But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.: Luke 15:17-19
We humans have remarkable potential, for better or worse. We can create amazing art, literature, architecture, technology, etc., but we can create tremendous misery in a host of ways as well. Sometimes poor choices have mild consequences that cause little real harm. Other times, however, our poor choices can put us (and sadly others as well) at risk of great danger, harm, and loss. One of the most heart-wrenching ways we see this is when poor decisions land people in poverty and destitution. Sometimes people become destitute through no fault of their own, but most of the time, these tragic situations can be traced back to poor decisions.
In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus used such a circumstance to illustrate the spiritual destitution of those who reject God and wander off into the world. The prodigal in this story asked his father for his inheritance while his father was still alive and then proceeded to squander it on riotous living in a foreign land (Luke 15:11-14). It would be hard to imagine a greater insult to his father than this. Having separated himself from the security of life in his father’s household, he was unprepared to endure the famine that arose in the land to which he had gone (Luke 15:14-16). Being a foreigner in this barren land, no one was willing to supply the things he needed, so he found himself a beggar with no means of sustenance.
When he finally came to his senses, he decided to go beg his father for mercy. Knowing he had no right to ask him to restore things as they were prior to his disrespectful rebellion, he simply sought to live as a servant in his father’s house (Luke 15:17-19). So, after leaving home a high-handed rebel, he returned home a humble beggar.
However, his father did not receive him in the way he deserved or expected. Though well within his rights to reject the young man’s plea for mercy altogether or to reduce his place in his home to that of a servant, the father heaped favor on his returned prodigal. From the moment the heartbroken father saw his son making his way down the road to home, he displayed his intense love for him. It was considered shameful for Jewish men to run, but the father ran to greet his wayward son (Luke 15:20). Though one may have expected the father to scold him, instead he kissed him, clothed him in honorific garb, and celebrated his return with a feast (Luke 15:20-24). The humiliated beggar received a royal welcome.
The remarkability of this parable is well demonstrated in the older son’s response (Luke 15:25-30). How could their father honor the one who rejected him in a way he had never honored the one who had been loyal all along? This is not an unreasonable question. It is undeniable that the prodigal did not deserve the welcome he received. He did deserve a scolding and further consequences from his father, but he received grace instead. This parable is the foundation of one of the most beloved Christian hymns ever written because it beautifully depicts the Amazing Grace of God. So, if you have rebelled against God, gone off into a foreign land, and now you have come to your senses, come back as this humble beggar did. If you do, God will give the same royal reception to a bunch of beggars like you and me.