One of the more surprising ideas in book, The Prodigal God, by Tim Keller, is that sin doesn’t always look like rebellion.
Sometimes it looks like discipline, like staying, like trying to do it on your own.
That’s what Jesus was exposing with the older brother in Luke 15. The younger brother broke all the obvious rules, but the older brother built his identity on keeping them. One used being “bad” to try to control his life. The other used goodness.
Different strategies, but the same separation from God, the Father.
The younger brother said, “I don’t need the Father.” The older brother said, “If I obey enough, the Father should give me the life I want.” Both sons wanted control more than a relationship.
A lot of people walk away from God in pursuit of freedom, pleasure, or independence. But others stay close to Christian things while quietly building a resume before God. We pray. Serve. Stay consistent. Avoid certain sins. Not always because of a deep love for God — sometimes because we believe faithful behavior should guarantee a certain outcome.
Maybe it’s a stable and successful life. Healthy kids. Answered prayers. Peace of mind.
We may never say it out loud, but underneath can be this assumption: “God, after everything I’ve done… You owe me something.”
That’s why suffering can make religious people so angry. Grace is beautiful until it interrupts life expectations.
The older brother couldn’t celebrate because he believed love had to be earned. The party for the younger brother felt unfair because fairness was the foundation of his entire relationship with the Father. (And something else I never thought of, the older brother was in some way paying the expenses of this party since what was left of the Father’s money was his).
But the gospel doesn’t operate on fairness. It operates on grace. And grace is offensive to people who keep score.
The younger brother knew he had failed. The older brother didn’t. One came home with nothing. The other stood outside the house convinced he deserved more. In a sad truth, sometimes the people farthest from God are sitting closest to the church.
Not because they’re rebellious, because they’re self-righteous.
And yet the Father still goes out to him, too.
TIm Keller articulates an incredible beauty in the story. The Father pursues both sons. The reckless one covered in shame and the religious one covered in pride. He moves toward the obvious sinner and the exhausted rule-keeper.
Because the invitation of the gospel isn’t just to stop doing bad things.
It’s to stop trying to save yourself altogether.
I know The Prodigal God by Tim Keller has been around for quite a while, but it was great reading it the other day! It’s a powerful reminder that we need Jesus. This book was inspiring!
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