Even though we call this story “The Parable of the Prodigal Son,” it’s really all about the father—that father who goes running down the street to embrace his no-account son; that father who goes out and begs his angry son to come inside to the party. God’s love and grace shines through this parable.

The parable reveals a lot about human nature too. When we look at these sons, we realize that neither of them loves his father. The younger son regards him as a “moneybag” to finance him in the lifestyle to which he would like to become accustomed. He is selfish and mercenary. The older son sees his father more as a boss than a loving parent. He is obedient but becomes resentful. In both cases, their relationship with their father is transactional: “Give me what I am due.”

The father, however, offers unconditional love and mutuality. He offers himself completely to his sons (the Greek word translated as “property” in the New Revised Standard Version literally means “life”) not based on their deserving or any transaction, but based on the father’s very nature.

The sons struggle to believe in their father’s complete and unconditional love. How much do we struggle to accept God’s? Whether we are weighed down by the shame of our past or by the self-righteousness of our deserving, we find it hard to accept that God loves us completely and unconditionally because of who God is, not because of anything we have done.

As we move toward Good Friday and Easter, we once again come face-to-face with the raw truth of God’s love. We do not deserve it. We have not earned it as reward for good behavior. God’s offer of love comes only through the nature of God’s grace.