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.
What does Luke 15:20 mean?
Having viewed the prodigal in his abject state of misery, we are next to consider his recovery from it. This begins by his coming to himself.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Luke 15:18-22 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Luke 15:20
He arose, and came - Was coming. But here is no indication of "haste." He did not "run," but came driven by his wants, and, as we may suppose, filled with shame, and even with some doubts whether his father would receive him. A great way off - This is a beautiful description - the image of his father's happening to see him clad in rags, poor, and emaciated, and yet he recognized "his son," and all the feelings of a father prompted him to go and embrace him. Had compassion - Pitied him. Saw his condition - his poverty and his wretched appearance - and was moved with compassion and love.
Key words
- the father of himself
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the father of himself.
- the father of himself
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the father of himself.
Context in Luke 15
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Luke 15 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as journey to Jerusalem. Luke emphasizes salvation for the poor and the outsider, prayer, joy, women, table fellowship, the Holy Spirit, and the universal reach of Christ’s mission. Read this chapter with the wider themes of salvation, Spirit, and prayer in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on asking, persistence, confession, dependence, and the way prayer shapes Christian life and attention.
Bible verses about justice and mercy
Key texts on public righteousness, neighbor-love, social ethics, compassion, and the prophetic refusal to separate worship from justice.
Central texts on sin, grace, faith, Christ’s saving work, and the Bible’s announcement that salvation is received rather than achieved.