Dishonor Thy Father?
This Father’s Day will be especially hard for one father in particular. One has to sympathize with President Biden, whose son, Hunter, was convicted this week for lying about his drug addiction when purchasing a gun. What father wouldn’t feel protective of a son potentially heading to prison, and facing further charges for failing to pay taxes?
“I am the President, but I am also a dad,” said Biden after the verdict. “Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery.”
Sadly, it’s hard to think of a family today that hasn’t been touched by the scourge of drugs, whether in the immediate or extended family. And that includes intact families, upper-middle-class families, and even churched families, where the affected kids grew up in loving homes and perhaps attended weekly Sunday School.
There’s nothing new, of course, about fathers grieving over wayward sons. Jesus spoke of the son who, wanting to experience youthful freedom, became enticed by the lure of marijuana, then ended up on cocaine and heroin, before waking up one day on a defecation-strewn sidewalk in San Francisco—homeless, broke, and out of his right mind. Okay, it might actually have been about feeding pigs, but the story’s the same, as is any father’s yearning for his son to overcome his profligacy. Could be drugs, alcohol, pornography, a sinful sexual lifestyle, or lost faith.
To be sure, there are differences between “the prodigal son” and Hunter Biden. Whereas “the prodigal son” freely confessed his sin, Hunter pleaded “Not Guilty.” And Hunter’s nefarious acts went far beyond his “pig sty” drug addiction, to willful illegalities. Given those differences, it would be interesting to know if the prodigal’s father might have been less willing to welcome him home with feasting and celebration. Is forgiveness to be offered, not only for foolish moral choices, but also for serious crimes? Does forgiveness preclude legal punishment?
Raising a much-asked question. Since Hunter’s conviction is for a federal offense, might his father—who is not just a dad but also President—grant him a pardon, or possibly commute his sentence? Biden says now that he won’t. While a pre-election pardon would be political suicide, there’s plenty of wiggle room left for what could happen if Biden is reelected. Suppose you were President, having the power to pardon. Can you imagine pardoning other offenders, but not your own son? A “Happy Father’s Day” card from prison would certainly be awkward!
Consider, then, our Heavenly Father. Are there limits to what God is willing to pardon in his own children? Is there a difference between prodigal children (that would be all of us!) and outright rebellious children? And if we blithely assume God always pardons us because we are his children, might we be tempted to “keep on sinning,” as Paul suggested we might? Should we not, rather, be all the more motivated to overcome our “addiction” to sin, and honor our Father?
The Almighty is certainly the Sovereign God, but he’s also a loving Father—proudly declaring on two special occasions that Jesus “is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” As we, too, are “sons” by faith in Christ, this Father’s Day is a good time for serious soul-searching. Given our wholly undeserved merciful pardon, are we children with whom our Father is well pleased?