And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. Luke 15:20. ESV

 

One day I as I got to my car I saw a piece of paper under the windscreen wiper. Thinking it was an advertising leaflet, I was about to scrunch it up – until I saw that it was a traffic fine for a thousand rand “for parking in a place obstructing traffic”. I looked around in disbelief: there were no “No Parking” signs, no yellow line, no red line – and besides, I had parked there almost every day for years. Although I knew I’d done nothing wrong, I felt trapped and helpless because it simply didn’t make sense. No-one likes to be wrongly accused, left with unresolved issues and emotions, waiting for an unknown outcome.

 

Perhaps this was how the father of the prodigal son felt at first when his son asked for his inheritance before its due time and went off into a far land to fritter it all away. Surely he was bewildered by the request and saddened by his son’s leaving – how would he fare, and when and how would he see him again?

 

But this father loved his son, and watched and waited for his return as if he’d done nothing wrong. What unfolds is one of the most beautiful pictures of forgiveness in Scripture. The mere sight of his son returning stirred compassion in the father – so much so that he ran to him and kissed him, before even hearing his son’s confession, moved entirely from a disposition of love and grace.

 

That is true forgiveness – the kind that flows from God’s own heart. It’s the kind Jesus spoke from the cross over those who’d rejected and crucified him. It’s the kind he offered the paralytic, saying, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5) It’s the kind that forgives “seventy-seven times”, as Jesus told Peter (Matthew 18:22) – and it’s the daily posture of the heart, as we see in Stephen, who was “full of the Holy Spirit” when he was stoned by members of the Sanhedrin. (Acts 7:54-60)

 

Paul captures what this forgiveness should produce in us: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) We don’t forgive because it’s deserved, or because the wrong has been resolved to our satisfaction – we forgive because we’ve been forgiven first, and completely, by a Father who ran to meet us while we were still a long way off.

 

Can we do less?

 

Prayer: Father, thank tou that tou ran to meet me while I was still far off, before I had even found the words to confess. Teach me to forgive as freely as tou have forgiven me — not waiting for resolution, but running out in love, again and again. Amen.

 

P.S. My fine, in the end, was overturned – a small earthly resolution to a frustrating situation.

 

 

Op 'n dag toe ek by my kar kom, sien ek 'n papiertjie onder die ruitveër. Ek het gedink dit was 'n advertensieblaadjie en was op die punt om dit op te frommel toe ek besef dit is 'n verkeersboete vir R1 000 vir "parkering op 'n plek wat die verkeer belemmer". Ek het rondgekyk in ongeloof: daar was nie "Geen parkering"-tekens nie, geen geel of rooi strepe nie – en boonop parkeer ek reeds vir jare feitlik elke dag op daardie plek. Alhoewel ek geweet het ek het niks verkeerd gedoen nie, het ek vasgevang en hulpeloos gevoel omdat dit werklik nie sin gemaak het nie. Niemand hou daarvan om vals beskuldig te word nie, om met onopgeloste sake en emosies gelaat te word terwyl jy vir 'n onbekende uitkoms wag.

 

Miskien het die vader van die verlore seun 'n bietjie so gevoel toe die seun voor die bestemde tyd vir sy erfporsie gevra het, na 'n ver land gegaan en dit daar verkwis het. Die pa was sekerlik verward oor die versoek en hartseer oor sy seun se vertrek – hoe sou hy vaar, wanneer sal hy hom weer sien?

 

Maar hierdie vader het sy seun innig liefgehad en het bly uitkyk en wag op sy tuiskoms asof die seun niks verkeerd gedoen het nie. Wat hier ontvou is een van die mooiste prentjies van vergifnis in die Bybel. Slegs die terugkeer van sy seun was genoeg om die vader met deernis te vul – soveel so dat hy hom tegemoet gehardloop en hom omhels het, nog voordat hy sy seun se belydenis aangehoor het, uitsluitlik gelei deur 'n gesindheid van liefde en genade.

 

Dit is ware vergifnis – die soort wat uit God se hart kom. Dit is die soort wat Jesus aan die kruis uitgespreek het oor diegene wat Hom gekruisig het. Dit is die soort wat Hy aan die verlamde man gegee het toe Hy gesê het: “Kind, jou sondes word vergewe.” (Markus 2:5) Dit is die soort wat "sewentig maal sewe keer" vergewe, soos Jesus vir Petrus gesê het (Matteus 18:22) – en dit is die daaglikse houding van die hart soos vir ons geïllustreer word deur Stefanus wat "vol van die Heilige Gees" was toe hy deur die lede van die Joodse Raad gestenig is. (Handelinge 7:54-60)

 

Paulus sê hoe hierdie vergifnis moet wees: "Wees goedgesind teenoor mekaar, met innige meelewing, terwyl julle mekaar vergewe, soos God in Christus julle ook vergewe het." (Efesiërs 4:32) Ons vergewe nie omdat dit verdien word nie of omdat dit wat verkeerd gedoen is bevredigend opgelos is nie – ons vergewe omdat ons eerste volkome vergewe is deur 'n Vader wat ons tegemoet gehardloop het toe ons nog ver aangekom het.

 

Kan ons minder doen?

 

Gebed: Vader, dankie dat U my tegemoet gehardloop het toe ek nog ver aangekom het, nog voordat ek die woorde gevind het om my sonde te bely. Leer my om so volkome te vergeef soos U my vergewe het – soos U nie wag vir 'n oplossing nie maar keer op keer in liefde na my toe hardloop. Amen

 

NS: My boete is uiteindelik tersyde gestel – 'n klein aardse oplossing vir 'n frustrerende situasie.