Last week I read The Prodigal God by Tim Keller. It is his exposition of the famous story of the Prodigal Son, one of the best known parables of Jesus. To get the significance of the title, you need to remember that prodigal means recklessly extravagant, and not just someone who wanders off the path. The younger son was prodigal in that he wasted his inheritance; God is prodigal because of his grace.
Keller makes the point that the story was not designed to bring a sentimental tear to the eye – the way we often think of it – but that it would have been sharply offensive to the original listeners. He is right: the story was told to convict the Pharisees who failed to understand Jesus’ concern for “sinners.”
In one of the books chapters, Keller turns the spotlight on what he calls “elder-brother lostness.” It is a more subtle form of lostness than the lostness of the younger brother who runs away from home. Here are some of the marks of “elder-brother lostness.”
- anger and bitterness when things go wrong.
- a strong sense of your own superiority which can result in racism, classism and a judgmental spirit.
- joyless, fear-based compliance.
- a lack of assurance of the father’s love which can show up as an inability to receive criticism or a dry prayer life.
Even if you are not an older brother, Keller suggests that it is possible to be “elder brotherish.”
If you have not grasped the gospel fully and deeply, you will return to being condescending, condemning, anxious, insecure, joyless, and angry all the time.
If you want to read more, buy the book which is now available as a paperback from Hodder.
