I’ve been spending some time in the parable of the prodigal son for the last few days, on advice from a good friend of mine that always challenges me spiritually.
I’ve listened to some powerful sermons, read the story multiple times, and have thought deep and hard on the subject. There’s a lot of opinions about what the parable is pointing to, but I’ll keep it simple by telling you how God has dealt with me on the subject.
The story has traditionally focused on the Lost son, and the father’s response to him. What an inspiring message of Grace and acceptance for a wayward child. It’s an amazing arrow pointed directly at God’s character toward sinners. But in my personal thinking on it, I was hypnotized by the 2nd act of the play, where the older son begins to react to the grace he has seen. He immediately starts making his case for why he should be in better standing than his brother, and his motives are exposed when he wants his own celebration for his accomplishments.
I’m grieved to tell you that the character I relate to most is this older brother. On the Gospel centered balance between license and law, I confess that I have tipped toward self righteousness throughout my life. Grieved, I tell you.
The Gospel Works
This was a rude awakening for me, and also an opportunity to see the Gospel worked out in real life. I called a minister who would be considered by some to be the picture of the wayward son. So much of his future decided by bad choices and ill timed decisions. I hadn’t spoken with him in at least 7 months and as we met for lunch, I’m certain that he expected to be whipped for his mistakes. He showed up anyway, willing to take the hit.
About 5 minutes into small talk, I apologized to him. For the judgments, the criticizing, and the self righteousness. Whatever happened, happened. Repentance is his to deal with, and he is dealing.
I don’t condone sin at all. Not in my life or anyone’s. But I wasn’t wrong for thinking someone was sinful or bad. My mistake was to think that I was good. While my old friend deserves any punishment and backlash he gets, the truth is, so do I.
If you read the Gospels, my self righteousness was the exact thing that Christ constantly pressed against. Constantly.
So what can we do about it? We can guard against that self righteousness by constantly staying centered and balanced in the Gospel, not tipping toward lawless living, and not tipping toward a rules-based belief system that accomplishes something on our own. Maybe the answer is to stay at the center, understanding that we are all in a fallen state, struggling toward holiness, and redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ. Left to ourselves, we can not meet the requirements of righteousness on our own and because of this, we have no choice but only look within our own hearts.
I have hope for my own soul that I can live out the truth of the Gospel in every relationship that I have.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Galatians 6:2
So, so true. Pastor Morris (Gateway Church) spoke on this very thing not long ago. We often look at the older brother with spite, but when it’s turned around as a reflection of us, we often see that those of us who grew up in the church, or have lived in faith for many years, often jump to judgment quickly, thinking it’s out of righteousness that we judge. But that’s just it, we’re judging. And I for one have been guilty of this more often than not.
The bottom line is, the young brother suffered of the pride of thinking that he knew better than the wisdom of his father. The older brother suffered from the pride of thinking he knew better than the wisdom of grace. Either way, both brothers were prideful and both needed to experience what they experienced in order to better understand grace.
As Christians, we’re often taught to look at the “surface” sins and encourage people out of them – drinking, sex, drugs, and rock and roll. But it is only with true conviction of the soul that we examine the deeper sins of the heart – namely, pride. Why? Because we are often guilty of them ourselves, much more than being guilty of the “outward” sins.
All this to say, pride is sin no matter what form it comes in and God’s agenda is to help us see that, turn to him for redemption from it, and move forward in the fullness of Christ. Totally and completely awesome. And an awesome post. Thanks for sharing!
I too have always identified with the older brother in the story — for as long as I can remember. Not so much out of self-righteousnes (though maybe that, too!), but out of some kind of fear that the father loves the younger brother more than the older.
I think maybe Morgan has put his finger on the issue for me — the wisdom of grace. Just because the father loves the younger son hugely doesn’t mean that he doesn’t also love the older son. God’s love, I’m trying to remember, is not limited. Right?