The Parable of the Prodigal Son is probably one of the most well-known and well-loved of all Jesus’s parables. Many of us will have read and heard it countless times. I certainly have. And yet sometimes, aspects of something you know so well can suddenly jump out at you in a new way, especially if that something is Scripture and so the Spirit is at work as we read.
Recently I was reading the Parable of the Prodigal Son again and I was struck by one little phrase ‘and [he] felt compassion’ (Luke 15:20).
That phrase comes in the description of the father’s response when his wayward son returns to the family home having reached the depths of desperation as a result of his own rebellious actions.
All of these actions are rooted in a heart response: he felt compassion.
I think I’d somehow overlooked it in the past. I’ve often heard people talk about other parts of the verse: the father sees him while he’s still a long way off, showing that he had been waiting, hoping and looking for his son’s return; he runs to his son, throwing aside any concerns about maintaining his respectability in a culture where older men didn’t run for anything; he embraces and kisses him, a powerful act of affection and acceptance. But all of these actions are rooted in a heart response: he felt compassion.
The father in the story is a picture of God the Father. Jesus told this parable, and the two that precede it, to challenge the grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes and to reveal the true nature of God’s heart (Luke 15:1-2). And what do we learn about God’s heart? It is full of compassion. That’s something we all need to hear, something we all need to absorb more deeply, and something we can share with others.
The reality of God’s compassionate heart has implications for all sorts of areas of life. We need to know it in all areas of life, and that includes in our experiences of sexuality and gender. Whatever your experience of sexuality and gender, God is compassionate towards you.
God has compassion on those who are experiencing pain and destruction as a result of their own sinful actions.
He has compassion on those whose pain is the result of the sinful actions of others.
He has compassion on the person who is wrestling with a disconnect between their body and their sense of self.
So too he has compassion on the one who has transitioned and is left facing the reality that all they’ve been through hasn’t delivered the peace they were seeking.
He’s compassionate towards the person whose marriage hasn’t been all they’d hope for.
And he’s compassionate towards the person who longs to be married but has never had a chance to make that commitment to another person.
God’s compassion extends to those who are addicted to pornography and those who use casual sex as a way to comfort themselves or boost their self-esteem.
It’s his heart orientation towards anyone confused or distressed by their experience of sexuality or gender.
And it’s there towards those who have embraced the lie that they are their sexuality.
For all of us, whatever our stories, whatever our experiences, God’s heart towards us is one of compassion.
For all of us, God’s heart towards us is one of compassion.
And yet we can be so slow to remember and to believe that, both in relation to ourselves and to others.
We need to keep reminding ourselves that God’s heart orientation towards us is one of compassion. When we are aware of our sin and our struggles, or our sorrows and suffering, we can run to the Father and know that his heart towards us is one of compassion.
When we encounter those who have used and abused God’s good gifts of sexuality and gender, whether they know it or not, and however they feel about where they’re at, we can know that God is compassionate towards them.
God’s heart is the model for our hearts. And Jesus shows us what it looks like to put that heart into action – extending a genuine, open-hearted welcome to all while holding unswervingly to the truth and goodness of God’s plan for sexuality and gender.
God’s heart is a heart of compassion, for you and for those around you. We get the joy of living in light of that heart and sharing the good news about it with those who don’t yet know it.
Where in your life do you need to remember God’s compassion today? And who in your life could you share that compassion with?
