Luke 15:20
“And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Context
This is the turning point of the parable of the prodigal son, the third and longest of the three parables in Luke 15 about things lost and found.
What Does Luke 15:20 Mean?
This verse shows a father who sees his returning son from far off and runs to embrace him -- a picture of how God receives those who come home. The younger son had demanded his inheritance, squandered it in a far country, and hit bottom feeding pigs. He "arose" and started back, rehearsing a confession, expecting at best to be hired as a servant. But the homecoming is rewritten by the father's response.
Every detail overturns expectation. The father "saw him" while he was "yet a great way off," meaning he had been watching the horizon, longing for this day. He "had compassion" -- the same deep, gut-level mercy Jesus shows the crowds elsewhere. Then he "ran," an act of startling tenderness for a dignified elder, who would have had to gather up his robes to do so, setting aside his honor to reach his child first. He "fell on his neck, and kissed him" before the son can finish his prepared speech. The embrace comes before the confession is complete, showing that the father's love is not earned by the words but freely poured out. Jesus paints this portrait so the reader will see what God is like toward anyone who turns toward home: not a reluctant judge waiting to be persuaded, but a parent who runs.
In the Original Language
"Had compassion" translates splagchnizomai, a deep visceral mercy felt in the inward parts. "Ran" is the verb trecho, vivid and immediate.
Cross References
“And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.”
- Luke 15:21
“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.”
- Psalm 103:13
“Let the wicked forsake his way... and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him.”
- Isaiah 55:7
Application
When you turn back to God, you do not crawl toward a distant, reluctant figure -- you are met by One who runs to meet you. Let that picture shape how you approach Him.