Jesus introduces us to a new category for what it means to be spiritually lost in the character of the elder brother. The elder brother believes that, through his moral efforts and by following the rules, God owes him. But Jesus's death on the cross teaches us that God doesn't owe us anything; instead, we owe God everything. Therefore, as a gospel community, we can't snobbishly look down on the poor and broken in our midst because we know that, apart from Christ, we are equally poor and broken.

In today's society, absolute truth is thought of to be the enemy of freedom. But truth is more important than you think, freedom is a lot more complex than you think, and Jesus is a lot more liberating than you think. Surrendering to God's absolute truth gives you a deeper, richer freedom in every area, without oppression.