Read Luke 15:11-24
What an Embrace Says
Perhaps Jesus’ most famous parable (a story told to teach a lesson) is the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
As you read Luke 15, you’ll see that there’s a father with two sons. The younger son does one of the most offensive things he could have done: he basically says to his dad, “I wish you were dead. I just want the money I’d get when you die so I can leave you and go live my life.”
To the shock of Jesus’ audience, the father agrees. The younger son cashes out his inheritance early and gets outta dodge.
But Jesus tells us that this younger son blows it all on wild living. And within months, he’s absolutely completely broke. In fact, he’s so broke that he’s feeding pigs to try to make ends meet, and he literally gets jealous of the slop they get to eat.
He eventually gets an idea…he realizes that he can go back home and beg his father to let him become like one of the servants at the house. The son is convinced there’s no way the father would ever treat him like a son again after what he did, but maybe he’d at least have a roof over his head and food to eat.
So the son goes home, rehearsing what he was going to say to his father to beg him to let him work for him.
But in verse 20, the father does something amazing...
“And while [the son] was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.”
Now, Jesus could have told us that the father cautiously walked up to his son and greeted him. He could have told us he responded with anger but eventually forgave him. But instead, he describes a powerful scene, where this father, deeply moved by love of his son, runs to him and gives him a big bear hug.
Imagine what that hug meant to that son. It would speak volumes.
That’s the power of an embrace. Of physical touch.
Maybe you don’t have an estranged son who blew all his inheritance and started eating pig slop. But you definitely have people in your life to whom a warm embrace would speak volumes.