Why the Father Ran to His Prodigal Son

It was humiliating, but his son’s life was worth more than his reputation, so the father ran to his son. To prevent him from being stoned or, at best, exiled, the father had to reach him before the townspeople.

The parable of the Prodigal Son is a touching illustration of how God’s grace surpasses the law and how self-righteousness interferes with our intimacy with the Father.

The Law Demands & Denies

The law of Moses governed the lives of first-century Jews. Honoring your mother and father was one of the Big Ten.

“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Deuteronomy 5:16

The Prodigal demanded his inheritance while the father still lived.

In doing so, he greatly dishonored his father so he could live the high life now. He didn’t care how he shamed his father.

You know the story: the arrogant son blew it all on questionable life choices.

Only to land in a particularly degrading job for a Jew, feeding the pigs.

It was so bad that he thought of fighting the pigs for their slop.

In a moment of clarity, he realized his father’s servants lived better than he was now.

With this realization, the Prodigal returned to his father’s estate.

It seems like the obvious choice today, but we don’t understand the cost to the prodigal son.

He knew the law and that he had forfeited the benefits of the son-ship he’d once enjoyed.

The prodigal also knew there was a severe risk in his return because the law demanded the stoning of a rebellious son at the town’s gate.

If someone has a stubborn and rebellious son who disobeys his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. They shall say to the elders, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.” Then, all the men of his town are to stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All of Israel will hear of it and be afraid.

Dt. 21:18–21

Without the father’s intervention, the returning prodigal son would go through the ceremony of kezazah.

The Jewish custom at this time was to gather the people, break a pot in front of the prodigal, and declare, “You are cut off from the people.”

The law demanded his punishment, stoning or exile at best. It also denied him the opportunity to make amends.

But the father intervened!

The Gospel Of Grace Gives And Supplies

Driven by unconditional love for his son, the father put aside the demands of the law and replaced them with God’s abundant grace.

Ignoring the son’s declaration of unworthiness, the father put a ring bearing the family’s crest on his finger and sandals on his feet. Both actions show God’s grace and the son’s restoration to his place in the family.

The father’s display of forgiveness and the Prodigals' restoration to sonship spoke volumes.

There would be no stoning or exile for the returning son.

God, the Father, continues to intervene for us today.

Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we are forgiven past, present, and future sins.

We also become the righteousness of God in Jesus.

Why? Because of grace, God wants us to have what we can never earn.

What's more, Jesus already paid our penalties on the cross.

Self-righteousness Stops Intimacy With God

The real tragedy in this parable is the older brother, who stays home.

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years, I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” Luke 15:28–29

The older brother was a slave to the law and had a works mentality.

In his mind, years of performing had earned him the right to a feast. He felt entitled to recognition of his earned righteousness.

A paraphrase of the father’s response could be, all I have was always yours to have whenever you desired, but you were too caught up in your self-righteousness to know you only needed to ask.”

The older son’s self-righteousness kept him from intimacy with his father.

What is keeping you from intimacy with God the Father?

God’s grace is boundless. He doesn’t care where you’ve been, just where you’re going.

To be abundantly clear, Jesus death paid the price of your forgiveness and redemption, to ensure where you’re going.

The Prodigal son realized his error and knew his father well enough to believe he could go home.

Wherever you’ve been or are now, know that the Father is waiting to run to you and welcome you home and that Jesus has already opened the door home.