The Return of the Prodigal Son
I just got done hanging a print of Rembrandt’s “The Return of the Prodigal Son” in my office. The print was a gift from my thoughtful dear sister-in-law JoAnne and has grown to mean quite a bit to me over the last year because of reading a book by Henri Nouwen of the same title—also from JoAnne. Read on for a picture of the painting.
“The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Nouwen works through themes of love and forgiveness from the perspective of:
- The son who sins in many ways and struggles accepting forgiveness.
- The elder son who sins in his pride and struggles to forgive.
- The father who loves and forgives perfectly.
I see myself in all three characters in the story, especially as the elder son, battling my arrogance daily, and failing at being joyful and forgiving.
I am also starting to see (although this is a longer lesson that I’m only just beginning to understand) how I am ultimately called to be a sort of father that freely gives love and forgiveness, just as God has loved and forgiven me repeatedly and infinitely.
There is so much symbolism and meaning packed into this painting, that it’s difficult to explain in a clear way through a short blog entry. If you’re interested in reading the story of the prodigal son, it appears in the New Testament in Luke 15:11-32.
