You may never have had a dad who loved you so. You may never have had a dad who felt for you, who ran to you when you were in trouble. If present social trends are anything to go by, it’s rather unlikely that you have a dedicated dad who is physically and emotionally present. It’s unlikely that you have a dad you could run to when you’re in trouble, or even better, who would run to you. So many people in this fatherless society have never known such love. This is bad news indeed. But there is good news, and the good news is that there is a Father in heaven who loves us with such dedication. By painting this picture of the father in the parable in Luke chapter 15, Jesus was saying somthing immensely significant to us. He was saying God is a father who runs to sinful people, even though they rebelled against him and deserve nothing.
Mark Stibbe
From the book “The Father You've Been Waiting For: Portrait of a Perfect Dad”