THE Prodigal son is one of the more famous parables. Rightfully so. And yet I think the emphasis has been too much on the son who squandered all his inheritance or the elder son who resented the brother's coming home. The father's response to me is the more defining. The two sons acted like persons. The father on the other hand was something else. Let us look at the father closely.
When the younger son demanded his inheritance the father did not say anything. He did not get mad or curse. He just gave the younger son his due. When the younger son left he did not stop him. He just let the son be. When his younger son comes home, the father who saw him from afar rushed and greeted him. He embraced the son, gave him a ring and the best coat, and killed a calf to celebrate the homecoming. He was overjoyed. When the elder son found out, the father came to him and said, "all that is mine is yours." He was saying do not be mad but let us rejoice because your brother is home.
And it ends there but it does not. We do not know what happens next. For all we know, the elder son left because he was mad. We do not know if the second son had false repentance after all he came home because he needed to and not because he wanted to. All we know is the devotion of the father. And his consistency. He will welcome all his sons no matter what.
One of the most basic things about forgiveness is not to talk about the past anymore. When we forgive someone we do not sit down and bring up the past. That is a recipe for disaster and the healing will never happen. When we wish to forgive and be forgiven, we sit and say how can we make this better? Let us not talk about it anymore because that is done. Our attitude in short should be moving on and not looking back.
When the father saw the younger son he did not blame or curse him. He said I am so glad you are home. Let us forget what has happened and let us move forward. Was he naïve? We really do not know and even if he were and the younger son was playing him, who is the worse person here? The naïve or the manipulator? It is the same thing with the elder son. Who is the better person, the one who stayed for his selfish reasons or the one who would accept anything and everything? In fact in both cases, who is the stronger one? It is very easy to manipulate and deceive. It takes a lot of strength to see what one hopes and prays for.
We are sure of one thing here. If both sons leave for their own reasons the father would welcome them home. That is undeniable. His love for his sons overrides their weaknesses and their reasons.
God will never turn His back even if we have done it so many times to Him.