The Prodigal God

I recently read Tim Keller’s new book entitled The Prodigal God, which was a quick but fascinating read. It reminded me of my first time through Nouwen’s Return of the Prodigal Son and how convicted I was of being an older brother and how there is something inherently sinful about that as well. Some of the highlights:

• Elder brothers obey God to get things. They don’t obey God to get God himself- in order to resemble him, love him, know him, and delight him. So religious and moral people can be avoiding Jesus as Savior and Lord as much as the younger brothers who say they don’t believe in God and define right and wrong for themselves (43).

•Upon writing that the older brother should have went out and looked for his younger brother- for this is what older brothers are supposed to do, Keller writes “indeed, it is only at the elder brother’s expense that they younger brother can be brought back in. Because, as Jesus said, the father had divided his property between them before the younger son had left. Everything had been assigned. The younger brother had gotten his 1/3 portion and it was completely gone. . . every penny that remained of the family estate belongs to the elder brother (82).

Just a really good read- such a profound reminder of my own depravity, my own sin, how desperately in need of a savior I am, how utterly helpless I am to do anything good on my own accord and that it is only through Christ and his work on the cross and resurrection that allow me to live any semblance of a life.