I heard a talk given today by pastor and author Tim Keller on the Prodigal Son. I have heard that famous parable, one of my personal favorites, used dozens of times to make powerful points on what it means to be a true follower of Jesus. Keller gave me a brand new insight and I want to see how you would all react to it.
He pointed out the elder brother's ingratitude, his pride, his unforgiveness and his total lack of grace for his wayward brother. True, the younger brother squandered the Father's money in wild living and there is nothing honorable about his behavior. His life clearly demonstrated that he didn't love the Father. But that changed at the feast, when the younger brother was welcomed back into the family.
Being part of the feast was symbolic of salvation. When one accepts the gospel they accept the invitation to the feast (salvation) based on the Father's graciousness. The younger brother knew that. It was evident to everyone.
But the elder brother didn't get it. He refused to enter the feast (meaning he refused salvation). He refused to accept his Father's invitation, even His direct plea to come in. See, he was unwilling to come because he resented the reception of his brother, the fact that his brother’s reunion with the family was now costing him some of his potential inheritance. He wanted nothing to do with him and his attitude proved he didn’t love the Father either.
He even boldly expressed his anger with the Father saying, “Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.” (Luke 15:29) See, he was angry with God because he wasn’t being recognized enough for all the good he did.
And here is where the holiness subject comes in clearly. We look at the younger brother and clearly see he needed to repent of his sins against the Father. We think of repentance as expressing Godly sorrow and confessing our wrongdoing, desiring to change and be right with God. AND THAT IS WHAT REPENTANCE IS ABOUT! But repentance is ALSO about repenting for the wrong motives behind all the good stuff we did. In other words, like the other brother, we can deceive ourselves into thinking we are so holy and so deserving of God’s favor because of all the good we do. But the problem is our motivation can be all wrong and if the motivation is wrong it won’t produce holiness (the fruit of the Spirit) in us, only the sin of pride.
How do you react to this insight into repentance? What further light can it shine on our discussion of what it means to live a holy life?
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Interesting.
ReplyDeleteYes, such an important subject.Have heard many messages, and lots of discussions about the two sons. Feel that the older one is given a bad rap, although he did have a bad attitude. His father did say that everything was his, even after he was angry with his brother. Just a thought!
ReplyDeleteI, too, have heard many sermons on this story and there are so many applications from it that could impact our spiritual walk. The world would think that the older son got shafted because they strive for the material that they believe they deserve. Our Father wants us to strive for the value in the intangible with persistance and perseverance and yes... that also includes personal repentance. Regardless if we get a bad wrap or the short stick, our attitude towards those things that God has allowed to happen is what He looks for and often times what others see. There are times we need to repent so that we may exhibit "Christ-like" behavior in the face of an obstacle that has tripped us up... preventing us from being the true witness we ought to be.
ReplyDeleteI think I went of on a tangent... Simply put... repentance comes from a military term that means "about face" or to turn away from. Sometimes that means doing an about face from the situation that has angered us and taking a hard look in the mirror staring back at us.
ReplyDeleteOooops!!
ReplyDeleteWrong door, sorry.
Who are you in this story? Are you a prodigal, a pharisee or a servant? Are you the rebellious son, lost and far from God?
ReplyDeleteAre you the self-righteous pharisee, no longer capable of rejoicing when a sinner returns to God? Maybe you've hit rock-
bottom, a self-examination may be over due.
Sounds to me that Holiness is not about a list of things we do or don't do. Because if we isolate and analyze this, we realize that we are attempting to be Holy on our own. And we simply can't. Therefore it seems to me that Holiness is centered around submission and sacrifice to God. Holiness would be a shedding off of the "self" and clothing yourself with God's Righteousness. Holiness is a gift, not something we earn. But is a gift that is not given unless you are filled with the Spirit, and you aren't filled with the Spirit unless you are in full submission to the Spirit. So put simply Submission = Holiness.
ReplyDeleteI agree Mike, thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.
ReplyDelete'The Prodigal God' by Tim Keller is a great book btw. I'm most of the way through it.
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