The second book in my recommended reading from our church is The Tale Of Two Sons: The Inside Story Of A Father, His Sons, And A Shocking Murder. This was recommended by wife Stephanie. She has been trying to get me to read fiction for some time now, but I just can't seem to get into it much. So she thought this book would help to facilitate that desire. Thank you Steph for recommending this book, it really made me see the light of the gospel and the glory of Jesus Christ from a fresh angle.
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The Tale of Two Sons was written by John MacArthur. It is an in-depth look at “one of the greatest stories every told—The Prodigal Son, found in Luke 15.11-32.” The book begins by discussing just how superb of a story this is and how many of the most well-known literature works find their origin in the prodigal son. Those who have “expressed admiration for the parable as literature was: William Shakespeare, Garrison Keillor”, and even Charles Dickens who “famously called the parable of the prodigal son the greatest short story ever written.”
The sad truth about the prodigal story is that many have missed the meaning of it. It is placed in the context that is filled with the values and morals of the contemporary atmosphere of the day. Jesus’ meaning must be appreciated in order to understand the significance of the prodigal son. Over the centuries many well intentioned people have taken this exceptional story and have reworked it into their own tale without any regard to Jesus’ central aim for telling it. So what is Jesus’ point and aim?
As many already know this story is about a wayward son, a merciful and generous Father, and a miserable, self righteous elder brother. Each of these characters was a character in real life. One of the story’s main emphases was directed at the elder brother. This elder brother possessed a terrible problem of not being able to celebrate the repentance, return, and restoration of his younger brother by his Father. He was indignant toward his Father. There was never a genuine love for his Father or his younger brother and the celebration of his brother's restoration made it even worse. The elder brother in the story is the Pharisees. MacArthur says,
The Father is Jesus Christ. He is the one that despises the shame of running out to meet the prodigal before he makes his way through the village. He is the one that despises the shame of embracing the prodigal who deserves nothing more than eternal separation. He is the one that despises the shame of forgiving and restoring such a son that is looked upon as worthless in the eyes of the religious rulers…the elder brother.
Overall this was a terrific read on a very well known, but misunderstood, parable of Jesus Christ. It’s almost as if MacArthur pushes the reader further and further under water to discover more and more of the meaning behind each character and nuance of the story. The story boasts of a never before heard of ending and it definitely delivers! One final quote from MacArthur,
The sad truth about the prodigal story is that many have missed the meaning of it. It is placed in the context that is filled with the values and morals of the contemporary atmosphere of the day. Jesus’ meaning must be appreciated in order to understand the significance of the prodigal son. Over the centuries many well intentioned people have taken this exceptional story and have reworked it into their own tale without any regard to Jesus’ central aim for telling it. So what is Jesus’ point and aim?
As many already know this story is about a wayward son, a merciful and generous Father, and a miserable, self righteous elder brother. Each of these characters was a character in real life. One of the story’s main emphases was directed at the elder brother. This elder brother possessed a terrible problem of not being able to celebrate the repentance, return, and restoration of his younger brother by his Father. He was indignant toward his Father. There was never a genuine love for his Father or his younger brother and the celebration of his brother's restoration made it even worse. The elder brother in the story is the Pharisees. MacArthur says,
“This parable is a rebuke of the attitude of the religious leaders who resented His ministry, which was done for the joy of God. Jesus was exposing the error of the Pharisees’ own self-righteous superiority complex by contrasting their contempt for sinners with the spirit of divine compassion that permeated His whole earthly ministry. The ugliness of the Pharisees’ hypocrisy and self righteousness were thus laid open for all to see. This was yet another devastating public humiliation for them.”The prodigal son represents everyone. He characterizes everyone who comes to their senses and recognizes just how good and wonderful the Father is in spite of their own rebellious nature and deeds. It is about everyone who has come to the “end of their rope” and recognizes that only the Father is at the end of the rope ready to forgive, restore, and then to celebrate that restoration and reconciliation because of their new life in Him.
The Father is Jesus Christ. He is the one that despises the shame of running out to meet the prodigal before he makes his way through the village. He is the one that despises the shame of embracing the prodigal who deserves nothing more than eternal separation. He is the one that despises the shame of forgiving and restoring such a son that is looked upon as worthless in the eyes of the religious rulers…the elder brother.
Overall this was a terrific read on a very well known, but misunderstood, parable of Jesus Christ. It’s almost as if MacArthur pushes the reader further and further under water to discover more and more of the meaning behind each character and nuance of the story. The story boasts of a never before heard of ending and it definitely delivers! One final quote from MacArthur,
“If you can hear the parable of the prodigal son and not identify yourself, you are missing the unspoken point of Jesus’ message. It is a call to repentance, and it applies to prodigals (immoral, outcast sinners) and Pharisees (moral, respectable hypocrites) alike.”I totally recommend this book. The best price I found was at Christian Book Distributors. Just click on this link A Tale Of Two Sons.
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