Come On Home
The younger brother decides it’s time to come home. He’s lived life on his own terms, and it hasn’t worked out so well. But when he does come back, he’s greeted with open arms: a kiss, a ring, a coat, and a party. In coming home, he not only finds his father, but he discovers his father’s heart.
The older brother, though, still needs to come home. Physically, he’s there—out in the field, working tirelessly—but emotionally and spiritually, he’s far from the father. He calls his work slavery, striving to achieve what he fails to see has always been his. He doesn’t recognize that home has been there all along, that his father’s heart has always been open to him.
When the father pleads with the older brother to come inside, we hear his pain: “All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And all that time, you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.” His words sting because they reveal a misunderstanding of who his father is and who he is as a son.
The father’s response tells us everything: “Look, dear son. You have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. This home has always been yours. My heart has always been yours. The riches I have have always been yours. They’re a gift.” The father’s heart delights in his son, not because of his work or performance, but simply because he is his child. All the older brother had to do was receive it.
The father’s joy overflows when his lost son returns: “It delights when a son who was once dead now comes to life, who was once lost but is now home.” The invitation is clear: Step inside the house. Partake in the party your good father has always had for you. Come on home.
The prayer of my heart is that you, me, all of us, will see who we truly are: not slaves, but beloved children. That we will see who the Father truly is: He is good. And that we will receive all that we have in Him. May we step into the house and join the party.
This is my prayer for my own soul, for my family, for my wife and daughters and son, and for you. May it be so.
