‘ The Father ran ‘
The parable of the prodigal son is a Gospel within a Gospel- it summarizes the story of our redemption. The younger son rebelling against the father and wandering away into the far away country is the story of mankind’s fall and gradually drifting away from God. The elder son working hard and keeping all the commandments and yet staying outside the house, presents the futility of the Law and the Commandments to save. The father running toward the prodigal son, is God who comes to redeem and save. It is his mercy and love alone that will restore us back home. The words, ‘The Father ran’ summarizes the parable and reveal the heart of God.
The figure of the running father best captures the essence and nature of God. The elderly man running through the dusty streets of Palestine must have been a comical sight to many. Jesus said this parable in answer to a complaint by the Pharisees “Why does he eat with sinners?”. The figure of the running father is the answer.
St John tells us, “ God is love.” The nature of God is love. Another word for love is mercy and forgiveness The name of God is Mercy. When God has an opportunity to forgive he runs. He is keeping the company of sinners because he is God. He runs to get to the son as quickly as possible. He runs to reduce the pain and agony of the son as less as possible. For every step the son takes towards the father, the father takes a hundred steps, towards the son. The son is limping. The father is running.
A mother is a mother so long as she has a baby to feed and clothe. A nurse is a nurse so long as she has someone to care for and restore to health. A doctor is a doctor only so long as he/she has a patient to cure and save. And God is God when he has compassion, mercy, and love. Therefore he goes among sinners and eats with them.
God gets a new lease of life when he can forgive. The Pharisees complained, “ Who can forgive sins, but God alone”. They were right in what they said. Only God can forgive. It is his nature to forgive. It is in the forgiveness, that he exercises his nature as God. He wants to be God by forgiving. He wants to take the first chance to forgive. The faster he can get to the son, the longer he can be God! Therefore he runs like an arrow that rushes to meet its target or in the words of St Augustine, “Our hearts are made for you and it can never rest until it rests in you”. It is not we who go to him, it is he who comes to us.
The shepherd searches ‘until he finds’ the lost sheep. He carries it home on his shoulders. The woman sweeps ‘until she finds’ the lost coin. She restores it to where it belonged and wears it proudly once again around her neck. The father runs until his arms are on the shoulders of his son and though old, with the support of his shoulder he leads him home.
Our God is a good runner. He runs until the target is reached. He searches until he finds. God is presented in these parables, not only as the Good Shepherd and the running Father but also as a searching woman. In pain, in sorrow, in sin, God is not absent. No ‘far away country’ is too distant for him. No sin is too heavy that he cannot carry. No sinner is ever lost from his sight. Take the first step towards him. He will cover the rest of the distance for he is a good runner!
- Fr TV George sdb
