From our Father in the heavens
The Anglican poet, Malcolm Guite, has written a series of wonderful poems on the Lord’s Prayer, causing me to look at each section with new eyes. This has inspired me to pair the poems with classic paintings on the same theme.
I can think of no greater work of art to capture the love of the heavenly Father than Rembrandt’s Return of the Prodigal Son. Permit me to guide you through it.
But first, some groundwork. Early in his career, Rembrandt fashioned a scene from the story (told by Jesus in Luke 15). The painting is often called The Prodigal Son in the Brothel. In it, we see Rembrandt himself with his hand on the waist of a woman (actually, his wife Saskia). Here he plays the role of the wayward son, but early in his pursuit of pleasure – fitting for a painter swelled by success. With his fancy attire, long sword (a symbol of power), and what must be the most ludicrously tall glass of beer in the history of painting, he is unvexed by any care.
The Return of the Prodigal Son shows us a much-changed man.
When Rembrandt painted this in the last two years of his life, tragedy had struck him repeatedly. Three of his children died in infancy. Then Saskia, too, died. He went bankrupt, having to sell off most of his possessions. His art fell out of favor. Then, around the time of this painting, his last remaining son, Titus, succumbed to a plague.
Now look at his rendering of the parable. Other contemporary versions of this scene focus on the elements of the story, aiming for information. Rembrandt goes straight to the heart. He wants you to feel the desperation of repentance and the power of the mercy shown.
First, look at the wayward son. With shaven head, ragged clothes and torn shoes, he is the very picture of anguish. The poster boy for bad decisions. Gone is that bravado of Rembrandt’s first Prodigal. Even the sword is now reduced to a paltry knife.
What about the father?
Look at his hands. Note anything interesting?
His left hand is heavy and masculine. But his right hand, with its thinner fingers and tapered nails, is decidedly more feminine. So, we see in this embrace both toughness and tenderness, the touch of a father and a mother.
And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. Luke 15:20
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8
God’s love does not wait for us to make ourselves presentable. He rushes to us and accepts our repentant hearts, before we even have a chance to form the words. This is the power of the parable and the painting. This work of Rembrandt is a longing for – or a celebration of – the life-renewing grace of God.
Through his death and resurrection, Jesus clears the way for the embrace of the Father, that he knew so well, to be extended to us. As Malcolm Guite writes:
As though I stood with you in your position,
As though your Father were my Father too,
As thou I found his ‘welcome home’ in you.
Our Father in the heavens, though you are great beyond our comprehension, you embrace us through your grace like a tender father. Make both aspects of the beginning of this exemplary prayer soak deeply into our hearts.
Reader: What thoughts do you have about this painting? Or about the parable? I’d love to hear them.
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