The aspiration of fame and fortune have been the
downfall of many. When Isaac, the son of a wealthy
African oil company executive, receives his inheritance
early from his father, he sees this as his ticket
to the "good life."
After
arriving in New York City to make it "big"
in the music business, Isaac loses his entire inheritance
through gambling, prostitution and a bad business
investment. Living homeless and at his wits end, Isaac
decides to make restitution, but will his father ever
forgive him?
The Heart of the Father is a one hour dramatic representation
of the prodigal son parable set in an African context,
which proves to be captivating to all audiences.
In the Gospel of St. Luke 15:11-32, Jesus tells the
parable of a man who had two sons. Often the emphasis
of the story rests on the "lost son" and
his journey away from all that he knows to be right
and good, until he comes to his senses and returns
home to his father.To focus on this aspect of the
parable naturally provides lost mankind with an important
point of identification with the sin of the lost son.
However,
in CBN's dramatic adaptation of the parable, The Heart
of the Father, attempts to offer the African viewer
a look at the story from a different perspective.
The story is told from the father's point of view,
with the ultimate goal of offering the viewer a glimpse
into the heart of God the Father and His great love
for each of His children.
In this drama, we are introduced to the Father, who
is an executive in a successful African oil company,
of which his two sons are also in management. The
young son is lured away by a crafty friend who subtly
promises him the world. Chasing a dream of fame and
fortune, the young son wastes the whole of his inheritance
on wild living in America far from any of his father's
potential protests. Meanwhile, we see the father as
he holds on to every thread of hope that some day
his dear son will return.