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The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith

Questions About The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith

by Timothy J. Keller

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Answered Questions (1)

“By bringing the younger brother back into the family,” Keller writes, the father “has made him an heir again, with a claim to one third of their (now very diminished) family wealth.” This happened despite the fact that the father had previously divided his estate between the two sons. Isn't the older being punished for the sins of the younger? And isn't the former's relucance to celebrate understandable?
Edwin D. Fischer The elder brother is bearing the cost just as Jesus bears the cost, the punishment of our sins, only Jesus’ selfless love is the motivation not obedie…moreThe elder brother is bearing the cost just as Jesus bears the cost, the punishment of our sins, only Jesus’ selfless love is the motivation not obedience for the hope of personal gain. Also, there clearly was immense family wealth remaining, more than anyone needed or could reasonably use. In God the Fathers case that remaining inheritance (wealth) is unlimited, infinite in bounty. If the elder brother’s love for the younger brother was like that of his father’s, would there have been reluctance to celebrating the return? I see the reluctance to celebrate very understandable in the context of my self-love being greater than my love of others, born out of my selfishness. This I believe is God’s desire for us, a greater, selfless love. An infinite love like His.
Lastly, the inheritance was still the property of the father, not yet the elder son’s. If the elder son truly loved his father, not the father’s estate, could he not set aside whatever bad feelings he might hold against the younger, and revel in the joy of his father?
This parable is a call to a higher, more gracious way of living and loving that is simply humanly possible. It requires God alive in us.
I see so much of myself in both of these sons; their hopes, their fears, their motivations, and their resentments.(less)
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