1/22/14 Matt about 22
I’m
thinking the main point of the parable of the Prodigal Son isn’t about the
prodigal at all. It’s about the older
son. Many people on the outside
criticize Christianity as being too easy. “You could be a terrible mass murderer, but
still get forgiven at the last minute and go to heaven” is generally how I hear
it, such as from the young man named Matt at the coffeeshop the other day. He went on to say “I’d rather have a more
predictable religion, one where you get punished according to how bad your
various sins are, and rewarded according to your good deeds”. Like the prodigal’s older brother, he
resented the idea that one could be forgiven without deserving it. And. also like the older brother, he “became
angry and refused to go in”. (Luke 15:28)
His self-righteous attitude caused him to miss out on the joy of the
Father’s forgiveness and generosity. He
not only missed out on sharing the joy of his younger brother’s return, but he
was left outside himself, stewing in his anger. As we talked there in the coffeeshop, I saw
the same smug self-righteousness of the prodigal’s older brother in Matt. He had grown up in a churchgoing family and
had been faithfully involved in church activities himself, but became
disillusioned by what he saw as God’s unfair forgiveness, never stopping to
consider that he might need that same forgiveness himself. He had become an outsider and, gradually, was
becoming more and more like the prodigal himself. I want so much for Matt to know that same
love and forgiveness that caused the Father to be filled with compassion, to
run to his son and throw his arms around him and kiss him, if only he will put
away his anger and resentment and come in from the cold.
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