If you are looking for a simple, compelling picture of the heart of the Christian faith, this is it. The book re-looks at the parable of the prodigal son. Instead of focusing only the younger brother, it looks at each character through his relationship with the father.
Keller demonstrates how both waywardness and self-righteousness can separate us from the love of God; both are equally fallen. He argues that the wayward come to repentance more easily than the self-righteous, or the "older brother." This is evident in the ministry of Christ himself, and he responded with "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:31-32, ESV).
Some of the most refreshing parts of the book are his focus on the older brother. Keller does a good job fleshing out how his pride distances him from the Father just as much as his younger brother's rebellion. In the chapter on "The True Older Brother," he tells of how the older brother ought to have went after his younger brother, even at his own expense. Yet his anger at his father's mercy reveals his heart: "Elder brothers obey God to get things. They don't obey God to get himself" (49). Sin is redefined: "The elder brother is not losing the father's love in spite of his goodness, but because of it" (40). Keller warns, this "'elder-brother lostness'... "brings as much misery and strife into the world as the other kind" (56).
In the end, "pride in this good deeds, rather than remorse over his bad deeds, was keeping the older son out of the feast of salvation" (86). What an important application of the gospel. Strong ethics and morals are not the goal nor the prize of religious life. God is our focus. How lucky are we, that Jesus "is not a Pharisee about Pharisees... He loves not only the wild-living, free-spirited people, but also hardened religious people" (84).
The book is also a series of sermons, and I think often reads more like a sermon than a book (sometimes that bothers me, but it may not bother you). You can find the sermons here if you would like to give them a listen.
The themes of this book are something every believer should know, so if any of this is new to you (or just a much-welcomed refresher), then I recommend it. It's not unique in that you can't get this anywhere else, but it is a high-quality, compelling picture of the gospel and the love of Christ.
Chapters:
1. The People Around Jesus
2. The Two Lost Sons
3. Redefining Sin
4. Redefining Lostness
5. The True Elder Brother
6. Redefining Hope
7. The Feast of the Father
Keller, Tim. The Prodigal God. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2008. Print.
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