choosing their own way.

Do you recognize the younger son’s attitude in your own heart? How does that make you feel? Can you also imagine how it ‘makes God feel’?