Forgiveness and Miracles – Conclusion

Exclusion and Embrace in the Parable of the Prodigal Son

Class Date: April 27, 2022

This class begins with a discussion which answers the question “How does God relate to us?” One of the concerns of the Reformation was to clarify if God relates to us in a rules-based manner or in a grace-filled way. The answer is that God is both.

When Jesus’ ministry is described, most people say he was a preacher, a teacher, and a healer. Regardless of what a person was suffering from, when they came to him in faith, he healed them. Further, he told them that it was their faith that made them well. Through his healing miracles, Jesus was drawing people into a relationship with God that changed their identity from sinner to child of God.

The parable of the prodigal son illustrates this very well. When the father sees his prodigal son walking back toward home, he runs down the road and embraces him. Even through the prodigal son had sinned before his father, the father still had an open heart for his son. For the father, the son never stopped being his son. What is illustrated in this parable is the priority of grace over law in our relationship with God. Jesus Christ is the open door that invites us from estrangement to reconciliation. Forgiveness is offered to us free of charge.

The Christian faith is founded on the idea that, through Christ, God has invited us into a divine embrace, despite the fact that we are sinners. Coming to faith is illustrated by the return of the prodigal.