Biblical exposition
Keller explains the surprising truth that the older brother can be just as lost as the younger brother. His obedience is motivated by a desire to control his father and obtain benefits.
He refers to Flannery O’Connor’s novel Wise Blood.
Illustration – Avoiding Jesus by avoiding sin
> Flannery O’Connor in Wise Blood, one of her novels, described one of her characters like this:”He says there was a dark nameless understanding in him that the way to avoid Jesus was to avoid sin.”She nailed elder-brotherness.You know what she is saying? If you think, “if I love people, and if I’m good and if I pray, and I read my Bible, then God has to bless me.”Jesus might be your rewarder, He might be your example, He might be a lot of things, but He is not your savior. You’re your own savior.You are avoiding Jesus as Savior by avoiding sin. You’re trying to control God through what you’re doing. All your morality, all your obedience is a way of getting God to give you what you really want. And it’s not God…Himself.
Tim Keller in The Prodigal Sons
The illustration’s point
A person can use morality and religious obedience to avoid depending on Jesus Christ. Being outwardly good does not necessarily mean that someone loves God.
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