He was sorry for what he had done

It was then that he thought, perhaps for the first time, of his father and his home, and as he thought he at last realised how badly he had treated his father.  As the parable puts it, “he came to himself” (NRSV, Luke 15:17), and was sorry for what he had done.  As soon as he was sorry, he decided to go home and say so.  And in order to prove to his father that he was truly sorry, he made up his mind to ask his father not to treat him as his own son any more but to take him on as a farm labourer.  “I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands’ “ (NRSV, Luke 15:18-19).

His father forgave him

So he started out to walk back home.  When he was nearly there, he saw his father running to meet him, and he started to say his piece: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (NRSV, Luke 15:21).  But his father stopped him before he could ask to be taken on as a farm labourer.  Instead, he treated him at once as his own son, and in order to show it he called the servants to put the best robe on him – his own was in rags, and to put a ring on his hand – he had sold his own long ago, and shoes on his feet – his own had been walked to pieces, and to kill the fatted calf for dinner so that they could celebrate.

So the young man was forgiven, which meant that his relationship with his father was exactly what it was before he thought of leaving home.  The only thing that remained was the effect of his sin – the money was spent and his father would always be that much the poorer.