The Prodigal God
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Timothy Keller takes one of the best-known Christian parables and flips it. The Prodigal Son isn’t just about the younger brother who ran off. It’s about both sons — and a father whose grace shatters our categories.
📖 Get the book: The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith — Timothy Keller
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The word “prodigal” doesn’t mean lost or wayward. It means recklessly extravagant. The younger son spent everything. The father gave everything.
- The older son is the one most people skip over. He stayed, did his duty, and was bitter when grace showed up for his brother.
- Keller’s point: Both sons wanted the father’s wealth. Neither wanted the father.
Go Deeper
Why it matters. The father goes overboard in welcoming back his son. His love and grace are overwhelming. Most readings of this parable stop at the younger son’s return. Keller doesn’t. He shows that the dutiful, religious older brother was just as lost — and less likely to know it.
As Keller puts it: “Jesus’s purpose is not to warm our hearts, but to shatter our categories.”
The parable is in Luke 15:11-32. Pick up the book and see God’s grace revealed in a simple story. If this is your first Keller book, two more worth your shelf: The Reason for God and Counterfeit Gods.
7-Word Summary
- The People Around Jesus — The lost and the self-righteous.
- The Two Lost Sons — The father’s grace: one received, one refused.
- Redefining Sin — They wanted the father’s wealth, not him.
- Redefining Lostness — As love deepens, the relationship grows.
- The True Elder Brother — Selfless love breaks down walls.
- Redefining Hope — We were made for God’s presence.
- The Feast of the Father — Growth happens in community, not isolation.