Epic Bible College

Two Lost Sons – 2

Posted on 16. Jun, 2010 by dpineschi in Uncategorized

The Prodigal God – Timothy Keller

Ch. 2 – The Two Lost Sons – Elder Brother

“Act 1 the lost younger brother and Act 2 the lost elder brother.”

As we ended the last journal we saw the the younger son disrespect his father, his family, and his community to live a wild immoral life as his flesh desired. In doing so, he lost all he was given by his father. He mad eit up in his mind that his father’s hired men had it better than him, so he’ll go back and repent and do whatever it takes to be a hired man even though he will no longer be called a son or an heir. Yet, to his surprise his father ran to him with great forgiveness and unconditional love despite his wrong doing. He welcomed him back without a plea for forgiveness, gave him his own robe as a sing that he is his son again and throws the biggest feast he ever has had.

The story doesn’t end there because this message isn’t just for the immoral and wayward people. It is for those who were the moral upright who think by their good works are right before God. The religious leaders are astonished by the first act of this story, that the younger brother was brought back into the family. It just doesn’t seem fair.  Like the shocked Pharisees the elder brother is furious that the younger son is being welcomed back, even more given a feast. Wow! Here the yongner son disgraced his father by his demands for his inheritance, humiliated him publicly, then runs to him when comes back, gives him a robe to reinstate his son ship, and throws him a feast! the elder brother is infuriated by the graciousness his father is showing.  The elder brother says, “You’ve never given me a goat for a party, how dare you give him a calf?” It wasn;’ just the calf he gave the yougner brother but he gave him his inheritance back. Another blow to the elder brother. The younger son took his 1/3 inheritance now the 2/3 that was left is now being split again. The elder brother’s inheritance is being diminished again. The family wealth was already hit by a big blow, and now this. “he’s adding things up. ‘I’ve worked myself to death and earned what I’ve got, but my brother has done nothing to earn anything, indeed he’s only merited expulsion, and yet you lavish him with wealth! Where’s the justice in that?” Keller.

Because of all things piling up the brother has no desire to partake in the feast where he, “publicly casts a vote of no-confidence in his father’s actions. the father is forced to come out to speak to his older son, a deaming thing to have done to do when you are the lord of the manor and host of a great feast. He pleads with his eldest son to come in, but he continues to refuse.” Keller. As we see the elder brother has added all these things up and now pulls out his resume and reminds him of his position before his father by saying, “I’ve never disobeyed you! I have rights! I deserve a say in all this!” Keller. Some of us can say this is true. There is nothing wrong in obedience, but its the heart and the motive we see here. Look how he reponds to his father so disrespectfully, “He refuses to address him in a respectful manner inferiors owed superiors in that culture, particulary in public. he does not say, ‘esteemed father’ but simply ‘Look’ – which is the equivalent to ‘look you!’ in this culture this is outrageous.” Keller. The father’s reputation is going down the drains with his sons. i can see it now on today’s news or gossip in the church. “Who is this man that he can’t control his own sons? He’s not a respectful business person if he can’t get his own household in order. We all thought he was someone special, someone to be respected, but look at him.” this doesn’t include all the made up rumors that could be made about him once everything became public. The father has all the rights to disown both of his sons by this time. “ow will he respond to his older son’s rebellion?…he responds with tenderness, ‘My son, despite how’ve you insulted me publicly, I still want you at my feast. I am not going to disown your brother and I am not going to disown you.” Keller. The father asks his son to swallow his pride and join him. The story abrubtly ends. Did the elder son swallow his pride and choose to join in on the feast? In the next chapters Keller shows how Jesus is redefining sin and lostness because the Pharisees and people of the day have no clue what it truly is. They are stuck on the laws all that is right and all that is wrong and thats it. There is no heart, no love and no faith.

I don’t know about you, but reading this parable makes me hurt for the father. These sons care nothing about their father. All they want is his stuff and they even disrespect him and humiliate him in the process to great degrees. This convicts my actions towards God. I don’t want to do this to my heavenly Father. Father help us to be loving sons that respect, honor and love you for who you are.

Next Keller tells us what Jesus sees as sin and what being lost really looks like based on these two sons…