“The Return,” by James Tissot

Let’s go to the art gallery today in order to remember afresh just how lavish the love of God the Father is for sons and daughters who return home.

Take a look at The Parable of the Prodigal Son: The Return, painted by the French artist James Tissot. This is the third in a series of paintings illustrating the famous parable told by Jesus in Luke 15. As we can easily note, Tissot painted the characters into his own historical context of 19th century Europe.

The painting jumps right into the climactic point in the story. The son has journeyed home from the distant lands where he had been living, loving and languishing.

Note that the break with his former life has already occurred. The pig on the left represents the end result of his foolish life. Look closely and see that the son and the swine are pointed in opposite directions. Someone else is in charge of the pigs now, for the son has left that sordid business behind. What a great picture of repentance – forsaking the old life and turning to the father in confession, sorrow and faith.

And the meeting with the father has come at just the right time. Heavy coats indicate cold weather, but the prodigal has no shoes, no coat and tattered pants. He is at the point of greatest need. He has traveled to the very end of ability and resources. There appears little chance for survival outside the mercy of the father.

And how does the father respond? With extravagance! With lavish love!  With an expenditure of affection that others might even call “extreme” or “too much.”  Come to think of it, the word “prodigal” is defined as “wasteful extravagance in spending” or “lavish abundance.”

The son poured forth money in a prodigal display of fornication and lust. The father now pours forth mercy in a prodigal display of forgiveness and love.  Sharing a brotherhood of prodigality, they both fall under the condemnation of the older brother (but we will get to that in a moment).

Look again at the father.  He not only touches, he embraces. He not only embraces, he clings. He not only clings, he stoops! The father even loses his hat in the embrace.

In Jesus’ parable, the father runs out to meet the son.  Considering the long robes worn during that time, the father would have had to pull up the cloth, expose his legs a bit, and take off down the dusty trail.

“How revolting! How undignified!” some would say, but the father doesn’t care. Let his feet get dirty. Let his legs be exposed. Let his Victorian top hat fall to the dirty ground!  Who cares? Hats come and go, but a son is forever.

But not everyone is happy with the homecoming. In the background on the right side we see the older brother. Boy does he look disgusted at what the father is doing. His face bears the pompous expression of someone who has just seen a mother wipe a baby’s nose.  We suppose that the woman with him is his wife. She holds her hand to her cheek in self-righteous astonishment. There have been no immoral female companions for the older brother. He may lust after forbidden fruit and hate his little brother in envy for tasting of it, but no public scandal will be charged to the older brother’s account.

The easiest thing to note about the older brother is his lack of love for the prodigal. There is no smile, no hearty embrace, no joy in the return of his flesh-and-blood. He does not offer his coat to cover exposed skin. He does not love “the least of these” because he does not believe they are deserving of his love. In his way of thinking it would have been better for his brother to have perished in the pen with the pigs.

In my mind there remains a question about the painting.  Is the sun rising or setting?  I can see a good case to be made for either.  A rising sun fits with the idea that with the restoration of the son to the father all things are new. However, a setting sun expresses the idea that the son is saved like a “branch from the fire,” indicating that there is mercy even for those who have lived long in sin.  What do you think?

Either way you look at it, the son is now walking in the light.  Shadows and darkness are all around the son, but a path of light illuminates the patch of boardwalk leading the son to the feet of the Father.  Having been tossed about by every wave of self-inflicted sorrow, the son now stands on the firm foundation of the wharf. He leans into the grace of his father.  “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

Which son are you?  The older son who is going to bust hell wide open with a mountain of pompous self-righteousness?  Have you been a rule-keeper all these years, but inside you have no love for the Father?

If so, then there is no hope for you apart from being healed of your moralistic cancer. You don’t live by grace, you walk according to works. However, in the end you will find that your works were insufficient.

Or perhaps you are the younger brother prior repentance. You are so in love with your pleasure that you cannot imagine there is a higher joy or satisfaction to be found anywhere else.  You will one day wake up and realize the illusionary nature of the life you now lead.  In the biblical parable, the son “came to his senses” while sitting with the pigs.

Truth is, there is a little bit of both brothers in each of us. We are self-righteous about some things and hedonistic about others.  I encourage you to spend some time confessing your sin to the Father. Turn your back on both the pigs and the pride. Repent of sin and begin walking in the light of His grace. Instead of rejection you will find redemption, made possible because Jesus took the punishment for sin that sinners deserved.