Luke 15:20

Context

Chapter 15 of Luke opens with the Pharisees and scribes criticizing Jesus, saying, "This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them" (Luke 15:1-2). In response, Jesus tells in succession the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin, and the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

The younger son receives his inheritance early and squanders all of it in a far country. When famine strikes, he takes work feeding swine, and then, "when he came to himself" (15:17), he resolves to return to his father. He even prepares in advance what he will say to him (15:18-19). Verse 20 describes him actually setting out. While the son is still far off, the father sees him first, "had compassion," and runs to meet him. There follow the son's confession (15:21) and the preparations for the feast (15:22-24), and finally the account of the elder son (15:25-32).

Interpretation

• Grace comes first: The father runs to embrace his son before hearing the confession the son has prepared. Many preachers take this sequence as evidence that God's forgiveness precedes any human worthiness or merit. In the Wesleyan tradition, the scene is sometimes cited as an example of prevenient grace, the grace of God that is at work even before a person turns back.
• Emphasis on repentance: This reading places weight on the words "he arose, and came to his father." It also stresses that turning back, that is, repentance, is the way in which forgiveness is received.
• Cultural background: Kenneth Bailey, a scholar of Middle Eastern culture, drew attention to the cultural significance of this scene. According to Bailey, for an elderly head of household to run was considered at the time a loss of dignity. The father, he argues, endured that shame and embraced and protected his son before the villagers could heap reproach on him. There are, however, differing views on whether such cultural reconstructions rest on sufficient evidence.
• Reading alongside the Old Testament: The Greek verb rendered "had compassion" is also used in Luke for the compassion of Jesus (Luke 7:13) and for the heart of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:33). In addition, the phrase "fell on his neck, and kissed him" closely resembles the wording of the scene in which Esau meets Jacob (Genesis 33:4). For this reason, some interpreters read the two texts together as scenes of reconciliation.

Debates and Issues

There is no significant denominational controversy over this verse itself. Several questions, however, have been raised.

• The question of atonement: The parable depicts only a father who forgives immediately, without a mediator or any payment. It has therefore at times been used to support the claim that forgiveness is possible without atonement. Evangelical interpreters reject this argument, holding that the parable is a response to those who criticized Jesus for welcoming sinners and is not meant to present a complete soteriology.
• The name of the parable: Because this verse focuses on the father, some have proposed calling the story "the Parable of the Waiting Father." A well-known example is the title of a collection of sermons by the German theologian Helmut Thielicke.
• Manuscript questions: There is a textual variant in the verse that immediately follows. In most manuscripts, the son in verse 21 does not say the words he had prepared in verse 19, "make me as one of thy hired servants." Some interpreters therefore read the father as cutting off the confession before it is finished. Some ancient manuscripts, however, include these words in verse 21 as well.
• Translation differences: The archaic Korean phrase 상거가 먼데 ("a great way off") in the Korean Revised Version was changed to 거리가 먼데 in the New Korean Revised Version.

In the Korean Church

This verse is frequently used as the text for evangelistic sermons and for sermons addressed to new believers. It is also widely used as an illustration likening the father's heart to the heart of God. The Return of the Prodigal Son, written by Henri Nouwen as a meditation on Rembrandt's painting, has been translated into Korean and is read by many Korean churchgoers.

Related Passages

• Luke 15:1-2
• Luke 15:7
• Genesis 33:4
• Luke 19:10
• Romans 5:8