Prodigal Son, Luke 15:24 Wall Art

A father running

We see the father from behind, caught in mid stride on a dusty path. His turban, his blue robe and his long terracotta sash fly back with the speed of his run, one sandal lifted off the ground, both arms flung open. Farther down the road stands his son in worn sandals and a torn tunic, head bowed, hands hanging at his sides.

Olive trees and low bushes line the way, and in the distance a hill town of pale houses and dark cypresses sits at the foot of blue mountains. The painting chooses the moment just before the embrace. Across the sky: “For this my son was dead, and is alive again”, and Luke 15:24.

What does Luke 15:24 mean?

Jesus tells this story as the third of three in a row, after the lost sheep and the lost coin, in answer to religious leaders who complained that he welcomed sinners and ate with them. A younger son asks for his share of the inheritance, leaves for a far country and spends it all. When famine comes, he ends up feeding pigs, a humiliating job for a Jewish listener, and decides to go home and ask to be taken on as a hired servant.

The father sees him while he is still a great way off, is moved with compassion and runs, which a respected elder in that culture would not normally do in public. He cuts short the son's prepared speech, calls for the best robe, a ring and shoes, and orders a feast. Verse 24 is his explanation, and the full line adds: “he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”

The parable does not end there. The elder brother, coming in from the field, refuses to join the party, and the father goes out to plead with him too. Jesus leaves the story open, and the question of whether the older son goes in is left to the listener.

Words of hope for a family

This print speaks to anyone waiting for someone to come home: parents of a wandering child, families healing after a rift, people in recovery. The phrase “was dead, and is alive again” also brings comfort in mourning, which is why it is sometimes offered in sympathy. Pastors and Sunday school teachers use the scene to tell the parable to children.