The Truth About the Lordship of Christ by John F. MacArthur

Author:John F. MacArthur
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2012-03-21T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 5

CONFESSION AND

RESTORATION

CONFESSION OF SIN

In the parable of the prodigal son, the father’s response illustrates God’s love toward a penitent sinner and the power of confession. Even while the profligate boy is still a long way off, the father sees him (which means the father must have been looking for his wayward son). He “ran and embraced him, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20 NASB). The verb tense indicates that he kissed him over and over. Here is tender mercy. Here is forgiveness. Here is compassion. Here is a father treating the son as if there were no past, as if his sins had been buried in the depths of the deepest sea, removed as far as the east is from the west, and forgotten. Here is unrestrained affection, unconditional love.

The father’s response is remarkable. There is no diffidence. There is no hesitation. There is no withholding of emotion, no subtle coolness. There is only sympathetic, eager, pure, unbridled love. The father loves his wayward child lavishly. He loves him profusely. He loves him grandly.

The son seems shocked by this. He begins the speech he had rehearsed: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (v. 21 NASB). It’s almost as if he can’t deal with his father’s tender affection. He is consumed by his own sense of unworthiness. He is in the throes of profound humiliation. He is fully aware of the seriousness of his sin. After all, he had been reduced to eating with pigs. Now, being showered with a loving father’s kisses must have only increased his sense of utter shame.

The father’s grace was, if anything, even more humbling than the prodigal son’s awareness of his own sin. The young man knew in his heart that he was completely undeserving. And so he confessed, “I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”

But here we are concerned primarily with the father’s response. Notice that he doesn’t even respond to the son’s hesitancy:

But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.” And they began to be merry. (vv. 22–24 NASB)

He pays no attention whatsoever to the penitent young man’s confession of unworthiness. He just orders his servants to start the celebration. He showers the prodigal son with favors. He gives him the best robe. He puts a ring on his hand. He gets sandals for his feet. And he kills the fatted calf.

There’s much more that could be said about this parable, of course. There are rich spiritual lessons to be drawn from the nature of the prodigal’s repentance, the response of the elder brother, and many other aspects of the parable.

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