Searching – ‘His father saw him and was filled with compassion;
he ran and put his arms around him.’
Letting go of
a loved one is never easy, but how much harder to welcome back and embrace once
again a son who has so hurt his father? Yet in his treatment of the biblical
parable, Rembrandt (1606-1669) has no time for regrets or to count the cost of mending
broken family relationships. His focus is directly on the unqualified embrace of
the father for the runaway, long-lost son now found. Outstretched arms and
hands enfold the penitent son, bringing him to himself, his left ear cupped to
the father’s heart, should there be any doubt about the total abandon of this
father’s pardon. All is forgiven; nothing forgotten, but everything which so
transgressed an unconditional fatherly love is in this painting transformed
into the makings of a new life – rags will be exchanged for a crimson robe – even
while an older brother and servants look on in utter disbelief. Could God’s
love for humanity be so great as to search even among those given up for dead for
signs of life begging for the embrace of Life paid for with Christ’s blood?
No comments:
Post a Comment