As I was putting my daughter, Ivy to sleep, she hugged me and said, "Papa, I love you". Now that beats anything. Imagine a father's feelings. One of the most wonderful revelations in the Bible is that of God as our Father who loves us. Jesus himself was constantly in touch with his Father throughout his ministry on this earth.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son paints a wonderful picture of loving Father. There are three aspects of the character of the father that we can learn from this parable, which helps us understand the father heart of God.
i. He loved his son enough to let him leave home.
In the Jewish tradition, a father’s role meant many hours of teaching him the laws of God. He would prepare his son to be a righteous and responsible member of the Jewish community. Now that the son has reached age, he must choose. For a father to respond this way to his rebellious son shows that the father understood the heart of God.
ii. He loved his son deeply that he watched everyday for him to return home.
Every day his Father stood at the end of the road and watched for him. How great was his patience and compassion. In this story it is the knowledge of his father’s love that finally brings this son to the place of repentance.
iii. He loved his son so much that when he returned home, he did not condemn his son but forgave him.
In fact when we read this parable, we notice that he was not a waiting Father but a running father. He embraces his long lost son. He is totally forgiving. His action says it all.
See in what manner that the Father loves us that he calls us sons and daughters. It grieves Him when we sin or He sees us hurting others. He weeps for us and waits for us. To know him is to love him. And to love him is to obey him. One attribute of God that not even the best parent can hope to imitate – that is God’s ability to be with us all the time.
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