He Ran and Embraced Him

*** This was going to make it into last week's talk about God's love as our Father, but it was too long to include. I think that, in this parable, we can see some of 1 John 1:9 and Zephaniah 3:17...

[Jesus] said, There was a certain man who had two sons;

And the younger of them said to his father, Father,
give me the part of the property that falls [to me].
And he divided the estate between them.

And not many days after that, the younger son gathered up
all that he had and journeyed into a distant country, and there
he wasted his fortune in reckless and loose [from restraint] living.

And when he had spent all he had, a mighty famine came upon
that country, and he began to fall behind and be in want.

So he went and forced (glued) himself upon one of the citizens
of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed hogs.

And he would gladly have fed on and filled his belly with
the carob pods that the hogs were eating, but [they could not
satisfy his hunger and] nobody gave him anything [better].

Then when he came to himself, he said, How many hired
servants of my father have enough food, and [even food] to
spare, but I am perishing (dying) here of hunger!

I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him,
Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

I am no longer worthy to be called your son;
[just] make me like one of your hired servants.

So he got up and came to his [own] father. But while
he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was
moved with pity and tenderness [for him]; and he ran
and embraced him and kissed him [fervently].

And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against
heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called
your son [I no longer deserve to be recognized as a son of yours]!

But the father said to his bond servants, Bring quickly
the best robe (the festive robe of honor) and put it on him;
and give him a ring for his hand and sandals for his feet.

And bring out that [wheat-]fattened calf and kill it;
and let us revel and feast and be happy and make merry,

Because this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost
and is found! And they began to revel and feast and make merry.

[Luke 15:11-24]

I LOVE the image of the father running toward the son - before he even hears what the son has to say. What an awesome image of love.

((There's one more thing, though off the topic of love, that I love about this passage. It's the son's language (again, Joyce Meyer mentioned this in a sermon). In the beginning, he says, "Father, give me." It's about what he wants and what his father can do for him. Yet after he has worn out his will and has found that his way cannot support him, he humbles himself and decides to go back to his father, saying, "[just] make me." I think, in that change, we see something remarkable - we see humbleness and the surrender his self-sufficient will. We see him realize that he needs his father, and that he doesn't deserve him.))