Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 15:20

"And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." — Luke 15:20 (ASV)

“Came to his senses” seems to carry the Semitic idea of repentance. Certainly repentance lies at the heart of the words that the son prepared to tell his father. The motivation for his return was hunger, but it was specifically to his “father” that he wanted to return. He admitted that his sins were ultimately against God (“heaven”). The father in the story portrays the characteristics and attitudes of a loving heavenly Father, as Jesus’ listeners would recognize (Psalms 103:13). The son knew he had no right to return as a son, having taken and squandered his inheritance. He therefore planned to earn his room and board.

The description of his return and welcome is as vivid as that of his departure, with several beautiful touches. Jesus portrays the father as waiting for his son, perhaps daily searching the distant road hoping for his appearance. The father’s “compassion” assumes some knowledge of the son’s pitiable condition, perhaps from reports, and his warm embrace and kissing add to the impact of the story. Jesus used every literary means to heighten the contrast between the father’s attitude and that of the elder brother.