that we should notice is his desire for peace in the home. It has been said that
peace is not just the absence of fighting, but the presence of justice. In the
home peace is as important as it is internationally. As fathers we are in a
position to be peacemakers and not just peacekeepers. The father in Jesus’ story
loves peace and wants it to the point that when each of his boys does things to
disrupt the peace he deals with it. He allows the younger to leave so there will
be peace in the home. A preacher recently told me about how a family left the
church where he is preaching and although they were all sorry to lose them,
since they have gone things have been more peaceful. As hard as it is, sometimes
that is best for the whole family’s peace and sanity.
When the younger son was ready to come back, the father ran to meet him and
made peace with him and welcomed him back to the family. Unfortunately, his act
of love and attempt to make peace caused strife with the older brother. The
father was not in the wrong, but he was still the one who went to try to
reconcile with this son when the son would have been glad to just sit and pout
about it.
Are we like this good father that Jesus tells of or are we the kind that
will sit back and let a grudge fester until it infects all of the lives of the
whole family.