I picked up Tim Keller's book "Prodigal God" a few months ago after a friend recommended it to me. I read the first few chapters one weekend, found the premise fascinating, then went back to work and forgot about it. Now, I can hardly wait to pick it up again.
Before I go any further for those of you unfamiliar with this book, wondering how in the world one might rightly attribute the adjective prodigal to God, I should tell you that the definition of "prodigal" is "recklessly extravagant." Keller says that most of us assume the target audience of the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15 is sinners who will most identify with the younger brother. His proposition is that the real target audience was the Pharisees, the very "good", who would most identify with the elder brother. And, the main point of the story is that both younger brothers and elder brothers are alienated from the father's heart. At the end of the story, it is the bad boy younger brother who is saved, but the "good" elder brother is left outside because of his "goodness." He missed the party.
Keller says Pharisaical religion obeys to be accepted, but the gospel is for people who understand they are accepted and therefore obey. Elder brothers obey God to get things. God is a means to an end.
Keller offers a few ways to recognize "elder brothers." First, an elder brother gets furious when life doesn't go their way. They believe God owes them. Second, elder brothers can't handle criticism because their self-image is not rooted in Christ; it's rooted in their own "goodness." Third, elder brothers pray petionary prayers, rarely simply enjoy God, and have little intimacy with Him. Fourth, elder brothers constantly loathe others who don't measure up to their standards. Fifth, elder brothers can't forgive. Keller says, "you can't stay angry and bitter at someone unless you feel superior to them."
So, what do we do when we recognize the elder brother in our our lives? Keller says we must find a new level of repentance and rejoicing. We must glory in our salvation and the grace that afforded it to us rather than thinking that we're doing God some kind of favor by obeying Him. "The secret to spiritual renewal is not repenting from your wrongdoing, but repenting from your real reasons for right doing."
A quote from this session I hope I don't soon forget:
"The only reason we can be clothed in the father's robe is because Jesus was stripped naked on the cross." Keller says that Jesus is the true elder brother, the One willing to go to any length to bring us back into the Father's house. In the parable, the younger son had taken and squandered his inheritance. The only way the father could welcome him back was by taking from the elder brother. Jesus willingly paid the price for us to be welcomed back into right relationship with God.
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