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A Tale of Two Sons
John MacArthur
BOOK /
THEOLOGY
Release date: 04.01.2008
222 pages
An in-depth examination of perhaps the most famous parable of
Jesus: the Prodigal Son. MacArthur examines the main
characters in the story and draws out who they represent. He
skillfully reveals how the original listeners would have
reacted to the story and makes useful application of its
truths to modern living. This book was adapted from sermons,
which is obvious in some places, but seldom interrupts the
flow of reading. An eye-opening look at familiar ground.
A-
REVIEW ARCHIVE
Here are some quotes from A Tale of Two Sons:
One of the sad realities of our culture is that we tend to be in a
hurry, even when we read the Bible. We want to find
practical applications for ourselves hastily, without doing
the careful work necessary to interpret Scripture correctly.
[5]
Yes, of course Jesus consorted with sinners, but always as their
deliverer. He was a true friend of sinners – the most
authentic kind of friend. He served them and reached out to
them and laid hold of their lives. Jesus didn’t affirm them
in their sin. Quite the contrary: He gave His whole self to
redeem them from sin’s cruel bondage. [22]
Sin never delivers what it promises, and the pleasurable life
sinners think they are pursuing always turns out to be
precisely the opposite: a hard road that inevitably leads to
ruin and the ultimate, literal dead end. [61]
Far from a mere mind change or an intellectual exercise, genuine
repentance always demonstrates itself in the brokenness of
the sinner’s self-will. The sinner who has desperately tried
to hide from God now diligently seeks Him instead. Apart
from this quality, all the sorrow in the world is just
meaningless remorse. [97]
Christ is the faithful seeker. He is the architect and the
initiator of our salvation. He seeks and draws sinners to
Himself before they would ever think of seeking Him. He
always makes the first overture. He Himself pays the
redemption-price. He calls, justifies, sanctifies and
finally glorifies each believing sinner. Every aspect of our
salvation is His gracious work. [112]
Grace is the only hope for any sinner. That’s what this parable is
about, and that is what the forgiveness of the Prodigal Son
symbolizes. Those who repent and turn to Christ are fully
forgiven and immediately covered with the garment of His own
perfect righteousness. Thus they meet the impossible
standard God requires – not through any doing of their own
but through what Christ does on their behalf. That is how
God justifies the ungodly. [173]
Sometimes it is easier to be patient with prodigals that it is with
hypocrites. As a pastor, I think of that often. Formerly
down-and-out sinners who have been wonderfully and
thoroughly converted are a true joy. They tend to be
enthusiastic, eager to learn, full of gratitude, and zealous
about bringing others to Christ. The people who tend to
cause their pastors the most grief almost always seem to be
people who grew up in the church and learned early how to be
hypocritical. The complainers, the critics, and the
curmudgeons usually come from that group. It sometimes takes
an extra measure of grace to respond rightly to these
people. It is remarkable that the only Pharisee named in all
the Gospels who became a follower of Christ was Nicodemus.
[182]
Since the father figure in the parable represents Christ and the
elder brother is a symbol of Israel’s religious elite, in
effect, the true ending to the story, as written by the
scribes and Pharisees themselves, ought to read something
like this: “The elder son was outraged at his father. He
picked up a piece of lumber and beat him to death in front
of everyone.” [194]
It doesn’t matter if you are an open sinner like the Prodigal Son,
a secret one like his elder brother, or someone with
characteristics from each type. If you are someone who is
still estranged from God, Christ urges you to acknowledge
your guilt, admit your own spiritual poverty, embrace your
heavenly Father, and be reconciled to Him. [198]
Jesus was a master storyteller, but He never told a story merely
for the story’s sake. His parables weren’t word games or
do-it-yourself mysteries where each hearer was invited to
provide his or her own meaning. Each of His parables had an
important lesson to convey, originating with Christ Himself
and built into the fabric of the parable by Him. [204]
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A
quick update on Ethan: some of you know that the little guy
has been sick. He was running a fever, which we thought was
due to teething, since they're starting to come through!
He's also still pretty congested and coughing. 
