This is the same reason we look at some people and identify them as sinners, and recognise their need for Jesus, but fail to see the pride in our own soul, who go to church week after week...
Who hasn’t heard at least one sermon on “The Prodigal Son”? Most of which focus on the love of the father who waits patiently for his wayward son to come back home. Despite recklessly wasting his inheritance and compromising his integrity, to return home into the loving arms of his father. So, when Jesus told the parable of the lost son, He seized the opportunity to teach us all about the outrageous love of God. Have you ever wondered why Jesus mentioned the elder brother? It feels like an interruption or a pointless point in the parable of the lost son. While Jesus described the unruly son, we are probably offended by his actions, he couldn’t care less about the father, all he wanted was his money and not minding who gets hurt in the process.
Not until he found himself bankrupt and destitute, fighting over food with pigs, that he decided to look back. Reading this story, some of us could be judgemental right now, thinking “how could he do that or why would his father accept him back? Exactly the way the brother thought. But Jesus’ emphasis on the elder brother was not a mistake but was trying to make a point that it was not only the prodigal son that was lost but also the prodigal brother. They were both equally in need of being found. In the parable, the father actually went looking for the older brother when he wouldn’t come in to the party his father organised for his brother, “the one who was truly lost was the one who thought he wasn’t – the one who didn’t identify his need.”
In the book, “The Prodigal God” by Tim Keller, he states that most people fall into the one of these two categories;
The younger-brother types are the ones who are adventurous and risk-taking. They distrust institutions (like government and religion), shake off constraints, and desire to experience all that life has to offer. When they sin, they sin big and bold and everyone knows it.
The elder-brother types are the rule-keepers and people-pleasers who work stable, predictable jobs, hold traditional values and are risk-averse. Many faithful church attendees are elder-brother types, who tend to see their type as “good” and the other type as “bad”.
The point is you are either one or the other. One thing they both have in common is that they both need repenting. The elder brother even needs more repentance because he has not realised that he was lost. The younger brother has repented when he realised that he has a father, and a home to go to. Right there, the repentance took place, unlike the older brother who still lived in ignorance.
Do we celebrate when the converted drug addict comes into our church? The divorced-single mother that just got saved? Or do we treat them with a little suspicion or even disapproval. Is our church more important than lost souls?
He thought because he obeyed the rules, he deserved blessing...
Have you found yourself thinking surely you will make it to heaven simply because you go to church every week and you don’t break any rules? Most of us are very much likely to treat our salvation like a contract, and if we just do enough of the right things, we’ll make it to heaven. This was the same way the elder brother felt when he said “all these years I’ve been slaving for you…yet you never gave me even a young goat…” He was furious because he didn’t think he was getting what he deserved for his faithful labour.
…who’s going to get more attention in the emergency room at the hospital, the person with the head cold, or the one having a heart attack?…
The motive of the older brother was to receive, not to show love to his father. Perhaps the real reason the elder brother was so angry was because his younger brother had wasted half of their supposed shared inheritance, and now that he has been given a warm welcome back into the family, they would both receive a portion from a much smaller piece that is left. He didn’t care about his father any more than his younger brother, who demanded his inheritance while his father was still alive.
So, for us, our relationship with our heavenly Father should focus on pleasing Him, loving Him, and growing closer to Him, even if it means we don’t get everything we want. If you’re only serving God so your spouse will return to you or so you’ll get a better job, or so He’ll bless you financially, then your motives are contaminated. Love Jesus for who He is, not what He can give you.
If the father, who has been wronged, can forgive, why can’t you? Your standard is not higher than God’s!
Do we celebrate when the converted drug addict comes into our church? The divorced-single mother gets saved? Or do we treat them with a little suspicion or even disapproval. Is our church more important than lost souls? “I’ve been devoted to this church and tithed for years and now this sinner comes in and gets special attention”. Well, who’s going to get more attention in the emergency room at the hospital, the person with the head cold, or the one having a heart attack? You can respond to that, and check yourself.
Luke 15:11-32 ( NLT)
