THE PRODIGAL'S FATHER

Metamora Patter


THE PRODIGAL'S FATHER
BY PAT GULLEY

Luke 15:11-13
(11) And he said, A certain man had two sons:
(12) And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
(13) And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. (KJV)

This teaching from Jesus is usually taught from the viewpoint of the youngest son who couldn't wait for his Father to die to receive his inheritance. He asked his Father to give him his portion early and the Father gave both sons their share of the estate. The young man left home and immediately wasted everything he had received on what Jesus called "riotous" living. It is hard to interpret that to mean anything except wine, women, and song. (Or what ever was the equivalent in that time period.) The older son stayed home and did his "duty".
I have always been amazed at the Father's actions. Jesus had just told two parables about someone losing something that was valuable to them. The man who owned 100 sheep lost one and immediately set out to find the lost sheep and to bring it home. (Vs. 3-7) A woman lost a coin inside her own house and instantly lit a candle, and swept the house and searched until she found the piece of money that she had lost. (Vs. 8-10) Both were so excited to find that which had been lost that they invited their friends and neighbors in to celebrate with them.
But here we have Jesus telling us a story about a Father whose son just left home. He did not go out and search for him. That amazes me. How could a Father just stand by and watch his son walk away and not run after him and beg him to come back home? How could this Dad not explain the seriousness of the situation to his son but instead give him that for which he had asked? I spent lots of time trying to figure out what kind of a Father this man was.
I just imagine that there were many well-intentioned friends and neighbors who kept the Father informed on the son's activities. I can just hear the tongues wagging and see the eyes rolling as the servants whispered about what they had been hearing about their boss's family problems. But what was the Father doing? How was he handling this very difficult situation? Was he walking around the house moaning and crying about his son's dreadful choice? Was he blaming God for letting him down when he needed Him most? Was he afraid he would never see his son again? No, I don't think so.
I believe the prodigal son's father did just as God did in the Garden of Eden. He knew that all human beings are free to choose their paths. I do not believe that it was the Father's fear that brought the young man back, but his faith. I believe that the Father trusted in God and knew that one day he would see his son walking up that long road home. I believe that after the son left, the Father continued living his life as he always had. The important thing to know was that the Father EXPECTED HIS SON TO RETURN HOME. He never lost faith in the young man. That is how our Lord is about us. He never gives up on our getting it right. In fact, HE EXPECTS US TO. All of heaven's angels are ready to rejoice with Him when we do. It's time to come home; there's no more need to roam. Your Father is waiting for you

(This is my weekly newspaper article published in the Brookville American and the Brookville Democrat.)