The father who had two sons

By Shyni Varghese

The father woke up one morning to face the day that he was praying would never come. With time, he had seen his younger son drift away and soon enough he was standing there demanding his share of the estate. The father was shattered from within but he could barely say a word, and he chooses to let go and divide his estate.  

As an ideal father, he did his best to bring up his sons on good values. Although he divided the estate but never drew division among his sons. He had wealth, but he did not encourage his sons to sit idle at home. He trained them to work hard in the fields with his servants. But maybe it was difficult for the younger son to understand his father’s heart and his ways, “How could discipline and submission be love?” 

And he takes his share of money and goes off to a distant country” (Luke 15:13). 

Soon enough, the younger son squanders all his wealth, and in his moment of desperation, he comes back to his senses and remembers his father. And he sets out to go back to his father rehearsing the words of apology in his mind - “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants”

The father on the other hand was longing for his lost son. Everyday his eyes would look at the horizon yearning to see a glimpse him. Maybe that’s the reason why he spots his son while he was still far away. And when he saw him coming, great compassion swelled up in his heart. He got up and ran towards his son and hugged and kissed him. 

Wow, that was an overflow of his love for him. He was so overjoyed that he didn’t even let his son complete his apology, but the Bible says: The father calls for a feast and the entire household begins to celebrate with music and dancing. 

Truly this father is the epitome of God’s love. Oh, how God loves us!

Towards the end of this parable, it seems that this father stood a chance of losing his elder son to jealousy and offence who refuses to join the celebration. This act in those times was a humiliating rejection of the father. But the father went out and pleaded with him to join the celebration saying,” Everything I have is yours.” 

And the parable ends with this statement. 

We don’t know whether he ended up losing his elder son this time. But this father is symbolic of our heavenly father whose heart yearns for his lost children. 

'How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.' I thought you would call me 'Father' and not turn away from following me. (Jeremiah 3:19).

Life Application

1. God’s love for us is unchanging no matter what we do.

2. God disciplines those whom He loves