Yesterday being Father's Day, I was thinking about the fact that one of the primary reasons Jesus came to earth was to reveal the Father to us. His desire, and obviously the Father's desire is that we come to know Him and understand Him more. As I have written before, Jesus said that everything He said and did was at the Father's direction. In Hebrews 1:3 it says that Jesus is the "exact representation of His being". Jesus said in John 14:9 that "anyone who has seen me has seen the Father". In Luke 10:22 Jesus says, "...no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Clearly Jesus is our best representation and window into who the Father is, and what the Father is like.
With this in mind, I was reminded of the story that Jesus told in Luke 15 of the wayward son. Specifically I was reminded of the character of the Father in the story, for Jesus is clearly pointing towards His Father in heaven when telling this story. Here is the story in its entirety, as it is too good to paraphrase - Luke 15:11-32 NIV:
[11] Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.
[12] The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
[13] “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. [14] After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. [15] So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. [16] He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
[17] “When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! [18] I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. [19] I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.' [20] So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
[21] “The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
[22] “But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. [23] Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. [24] For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
[25] “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. [26] So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. [27] 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
[28] “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. [29] 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. [30] But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
[31] “ 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. [32] 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.' ”
I love this story because I think it so effectively communicates the Father's heart towards all of us, even those that have effectively turned their backs on God for whatever reason. The Father never stopped loving His wayward child, and never stopped looking for His son to return to Him. As soon as the Father saw the son, He ran to Him and embraced Him and called for his robe, ring and shoes all symbolic of restoring his identity.
In the same way, the Father loves us, regardless of our life choices, and is always waiting for us to return to Him. His love for us makes no logical sense. His love for us does not include a time of punishment for our misdeeds but rather He is all about restoring our identity when we return! It does not matter what we have done, where we have found ourselves sleeping, how long we have been away, He is always waiting and watching for our return.
The enemy and the world would try to convince us that our sin, our turning our back on God, has in some way disqualified us to be in relationship with Him, has caused us to lose our place or chance to be one of His children. I believe that is precisely why Jesus told this story, He wanted us to understand the Father's heart toward all of us. Jesus wanted to reveal the Father's heart for the lost, the confused, the deceived, those who have turned their backs on Him, those that have denied Him, and those that act like there is no God. He isn't waiting to punish, but rather is waiting with open arms ready to welcome us back. That is what the Father is like!
So today, the day after we celebrated Father's day, I am so grateful for the Father in Heaven and His endless mercy, compassion and grace. I am so grateful that Jesus came to reveal the Father to us, that we might understand and see what an awesome Father He truly is. I am encouraged to learn from Jesus and Our Father and offer the same fatherly heart towards my children. I am encouraged to have the same heart as the Father towards all of those that do not know Him, those who are lost, those who have walked away, those who have run after fulfillment in life through every other means, and those who are mistaken about His character.
Father, Thank You for revealing Yourself to us through Your Son Jesus!
Amen and Amen!
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