Day 8

This parable that Jesus told is so wonderfully complex. I like to look at the story from the different characters' points of view. I'd like to imagine what the Father felt as he watched his son walk away while knowing what was coming.
We can conclude that the Father in this story was a generous and loving man from what the son says about how he treats his servants, and from what the Father says to his older son in verse 31; "Everything I have is yours." As the Father watched his son leave, he had to wonder why his son wasn't satisfied with what he had been given. This thought, however, must have been overshadowed by the immense pain he felt from knowing the destruction his son was headed for. The Father gave his son the freedom to make his own decision, even though he knew it was a poor one. It must have hurt him deeply for his son to reject the love and care he had been given.
The Father allowed his son to make a mistake, but in the end, he passed up the opportunity to say "I told you so!" and gave him a feast instead. This makes me think that when the son left, the Father felt the pain of the rejection but still only held feelings of love towards his son; he didn't shout out, "You're wrong, you know? Just wait and see!"
Just like the Father in the parable, our God is a loving father who has given us everything we need. This is how He views us when we turn our backs on him and walk down the path of sin. He gives us the freedom to make our own choices, but it hurts him simply to know of the pain that we will face every time we sin.
I think we have become desensitized to sin. We don't think about how God feels about it when we lie or when we bring someone down with our words. We don't see how it hurts him, and when we come back to him, we take for granted the rejoicing that takes place in heaven. God will always take us back, but that doesn't give us free reign to squander his blessings, or abuse his love every weekend, only to repent on Sunday.
I hope that you will take the time to reflect even more deeply about the Father's point of view in this parable that Jesus gave us. It's worth your time.


Jason Creed