The Prodigal Son by Matt CarterSample

Day 8: The Reunion

We've made it. The young man has finally completed his journey. He’s rounding the last bend to the house, and he can see it now in the distance. The house, the front porch. The livestock grazing in the pastures that leads to his father's home. The familiarity of the scene no doubt gave him a sense of relief mixed with the wild uncertainty of what might unfold in the next few minutes. He looks again at his home growing closer by the second, and then he sees something he could've never expected. Still in the distance, waiting on the front porch, is his father. 

As the young man rounds the corner on the last stretch of his long walk home, he must have been wondering how his father would receive him. Would he be stern? Enraged? Disappointed? Dismissive? Jesus subverts our expectations as the story concludes. 

Despite the ways his son had wounded him, he never stopped looking, straining his eyes toward the distance, hoping against hope that one day he would look up and see his son walking over the horizon. What Jesus is teaching us in this story is that we have a heavenly Father who never gives up on His kids. The father represents our heavenly Father. No matter how far we’ve strayed and no matter what we’ve done, He will always receive us with open arms when we return to Him.  

At the end of our study, consider these questions: Do you believe the best life is found at home with your heavenly Father? If so, how has the prodigal son helped solidify that truth in your heart? If not, what doubts remain? What is your most important takeaway from our time in the prodigal son?