Discovering the true elder brother
My reflections on The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller
The definition of prodigal does not mean wayward. Rather: “Recklessly spendthrift, to spend until you have nothing left.”
Traditionally we apply this to young son, but it also applies to God as father: the God of Great Expenditure, ergo the title.
There are 2 ways of being alienated from God.
Parable demonstrates 2 different ways of seeking acceptance into the kingdom of heaven.
Luke chapter 15 verse 11: There was a man who had TWO sons.
But there is another TWO: audiences, tax collectors, sinners and the Pharisees.
One audience is constantly flocking around Jesus-these are the younger brothers-not respectable, left
home and not following the moral code.
The other audience is annoyed at the fact that these sinners are not being put down.
To whom is the parable directed?
The target was not wayward sinners, but religious people who do everything the Bible requires.
We think that people sit with tears in their eyes warmed at the love of the father. However, Jesus’ purpose in telling the parable is not to warm our hearts, but to shatter our categories, just as he shattered Pharisees’.
As we look inside the parable we are startled by the father’s response.
It is not what would be expected. The father agr
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