Jesus taught his disciples most of the time by way of parables. Truths about the kingdom of God, about his love, mercy and forgiveness, and about the ultimate triumph of the righteous over the forces of evil, were all explained by means of stories that touch the heart. But perhaps the most moving of these parables is the parable of the Prodigal Son which we have just read from Luke chapter 15. The background is as follows: Tax collectors and other categories of sinners were crowding round Jesus. They were seeking his company and eager to learn from him. The Pharisees and the Scribes however complained bitterly, saying that this man welcomes sinners and even eats with them.

For the Pharisees and Scribes the relationship of Jesus with these public sinners was a scandal. For them the righteous man should not contaminate himself by keeping the company of sinners. Sinners are lost and should stay lost. There can be no friendship between darkness and light, so God or his messenger should have nothing to do with public sinners. Indeed the Jews had laws about ritual purity that regulated the relationship of devout people with such public sinners as prostitutes and tax collectors. And the Pharisees kept those laws very strictly and they frowned at anyone who violated them.

On the occasion of the call of Matthew (in Matthew 9:9-13) a number of tax collectors and sinners were gathered at table with Jesus in the house of Matthew who himself was a tax collector. The Pharisees and Scribes of course complained, and Jesus told them: “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice. And indeed I came to call not the upright, but sinners.” Thus, when on another occasion the sinners were seeking his company and the Pharisees and Scribes voiced out their complaint again, Jesus set out at length to teach them about the boundless love, mercy and compassion of God that is extended to everyone, including even the public sinners whom the Pharisees would wish to keep away permanently from God’s kingdom and the salvation he offers. So he told them parables that seek to teach a lesson on God’s love for any member of his flock who is lost due to sin, and what a great joy it is for God and for the entire hosts of heaven when such a sinner is converted and he returns to God. He or she will be like a lost treasure that is found.

This is a classic love story, the most beautiful love story, the story of a father who had two sons and who loved them equally and passionately. It is indeed the portrait of the God whose other name is love. Some people prefer that this story be named “The prodigal father” instead of the prodigal son, because it is more about the father’s reckless love than the son’s sinful life. It is about a father who gives and gives, expecting nothing in return. It is about unconditional love, the love that is not affected by the infidelity of the beloved. Note that the father did not listen to what the son had to say about being sorry, or wanting to be taken as a servant. No. The father’s forgiveness did not come in response to the son’s sense of repentance or contrition.  The father had offered his forgiveness even before the son uttered a word.

While the son was away, alienated from him, the father continued to love him, so much so that he used to go out to gaze at the horizon, wondering, if perhaps the son will show up. No matter how far the son had gone away from him, the father’s immense love continued to nourish the hope in him that the son was not lost permanently, that he will come back. The prodigal son story is similar to the incredible love story we read about in Prophet Hosea – how God continues to love faithfully his unfaithful spouse. (Hosea 3:1; 11:1-9; 14:5-9). The father is the embodiment of self-sacrifice, an example of disinterested giving.

With the story of the prodigal son, Jesus is saying to us: “See with what prodigal love the Lord loves you. Those of you who are alienated from God by virtue of a life of sin, see how reckless God’s love for you is. Those of you who do not love God, know that the Lord nevertheless loves you. Those of you who do not believe in God, know that the Lord never ceases believing in you. Yes, those of you who live practically like atheists, or who declare yourselves atheists, know that the Lord believes in you nonetheless. His love is long-suffering and persevering for you. You may consider yourself lost, and others like the Pharisees and the Scribes may consider you lost, but his love continues to energise his hope that one day you would return. And that is why he has sent his Son to die so that you may live.”

There are many among us who behave like the elder son. They are preoccupied by the principles of strict distributive justice. They think they are God’s children because they keep the rules. They think they can earn God’s love by their conduct, and that others who are not so good do not deserve God’s attention. So they write sinners off as lost causes. But the lesson of the story is that God’s love is absolutely gratuitous. You can never earn it. You can never be worthy of it. To be a child of God does not primarily require an attitude towards the Father. You are a child of God simply because you are loved by the Father, and so you continue to be so loved even when you go far away from him. In fact the heart of God is drawn much more towards the lost son than the “faithful” one at home. So if you want to know where the God of love is each time, then read the story of the prodigal son. He is not to be found in places of honour. He is not to be found on his throne in the palace. He is to be found outside, looking into the cloudy horizon, still seeking his rebellious sons and daughters, and giving them the assurance that “all I have is yours.”