Coming home: encounter the extravagant love of the Father

The story of the Prodigal Son is a profound picture of God’s love, showing us that no matter where we are—lost, shamed, or religiously exhausted—the Father is running to meet us. In the present article, Paul Manwaring (from 52′ to 1h42′ in the video) shows how this story reveals a radical, rule-breaking grace that offers instant identity, unconditional trust, and true freedom to everyone who answers the call to come home. Are you ready to take this step?

The universal call of the Gospel

When Jesus gathered a crowd, he didn’t exclude anyone; he spoke to tax collectors, sinners (probably meaning prostitutes), scribes, and Pharisees—that was His crowd. The genius of Jesus is that He speaks to all of us, communicating through the proclamation of the Word as if the message was for only you. In John chapter one, it says that Jesus is the Word, and in Him was light, and His light was the life of the world. These three words—Word, Life, and Light—fascinate me so much, and I believe that one day those three things will come together, and the first place that they will come together is in our lives.

Jesus sets the scene for the great parable of the Father by telling two shorter stories. The first is about a lost sheep, representing those who wander off because they do things to life. The second is about a lost coin, representing those to whom life does things. Whether you are the sheep that wandered off or the coin that was lost due to circumstances, the beautiful truth is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which centers around the cross, is for everyone. Jesus’ death on the cross is both the greatest act of injustice and the greatest act of justice. No matter if you did something wrong or if bad stuff happened to you, the cross is the answer: He paid for you to set you free, and bore the maximum injustice to reach you no matter what.

When the shepherd finds the lost sheep, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing, then calls his friends and neighbors to celebrate. Jesus declares that in the same way, “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous men who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). He’s looking directly at the crowd of sinners and speaking to them. This convergence of the Word, Life, and Light is powerful; it’s a message that doesn’t just address our sin, but our very existence. Jesus reminds us: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). This grace is universal; it is available to every single person—the wandering, the wounded, and even those who think they don’t need repentance.

The Father’s embrace: overcoming shame and giving back identity

The story of the “prodigal son” is mistakenly named; it is actually the story of the extravagant father who had two sons. When the younger son hit rock bottom, feeding pigs—the lowest point imaginable for a Jewish boy—he realized his mistake. He rehearsed his speech for the journey home: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants” (Luke 15:18-19). He was expecting a difficult negotiation for a wage. Yet what he received was not judgment, but the father’s unconditional embrace.

The father broke cultural rules for love. He ran, which was undignified for a man of his standing, perhaps running to intercept the teenage villagers who might have performed the Kazar ceremony, smashing a pot to shame the boy out of the village forever. The father covers the shame by running to him. Shame is a powerful enemy; it tells you what you are not—less valuable, less beautiful, or less significant. Shame will keep you from the one voice that can tell you who you are.

Instead of receiving his son’s plea for a servant’s wage, the father immediately calls for three things, signalling a complete restoration of identity:

1. The best robe: this was not a bathrobe, but the robe reserved for an honored guest, signifying: “You are worthy”.

2. The ring: probably a signet ring used for business contracts—the credit card of the business. The father effectively said: “I trust you. I’m giving you authority.”

3. The sandals: sandals were the symbol of sonship; slaves went barefoot. The father declares: “You are my son”.

This powerful parable shows that there is a matching answer in heaven for your cry. You don’t have to live in shame. The Bible promises that “instead of your shame you shall have double honor” (Isaiah 61:7). When we deal with shame, we receive a double portion: I get all of God, and He gets all of me. Jesus didn’t die because you were worth less; He died because you are worth Him. The Father then proclaims, “my son who was dead has come to life again; he was lost and has been found” (Luke 15:24).

Alive and free!

The good news of the Christian faith is profoundly simple: you don’t have to be dead, and you don’t have to be a prisoner.

The best day of my career as a nurse is when I experienced the miracle of resuscitation of a man, Terry Thompson, and told his wife: “Your husband’s not dead. He’s alive.” That experience mirrors the core message of the Gospel: we are welcomed into the arms of a Heavenly Father because His Son who was dead is alive. Jesus purchased for us not just eternal life, but abundant life here and now. The very purpose of the Ten Commandments is to lead us to abundance, because breaking them leads to lack. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

The second great truth is that you don’t have to be a prisoner. The low point of the prodigal son was feeding pigs—a place where he had no control over his own life. That lack of control is prison. As a prison governor, my favorite day was when I won the case for the royal prerogative of mercy for a dying man, telling him, “You’re not a prisoner anymore. You’re a free man.” Today, you can be free from the prison of your bad decisions or the circumstances that have been forced upon you. You can be welcomed, your shame covered, told you are worthy, and recognized as a son or daughter.

This story is also for the elder brothers—the hardworking Christians who think they’ve done everything right but are angry and unwilling to celebrate grace. When the elder brother refused to enter the party, the father broke the rules a third time by going out to plead with him. The elder brother complained: “Look! For so many years I have been serving you… and yet you have never given me a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends” (Luke 15:29). The father’s loving answer to his complaint was simply: “Son, you’ve always been with me, and all that is mine is yours” (Luke 15:31). If you are working hard and feel like nothing is enough, remember: everything the Father has is already yours.

So remember: this story is for everyone. There is a matching answer to your cry in heaven: you don’t have to feel dead, and you don’t have to be in prison—you can be alive and free today.