Mike Focht 10/23/2026
But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.’
We are continuing our series on the parable of the Prodigal Son, specifically looking at how our Heavenly Father relates to us as His sons and daughters. The father in the parable reflects how our Heavenly Father also sees our identity and service as sons and daughters of the Most High God.
In this post, I want to focus on the father’s last command regarding the prodigal: And sandals on his feet. Apparently, the son was barefoot. Why was that meaningful? Servants were often barefoot in those days. Sons, on the other hand, wore sandals. Since sandals were considered a basic necessity (Luke 10:4; 22:35), the lack of sandals for his own children would have reflected poorly on the father.
The most common New Testament reference to sandals is John the Baptist’s confession that he was not worthy to remove Jesus’ sandals (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:7; Luke 3:16; John 1:27; Acts 13:25). We find the statement in every gospel and in the book of Acts! Again, John’s expression highlights the difference between the place of a servant and a son.
I want to make one thing clear before I continue. I am not trying to say we should never relate to God as servants. When we remove our sandals, we do so to stand barefoot on holy ground and relate to God as Creator. We are taught that clearly in the story of Moses at the burning bush. Then the LORD said to him, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground” (Acts 7:33).
Every child of God needs to learn the lesson of what they are as a creation before a Holy, Holy, Holy Creator. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and we must all grow in our personal and experiential understanding of who He is and who we are. That said, our Creator created us to be sons and daughters of the Most High God!
The son was not going to be welcomed back into the father’s house with bare feet. The sandals marked him and his service as the free expression of a son’s heart to his loving father. His sonship and service were not going to be expressed as a forced act of slavery. When we are given sandals, our walk is characterized by obedience from the heart, and not by demand. Jesus expresses His love by His willingness to get down, remove our sandals, and clean our feet so we can keep going. Jesus remains our ultimate example of true Sonship.
May God give us the grace to follow Jesus’ example and know the blessings of obedience.
Sandals are part of our Father’s provision in this life. They are a sign that imperfect sons and daughters can walk with Him and please Him. Share the gospel! Serve Him! Walk worthy! After all, you are a child of God, and He will not treat you as anything less.
But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.’