The Father Who Welcomes the Returning Son

Read: Luke 15:11–32; Exodus 34:6–7; John 17:26, using the King James Version.

Shame can make the distance between us and God feel greater than it is. We may know that we need to return, yet wonder what will meet us when we do. Will there be room for us after the choices we have made?

Yeshua, also known as Jesus, told a parable that helps us consider the Father's heart towards someone who turns back. A parable is a story used to teach; these characters illustrate His teaching rather than record a named family's history.

The journey away

A father had two sons. The younger asked for his share of the family's property, left home, and wasted what he had received. When famine came, he found himself hungry and tending pigs.

He remembered the abundance in his father's house. He resolved to return, acknowledge his sin, and ask to be received as a hired servant. Then he began the journey home.

His father saw him while he was still far away. Moved with compassion, he ran to him and embraced him. The son confessed his wrongdoing. The father called for clothing, a ring, sandals, and a feast, declaring:

“he was lost, and is found” — Luke 15:24, KJV

The elder son resented the celebration. His father went out to speak with him too, urging him to share the joy of his brother's return.

More than permission to come near

In the younger son's welcome, Yeshua gives us a picture of forgiving mercy. The wrongdoing is acknowledged, yet it does not become the father's final word over the son. He receives him with joy.

This matters because we can imagine forgiveness as a reluctant concession: perhaps God will tolerate us, provided we never forget how badly we failed. The parable invites us to see the joy of restoration. The son who had gone away is welcomed home.

His return also has a direction. He leaves the distant country and acknowledges his sin. Repentance means turning back to God, bringing our lives under His care and instruction. Forgiveness gives us hope to make that turn honestly.

The Father whose name He declares

This parable belongs alongside Yeshua's prayer in John 17. He says that He has declared the Father's name so that the Father's love may be in His followers. The welcome He describes helps us recognise that love: mercy making room for an honest return and joy in a relationship restored.

The Father whose forgiveness Moses heard proclaimed in Exodus 34:6–7 is the Father Yeshua makes known.

When shame keeps speaking

Perhaps you have confessed a wrong, but continue rehearsing it as proof that you can never approach the Father freely again. Regret may have become the lens through which you see your whole life.

There may be consequences to face and harm to repair. Receiving mercy does not make those responsibilities disappear. But we can undertake them without treating shame as the name we must carry forever.

Consider the father's response in the parable. He receives the returning son as someone whose restoration matters to him. Let that picture challenge the assumption that you must remain at a distance until you have made yourself worthy of being loved.

You can begin with honest confession. Ask the Father for forgiveness and help to turn from the wrong. Where repair is possible, take the steps that belong to you. Learn to receive mercy as you walk in a new direction.

Room for another person's return

The elder son's response brings the question closer to us. How do we react when someone we consider undeserving receives mercy?

We may find it easier to celebrate forgiveness for ourselves than restoration for another person. Yet knowing the Father's forgiving heart invites us to make room for their return as well.

That does not require pretending harm never happened or restoring trust before it has been rebuilt. It does invite us to examine resentment and ask whether we can desire another person's repentance and good.

The joy of a restored relationship belongs at the heart of this parable. Yeshua invites us to see why the father celebrates.