11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”‘ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. 25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'”

The Father’s Unconditional Love

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

In the name of Jesus, who showed us the great love of the Father when He died for us, dear fellow redeemed:

In 2015 a man by the name of George Pickering displayed a father’s love in an unlikely manner. His son, George Pickering Jr. had a history of seizures when he suffered a massive stroke. In the hospital, he was described as being braindead and, in a vegetable-like state. The hospital decided to slowly lean him off life-support as there was nothing they could do. George Sr, however, thought that was too quick and his son needed more time. To keep them from pulling the his son off life-support, he brandished a gun and allegedly threatened the hospital staff with it. Even after his other son had disarmed him, he claimed to have a second weapon that led to a standoff with SWAT. During that time, George Jr. showed that he had signs of life when he squeezed his father’s hand. Eventually, George Sr. surrendered to the police and he was sentenced to jail for 11 months. Yet, because of George Sr’s brash act of love, his son made a full recovery and is healthy to this day.

There is no doubt between the father and son that the sacrifice George Sr. made was worth it because it showed how strong a father’s love can really be for his child. Truly a father’s love is endless and he will go to extraordinary lengths to protect his children. No matter what great act of love a human father can do, it will always come up short to the love that our Heavenly Father has towards us as His dear children. There is hardly a better parable to show the love of God than the one Jesus tells as our text this morning. We see a child mess up beyond belief, to the point that no one in their right mind would want him back. But instead of kicking his son out to the street, The Father’s Unconditional Love shines forth.

In Jewish culture, a father’s possessions would go to his sons as their inheritance. The oldest son would receive a double portion of the inheritance while the rest of the sons would receive an equal portion. Typically, the inheritance was not distributed until the father has died. This is what makes the younger son’s request so strange. To ask for his inheritance from his father before his death, the son was essentially saying that he wished his father were already dead. It was a very disrespectful request from the very outset. Nonetheless, the father obliges and grants his son his portion of the inheritance.

13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.

You might say the son got what was coming to him. He was disrespectful to his father, he didn’t care about working hard, and he wasted away the inheritance his father had worked his entire life for. And what did he have to show for it? Absolutely nothing to his name and a severe famine in the country he was in with no way to provide for himself.

15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”‘

Even this thought by the son would rely on an extreme amount of grace on the part of his father. Remember, in asking for his inheritance early, he did not care for his father, nor want to be a part of that family any longer. He burnt that bridge. He understood that he no longer deserved his sonship. But to even ask to be let back in as a servant, is no small request.

Have you ever found yourself in the position of the younger son? Maybe not having to eat pig slop in order to survive, but in a position where you hit rock bottom? It could be a terrible event that drove you into deep despair, a place you thought you could never climb out of. What about spiritually? “Forget about God. Besides, I can always just repent later on. Let me have my fun now, and I’ll worry about that other stuff later.” Or it could be as simple as being a faithful attendee to church and bible study, but in motion only. Your heart is checked out the minute you enter those doors and you are simply fulfilling your obligation.

The truth is, we are all like that younger son. It is in our nature to rebel against God, to seek after the lusts of our own flesh, or to simply push Him away until a later point when it is a more convenient time for us. When you were baptized, or had faith created in your heart by the Holy Spirit, you received God’s promise of an inheritance of heaven. And yet, how easily do we throw that inheritance away? How easy is it to become one like the world, the same way the younger son did in Jesus’ parable? It is easier than you think. Paul reminds us of what we are inclined to do because of our sinful nature: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth (Colossians 3:5-8).

As much as we would like to claim innocence of these sins; as much as we would like to make excuses for why or how it isn’t technically a sin; it does not matter. To trespass means to cross a forbidden line. You and I have trespassed against God’s Law on a regular basis. Because of our sin and the sin of the world, God’s wrath is coming. His righteous judgment where people will get what they deserve for the wrong that they do, that time is approaching. What hope do you have?

Your hope is the same as the younger son in this parable. ‘ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

When the younger son came up to his father, he expected rejection. He expected to be scolded. He had rehearsed his speech confessing his sin against his father and humbly asking for the slightest amount of his father’s favor. What would you do in the father’s shoes? When you disobeyed your parents as a kid, you didn’t just get off Scot-free when you said you were sorry. There were consequences that you had to serve. But that is the opposite of what we see the father do in this parable. Rather than punishing his son even more, the father is overjoyed that he has returned and welcomes him in as his son once again. In other words, his love for his son completely forgave the younger son for all of his evil deeds immediately. It doesn’t make sense. The younger son doesn’t deserve this…

And that is exactly how our Heavenly Father acts towards us. He doesn’t hold our sins over our heads as a threat so that we will do everything He commands us to do. No, He acts towards us with Fatherly love, a love of forgiveness. This kind of love is unfathomable. No one in all of creation displays the same kind of love that God does towards us. How can we say that?

George Pickering sacrificed his own freedom in order to help his son because he loved him. God sacrificed His only Son into death in order to deliver, not His children, but His enemies, from their sin. Ponder that. Could you send your child into a deadly situation in order to save someone who hated you and wanted nothing to do with you? Absolutely not! Who would do such a thing? God would. God did. He did send Jesus to this earth in order to be your substitute and mine. Where we rebelled, Jesus abided by God’s will. He endured temptation and suffering without sinning, but with a continuous love and commitment to the very people who were responsible for His death. God’s love went beyond what any human father or mother could dream of doing.

Through the death of Jesus on the cross, God justified the ungodly. He declared righteous those who were dead in their trespasses and sins. He saved you and He called you to faith in the name of your Savior Jesus. The rebellious, the wayward, the estranged, the backstabber; whatever category you can place yourself into, God has declared you to be forgiven of all your sins.

The younger son approached his father in humble repentance. So also do we humbly repent of our sins before our Heavenly Father. It doesn’t matter how far we have sunk, how far we have drifted away, God’s love welcomes you with open arms. His heart rejoices because you, His dear child, was dead but is alive again.

The rest of the parable centers in on the father’s older son who had not left his side, but continued to work even through his younger brother’s rebellion. He was upset because ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’

His attitude was one of resentment towards his brother who had repented of his sin. He thought that he deserved to have more because he remained faithful, he remained good. He wasn’t like his brother who kept wandering.

The father’s gentle rebuke reminded the older son, just how unconditional his love is: 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'”

Lest we also become like the older son, it is good to remember how great our Heavenly Father’s love is. It truly is unconditional. Any sinner who repents of their sin and believes on Jesus as their Savior from that sin receives this response from the Father. It is a cause of great joy and celebration. One more soul is delivered from the fate of hell. Likewise, there ought be rejoicing amongst ourselves when the wayward return to the Lord. When those who are broken or lost find an eternal home in Christ their Savior, we join the hosts of heaven in rejoicing.

There is a reason for that. The wayward and the lost? They are no different than you and me. You and I were once wayward and lost, and even now we tend to stray from God and His will. But each and every one of you has been washed clean by the unconditional love of our Heavenly Father. You have been adopted into God’s family and given a home with Him and with each other. No matter how far you might stray, you can find forgiveness in the Father’s Unconditional Love. Amen.