Art in Scripture: A Glimpse of EternitySample

The Parable of the Prodigal Son, No. III: The Return
JAMES TISSOT

1882, Etching on laid paper, second state of two; The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1968
metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/368082

Opening Prayer

Lord, please draw my attention to the good, true, and beautiful in this artist’s work.

Open my mind to realize connections between the captivating elements of this etching and my core yearnings.

Stir within me those yearnings that expose how my soul longs to be with You for every moment of this life and for eternity.

Thoughts to reflect upon as you read the passages from Luke and Hosea on the next pages:

Eyes fixed on the limp, kneeling body, not even opening his eyes as he has finally found himself back in the arms of his dad: has there been a moment when I was this weary of fighting to keep my head above water? This weary of trying to get out of that sin cycle or be okay without that relationship or just get my life in order?

The father’s hand pulling the son’s head closer into his arms, without aversion to whatever uncleanliness may be caked in his hair: can I think of a moment when I’ve felt loved so absolutely? Or a moment when I’ve wished someone would be there like that?

This parable in Luke describes such a Father and recognizes such a son. “But while he was still a long way off,” Luke writes, “his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran” (Luke 15:20, emphasis added). This is not a passive “of course I love you.” C.S. Lewis writes, “To please God… to be a real ingredient in the divine happiness… to be loved by God, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his work or a father in a son- it seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is.” The arresting beauty of Tissot’s etching is not mere wishful thinking. In Old Testament passages as well, we see this character of the Father’s heart for Israel on display:

How can I give you up, O Ephraim?

How can I hand you over, O Israel?

My heart recoils within me;

my compassion grows warm and tender.

I will not execute my burning anger;

I will not again destroy Ephraim;

for I am God and not a man,

the Holy One in your midst,

and I will not come in wrath.

This is the kind of father God is, always and forever. This is the content of His heart. What a hope in the face of the ache to be seen and loved in the very ways we feel overlooked or unlovable.

Closing Prayer

God, please make me aware of Your nearness as I think of the things in my life that are making me weary. Help my heart believe how deeply You love me.

Father, if there is something in my life, thoughts, or habits right now that has me straying from You, please give me the grace and power to return home.

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