Kruse's Keys: Read "The Long Walk Home" to Be Reminded of a Father's Compassion

In The Long Walk Home: Discovering the Fullness of Life in the Love of the Father, pastor Matt Carter uses the biblical story of the prodigal son to grapple with the idea of faith in a broader church community where youth are struggling with depression in record numbers and leaving the church in droves once they reach adulthood.  Carter’s central thesis is that as believers we need to taste Jesus’ love in a personal way within an authentic community.  The biggest barrier to that?  Sin–which separates and divides.  The author is quick to point out however, that we often fall prey to thinking more highly of our sin than God’s love and forgiveness–in other words we dwell on sin that’s already been forgiven and let that weigh us down.  He offers a model prayer for confessing sin that reframes a Christian’s approach from asking for forgiveness to agreeing with God that you did sin and acknowledging that we’ve already been forgiven.  Here’s the prayer in its entirety:

God I confess and agree that what I did was wrong and is contrary to your nature, and 

because you are a faithful and just God, I know you have forgiven me. Please help me live my life in light of your amazing love for me.

This mode of confession seeks to bolster our faith as it puts us in the position to take God at his word.  “God loves it when His people believe him” Carter asserts and this is truly the simplest definition of faith.  The one time in the Bible that Jesus “marvels,” came when a Roman soldier took Jesus at his word and told him that he didn’t need to physically visit his ailing servant but could just speak the words and he’d be healed. 

The book closes by highlighting perhaps Jesus’ most amazing attribute: compassion.  As the prodigal son returns home, we see a father looking for his son “from a long way off” with “compassion.”  Previous to reading this, I most often thought of God being disappointed in my failures–but never feeling compassion.  Jesus comes along side of us and feels our failures acutely–indeed he’s already felt their weight on the cross weighing him down. And those failures have been finished (tetelestai) and left behind on the cross.  There’s a comfort in knowing that our God isn’t waiting for us on his throne to come groveling back to him, but he’s out in the field waiting and looking for us.

For more on the parable of the Prodigal Son, read my review of Tim Keller's Prodigal God here.

Looking for book ideas? Check out our 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 reading lists!

Notes:

16 One reason kids walk away from the church–not having tasted Jesus’ love in a personal 

way.

20 Kids walk away because of the lack of an authentic community

24 That we’re missing out on life is a lie from hell

28 “We’re literally dying from despair.”  From Sen Sasse Them book on declining average 

lifespan in U.S.  https://www.amazon.com/Them-Hate-Each-Other-Heal/dp/1250193680 

31 the world needs ordinary people who will go “all-in”

52 The one time in the Bible that Jesus “marveled”--when the Roman soldier came to Jesus 

for healing of his servant.  And he told Jesus he didn’t need him to come see the servant–he just needed to say the word!  “God loves it when His people believe him.”  This is the simplest definition of faith.  

63 Lingering after noticing someone’s attractiveness can lead to temptation to lust and then 

sin.  Sin then is a matter of your focus.

86 We all–that is mankind–has a Jesus-shaped void in our hearts–that’s what it means in 

Ecc 3:11 when it says God has put eternity in our hearts.

132 Sin creates a separation and divides

149 Model prayer for confessing our sin: 

God I confess and agree that what I did was wrong and is contrary to your nature, and 

because you are a faithful and just God, I know you have forgiven me. Please help me live my life in light of your amazing love for me.”

154-55 John Piper was asked on a panel if there was anything that made him doubt God.  His 

answer was “slowness of his sanctification.” Even this great pillar of the Christian faith 

has self doubt!

159 “God is home to me.” 

160 When we allow our past confessed sin to keep us from coming home to God–we are 

thinking more highly of that sin than God’s love.

165 we should mourn our sin looking at the cross which paid for that sin.  

174 God is looking for us “from a long way off” and feels compassion.  I’ve always thought of 

God feeling disappointment in my failures but never compassion. 

187 Grace= receiving what we don’t deserve

Mercy= not receiving what we deserve

Kruse's Keys: Prodigal God: Read It Because "Prodigal" Doesn't Mean What You Think (Keller)

I first read this book in 2013 and it made such an impression that I placed it on my Yearly Re-Reading list.  So I read it again this year and it keeps getting better.

The Bible's tale of the prodigal son is best understood by looking at the two ends of the spectrum for the definition of the word prodigal.  On one end it describes someone who spends recklessly (i.e., the son) and on the other end it describes someone who gives recklessly (i.e., the sons' father).  So in this story what you really have is a parable about two lost sons and a reckless (with his love) father. Keller's reorientation of the story from its traditional focus on the wayward son gives one more accurate insight into just who this tale was for.  In context, Jesus' main audience was the "older brothers" listening to him.  These were the self-righteous pharisees who sought to control their own salvation through rigorous adherence to the law (and putting down others) instead of pursuing salvation through a relationship with Jesus.

