An Image of FORGIVENESS for the Ages

An Image of FORGIVENESS for the Ages captured in a Rembrandt Painting.

rembrandt prodigal son
Rembrandt van Rijn, The Return of the Prodigal Son, c. 1661–1669. 262 cm × 205 cm. Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg

The Return of the Prodigal Son is an oil painting by Rembrandt. It is among the Dutch master’s final works, likely completed within two years of his death in 1669. 

Depicting the moment of the prodigal son‘s return to his father in the Biblical parable, it is a renowned work described by art historian Kenneth Clark as “a picture which those who have seen the original in St. Petersburg may be forgiven for claiming as the greatest picture ever painted”.

The noted scholar and priest, Henri Nouwen wrote a short book, The Return of the Prodigal Son, based on his contemplation of Rembrandt’s painting of the same name.  The entire book is an extended reflection on the subject of forgiveness and receiving this forgiveness from God. 

From a review of the book: “A chance encounter with a reproduction of Rembrandt’s The Return of the Prodigal Son catapulted Henri Nouwen on an unforgettable spiritual adventure. Here he shares the deeply personal and resonant meditation that led him to discover the place within where God has chosen to dwell.

The themes of homecoming, affirmation, and reconciliation will be newly discovered by all who have known loneliness, dejection, jealousy, or anger.

The challenge to love as God loves, and to be loved as God’s beloved, will be seen as the ultimate revelation of the parable known to Christians throughout time, and is here represented with a vigor and power fresh for our times.”

With over a million copies sold, this classic work is essential reading for all who ask,

                                                                             “Where has my struggle led me?”
 
I heartily commend this book to your reading!  

Jane+