The Role of the FatherSample

THANK YOU, FATHER!

“So he got up and went to his father. 'But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him.'” Luke 15:20

Most of us know the account of the Prodigal Son in the scriptures, but let’s look deeper into the Father-Son relationship. The Greek meaning of Prodigal is ‘wasteful’.

In Luke 15, Jesus was accused by the Pharisees of eating with sinners and that is when he shared 3 parables, one of which was the parable of the Prodigal. Jesus was trying to make a point about His love for the lost, and desire for His children to be saved from all evil.

The son demanded his portion of his father’s inheritance. Can we as parents even imagine how we would feel if a child came to us and asked before our death for their inheritance? The father grants his son his portion.

The son squanders the money in loose living in a faraway place. When it ran out, he ended up in a literal pig's pen, eating with the hogs. When he had enough, he went back to his father and repented. The dad did what our heavenly father does when we sin and come to our senses; he forgave his son! This angered the other son, who had lived upright, but the father assured him that his life was secure and all that he had belonged to his son.

What can we glean from the Prodigal?

1. Our sins will take us further than we want to go, making things worse than they were to begin.

2. Even if we have run from the Father and have displeased Him, if we repent from our heart, He will forgive us.

3. We should not be envious of one returning to the Father, but celebrate the saving of a soul.

CAN YOU RELATE? In today’s study, we have the perfect example of a wayward child and how his earthly father handled the situation. This is a picture of you and I, for we too were once prodigals that God welcomed home!