At different times in my own life, I've been both sons and in both cases found myself rutted by an inward focus on me, me, me, me.  One of best parts of Prodigal God is that it turns the reader outward showing that recognition of the God's costly grace should spur his followers to serve the poor, to love the orphans and widows in society today.  This is the lavish and extravagant call of the Father to sons and daughters of all types--to join him in the banquet--in the community of believers--in order to love and draw in even more to the celebration.

KEY QUOTES:

• "It is impossible to forgive someone if you feel superior to him or her." -Keller
• "Religion is the default mode of the human heart." -Martin Luther
• "The targets of the [prodigal son story] are not wayward sinners but religious people who do everything the Bible requires." -Keller

KEY TAKEWAYS:

• Definition of prodigal:  spending recklessly; giving on a lavish scale
• Jesus' target in the parable is the older brothers, not the wayward sons--his focus is on the religious people.  The New Testament is chock full of Jesus hanging out with younger brothers--does your church seem more full of younger or older brothers?
• "Religion" is the default mode of the human heart--we have to constantly fight against it.
• You can't forgive someone if you feel superior to them (the biggest obstacle for the older brother in the story)
• Elder brothers seek to control their environment rather than to seek a relationship--it was likely the attitude of the elder brother that drove away the younger brother in the first place
• The Bible tells the story of exiles over and over again.  That's really what the bible is about:  a bunch of exiles trying to get home just like the younger son
• A sign that you recognize costly grace is that you serve the poor:  younger brothers are too selfish and older ones too self-righteous...eventually serving the poor is a matter of integrity for Christians

KEY REFERENCES:

• Three Seasons film
• Edmund Clowney Sermon--on story of brother searching for his brother in Vietnam
• The story behind sehnsucht here.  https://tylerhuckabee.com/2013/10/23/sehnsucht/

NOTES:


XV:  The father calls his older son to join in the welcome--that is to join the community
XVII:  The parable of the two lost sons and the reckless father
5: The father sees the younger sons and IS FILLED WITH COMPASSION
7:  The older son is too busy working to realize that everything the father has is already his
12:  The target of the Jesus' parable is not wayward sons but is instead religious people...i.e., older brothers because he's talking to the pharisees
16:  Christianity started as a non-religion--a gathering of believers without a temple
19:  The new testament shows time and time again, Jesus and his teachings attracting younger brothers...does our church attract that same segment?
23:  The father still loves his younger son amidst the agony of him collecting his inheritance and leaving him
28:  The father runs out to his son and embraces him and accepts him back before the younger son actually repents and shows that he's changed his life
30:  Accepting the younger son back means that the inheritance is once again divided between everyone.   God's wealth, however, is infinite
39:  The approaches to life of both son's is wrong
40 the elder brother refuse to enter the feast because:  "I've never disobeyed you" except, however, when it counts most--when Jesus asks him to enter the feast!
41:  really the older brother wanted his father's stuff--NOT his father himself
43:  God wants your heart your heart your heart
52:  Everyone is wrong and everyone is loved.  Admit this and change
63:  You can't forgive someone if you feel superior to them
65:  Anger as a prison
74:  Elder brothers seek to control their environment rather than to seek a relationship--it was likely the attitude of the elder brother that drove away the younger brother in the first place
83:  The father doesn't love BECAUSE of repentance but rather his LOVE drives repentance
86:  Elder brother's problem is self-righteousness
87: Truly becoming a christian requires also repenting of the reason for doing right things
94:  Forgiveness always COSTS the one doing the forgiving
96:  Three Seasons film reference
104:  German Word sehnsucht: profound homesickness and longing
109:  The Bible tells the story of exiles over and over again.  That's really what the bible is about:  a bunch of exiles trying to get home just like the younger son
126:  A sign that you recognize costly grace is that you serve the poor:  younger brothers are too selfish and older ones too self-righteous...eventually serving the poor is a matter of integrity for Christians
128:  Luther's assertion that "religion" is the default setting of the human heart--you must repeatedly fight against that
136:  God's free love means that we were bought with a price
137:  Bonhoeffer's definition of "cheap grace"means that you are all about the free grace but not about the living it out//the cost of following Jesus pales in comparison to the cost he paid for us
142:  You can only get to know Jesus the individual through the community (i.e. the church)