The Forgiving Father
This coming Sunday, June 21, is Father's Day. We have adjusted the Scripture readings during the worship services to reflect Scriptural teaching on parenting. The Gospel reading will be Jesus' parable we often call "The Prodigal Son," which perhaps would better be called "The Forgiving Father."
You recall that the older brother does not want to join the celebration when his younger brother comes home. When his father came out to encourage him to come in, the older brother laid into his dad: "All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money ... you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!" His father said to him, "Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!" Luke 15:29–32 (NLT) Jesus ends the story right there. We never hear what the older brother does.
Here's the thing. We know how the older brother should react, but we can see why he is angry. We also know when a family bond of love is broken apart, it is an extremely painful thing. Reconciliation would be so good, but is also so difficult, especially if we have been terribly hurt.
The Father gives us the perfect example of forgiving love. There is no hint of making the younger son prove that he is truly sorry. There is pleading with the older son to come in and rejoice in what one could call a resurrection from the dead ... being lost and dead in sin and now alive and back in a loving home.
Which is exactly why the Father sent the Son, and why the Spirit works saving faith through Word and Sacrament. He wants us to be home with Him, rejoicing in our identity as the forgiven, redeemed children of God. He wants us to rejoice when more and more come to the joy of being alive in Christ after having been dead in sin. And He wants that same forgiving, loving attitude worked by the Spirit emulated in our families, modeled by our dads and moms.
And if, per chance, they mess up and come to realize their errors and ask for forgiveness, we celebrate, just like the angels in heaven rejoice whenever a sinner repents and comes home.