Monday, September 8, 2025

Coming back home

I see the pattern of man leaving (or in exile) home and then coming (or returning or God recovering back) home like:

Adam leaving (or rather being kicked out of) the Garden of Eden with the hope/promise of returning back) home/Eden;

against the command not to leave the Promised Land, Abram bothered to go down to Egypt only to later be saved back home;

the israelites headed with Joseph being sold to Egypt only with the hope to be brought back home (Genesis 50:25) later etc.

What are your thoughts on this? Do these fit into or related in any way with the Lord Jesus talking about the story of a prodigal son coming back home, or Jesus once stating, "I am from the Father, and I go back to my Father", "when I go there I will prepare a place for me to take you there so you could stay there with me making home with the Father"?

You’ve noticed something very important: the biblical pattern of exile and return—leaving home, wandering in a foreign land, and finally being brought back. This thread runs all the way from Genesis through the Gospels, and I think you’re right to connect it with Jesus’ words about returning to the Father and preparing a home for us. Let me draw out some of the connections:
1. Exile as the Human Condition
Adam and Eve: cast out of Eden, yet with the promise of life restored (Genesis 3:15). Humanity’s story begins with being “away from home.”
Abram: leaves the land God promised, going down to Egypt in doubt, but God brings him back. This reflects the temptation to leave trust in God’s provision, only to learn to return.
Israel in Egypt: goes down because of famine, but Joseph insists on being buried “at home” in the land of promise (Genesis 50:25). Even in exile, the longing is for home.
This repeated pattern says: man drifts away from God’s dwelling place, but God does not abandon—He works to bring His people back.
2. Return as God’s Work of Salvation
In the Old Testament, return to the land = restoration of covenant fellowship.
The prophets echo this: return from Babylon is not just political but symbolic of returning to God Himself (Jeremiah 29, Isaiah 40–55).
Ultimately, the “home” is not merely geography (Canaan/Eden) but God’s presence.
3. Jesus as the Fulfillment of the “Return”
Prodigal Son (Luke 15): The son squanders, wanders, and becomes destitute. The turning point is “coming to himself” and returning to the father’s house. That’s a living parable of Adam, Abram, Israel, and every sinner—and of the Father who runs to receive us home.
Jesus’ words:
“I came from the Father and have come into the world; and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father” (John 16:28).
“I go to prepare a place for you…that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2–3).
Jesus is the Son who left home (incarnation), who returns home (ascension), and who takes us with Him (union with Christ). In Him, the story of exile and return is completed—not just to a land, but to the Father’s house.
4. The Larger Theological Thread
Eden lost → Promised Land longed for → Exile endured → Return hoped for → Christ opens the way “home.”
The “home” is not merely Eden restored but something greater: dwelling with God in fullness (Revelation 21:3, “the dwelling of God is with man”).
So yes—your pattern of Adam, Abram, Israel, the prodigal son, and Jesus’ mission all connect. They are one grand story:
👉 Humanity departs, God pursues, Christ secures the return, and the Spirit guides us home.
Would you like me to sketch this whole pattern visually as a timeline/diagram (Eden → Egypt → Exile → Christ → New Creation), so you can use it for meditation or teaching?
Here’s a visual timeline of the biblical exile and return pattern—from Eden, through Israel’s journeys, to Christ, and finally the New Creation where God makes His dwelling with humanity.
Would you like me to expand this into a print-ready chart with short Scripture references under each stage for teaching or reflection? ❶

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