Life and Hypocrisy

This weekend, I began reading The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller.  In this book, Keller challenges the traditional view of the prodigal son found in Luke 15.  Instead of just being about the one son who squandered his fathers fortune, it is rather a parable about both sons; both of which had the opportunity to receive the fathers invitation and blessing.  The first son demanded that his father give him his share of the estate so that he could live his life on his own terms.  While his father was still living, this was one of the most degrading blows a son could deal to his father and would essentially ruin the family name within the community.  But his loving father gave him the opportunity to squander his inheritance.  Once the son ran out of money, he remembered that his father's servants ate better than him so he decided that he would prepare a huge apology and return to his father to work as a servant.  While he was still a distance off, his father ran to him and accepted him back into the family, reinstating him and cutting him back into the now diminished inheritance.  The father did not let him give his apology but demanded that the fattened calf be killed and that the town should celebrate the return of his son.

On the other hand, the elder son, now whose inheritance has been cut again by the reinstatement of his brother, comes to see that a party is being thrown for his brother.  Yet he will not go in to the party because he feels cheated.  He stayed and worked for years for his father and, because of this, feels entitled to the praise of his father and to receive all the blessings.  He kept all his fathers laws and never disobeyed or did anything against his father, but when it came down to why he did it, it was out of selfishness.  He didn't want to be with his father either, he only wanted the inheritance - shown by his rejection of his father's invitation to the party.

Conclusion: Even though both of the sons rejected the father in their own way - the younger by his open rejection and his humiliation of his family as well as his open sinning, and the older by his self-righteousness or "hidden" sinning - the younger accepted the fathers invitation to blessing, but the older thought he was entitled and therefore rejected his father.

After reading this, I had to ask myself if I was really different from the older son.  Do my actions state that I only want God for his blessings or because I truly love Him and desire Him above all else?  As I reflect upon my life, I have the opportunity to see where I am a hypocrite and where I am genuine.  Through prayer, discipleship and reading God's word, I pray that the Holy Spirit will begin to change those areas of hypocrisy in my life and show me what a genuine love of Him looks like!!!