The Father Who Welcomes Us Home
In Luke 15, the Father moves towards both sons and invites them into his joy.
When we think of the story in Luke 15, we often call it the parable of the prodigal son. That title draws our attention to the younger son who leaves home, wastes what he has been given and eventually returns. His story is important, but it is not the only story Jesus tells. There is a father and another son, and the way the father responds to both is where I find myself wanting to look more closely.
Jesus tells the parable after people complain that he welcomes sinners and eats with them (Luke 15:1–2). He has been showing them the Father's welcome in the way he lives, and now he tells them a story that helps them see it.
The Father Moves First
The younger son rehearses what he will say when he gets home. He knows he has damaged the relationship and no longer expects to be treated as a son. He hopes he might be taken in as a hired worker.
But while he is still a long way off, his father sees him, runs to him and embraces him (Luke 15:20). The son does confess his sin. The father does not pretend that nothing has happened. Yet the welcome has already begun before the prepared speech is complete. The father calls for clothing, a ring, sandals and a celebration. His lost son has come home.
I think we can miss the initiative in that scene. The younger son turns towards home, but the father is the one who sees, runs and draws him in. He is not standing at the door calculating how little he can offer until the son has proved himself. Jesus wants us to see the joy of a father who receives his child.
The Son Who Stayed Outside
The older son has a different problem. He has remained at home, worked hard and believes he has not received the recognition he deserves. When he hears the celebration, he refuses to go in. The father goes out to him too (Luke 15:28).
The father moves towards both sons. One has put distance between them by leaving; the other is near the house but cannot share his father's joy. The father speaks to him tenderly, reminds him that he has always been with him and invites him to celebrate the brother who has returned.
Jesus leaves the story open. We are not told whether the older son enters the feast. The people who criticised Jesus for welcoming sinners are left to decide what they will do with the father's invitation.
It is possible to recognise ourselves in either son, and sometimes in both. We may wonder whether we could be welcomed after going so far away. Or we may have stayed close to the things of faith while quietly losing sight of the Father's generosity. The story gives both sons a place in the conversation.
Brought into the Family
The parable shows us the Father's welcome; the rest of the New Testament helps us see how deeply that welcome reaches. Paul writes that, through the Spirit, we are brought into God's family as adopted children and can cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15–17). We are received into a relationship we could not claim as our own achievement.
Jesus is the Son who makes the Father known. Through him, we are invited to know the Father as his children. We do not become the Son in the way Jesus is the Son, but we are welcomed into the family and taught to approach the Father with trust. That is far more than being allowed back onto the property as hired workers.
I do not know which part of the story you hear most strongly today. Perhaps it is the younger son's journey home. Perhaps it is the older son's hesitation at the edge of the celebration. Either way, notice the father moving towards his children. In Jesus, that is the Father we are being invited to know.