Luke 15:20
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

He’d made a mistake, but now he was ready to answer for it. Before, he’d wanted what he felt he deserved, but now he would seek what he knew he didn’t deserve. Time in the pigpen had shown him what was truly valuable. He had left as a son, but he would go back to be a servant. That seemed a reasonable request. After all he’d squandered, he couldn’t simply go back to the way things were, but as a servant, he could try to make things right, work off his debt. He took a step toward home, perhaps not knowing what to expect when he got there.

It was a long journey back, for he’d fled a long way from all he’d ever known. He would have plenty of time to think about what he’d done and what might be waiting for him. What might his father think? What would he say? What would he do? As he got closer and closer, perhaps each scenario played through his mind. His father could reject him, turn him away at the gate and tell him to never come back; he could demand that his money be returned; he could punish him. All he was hoping for, though, was to be a servant in his father’s house.

But his father loved him. The money didn’t matter. What he’d done didn’t matter. Where he’d gone didn’t matter. What he fell into, what he lost, how he’d hurt him, none of that mattered. His father just wanted him back. He was looking for him. He was waiting for him. He was hoping and praying that one day, far off in the distance, a familiar figure would return home where he belonged. His father bore no grudge. He didn’t want revenge. He would not dare to send his son into the servants’ quarters. Compassion overwhelmed him as he ran to meet him, to hold him again, to welcome him back.

Maybe we’ve wandered away and are afraid to go home, to go back to God. We know we can never undo what’s been done. We can’t repay all that we wasted. We can’t make up for turning our backs and walking away. Maybe we’re fearful of being rejected, being punished. We imagine all kinds of ways for God to turn us away. But our God is a merciful God full of compassion. He is the Father running with open arms to receive His wayward children back home. There is no debt to be paid, no punishment to mete out. There is simply grace and forgiveness and unending love.