What is the definition of “prodigal?”  Think of an answer before you go to Google or dictionary.com.  

 Because of its biblical reference, a while back I went to a number of people who you think would know the definition - pastors, elders, and people who have been in the church for decades.  The common theme to their answer was something along the lines of:: "a wayward person who returns or repents from a destructive lifestyle."  Is that close to your answer?

Guess what?  That isn't the definition of "prodigal."  Now, if you were describing the son in the parable Jesus tells in Luke 15, you would be close.  The definition that dictionary.com gives for "prodigal son" is: “a figure in a parable of Jesus (Luke 15:11–32); a wayward son who squanders his inheritance but returns home to find that his father forgives him.”  Unfortunately, that description of the son has influenced people for centuries so that we not only miss the the meaning of the word "prodigal," but it has subtly led us away from the big picture of what Jesus is saying in Luke 15.  Jesus didn't call the parable "the story of the prodigal son."  He started out by saying, "There was a man who had two sons..."  

 What's the correct definition of "prodigal?"  According to dictionary.com, prodigal means:

 1. wastefully or recklessly extravagant

2. giving or yielding profusely; lavish 

How does that change the way you view this story?  Although the story of the father's unconditional love for the younger son is powerful, there is something more to this story.  If you go back to the beginning of Luke 15, you will find that Jesus wasn't actually directing this story toward the "sinners." He had something else in mind.

In The Prodigal God, Timothy Keller gives us new lenses by which to read this familiar story.  He gives us a fresh vision that gets to the heart of the Christian faith and the heart of God - "prodigal" could appropriately describe God.  This book appeals to both those who are curious about the Christian faith and the established insider because this parable is directed towards each of them -- they are the two kinds of people represented by the two sons. The sons also represent two lenses that shape how we view life.  How does each respond to Jesus?  

In the first chapters Keller unpacks the basic meaning of the parable.  In the last two chapters he demonstrates how the story helps us understand the Bible as a whole and how its teaching works itself out in how we live.  Timothy Keller is an engaging, insightful writer who will challenge your view of God, give you a deeper understanding of sin and lostness, and a renewed understanding of God's grace and salvation.  It is a good read.