Who hasn’t heard at least one sermon on “The Prodigal Son” (Luke 15:11-32)? Most messages focus on the love of the father who waits patiently for his wayward son to come to his senses – after squandering his inheritance and compromising his integrity – and to return home into the loving arms of his father. We marvel at this illustration of the grace and love of God, our heavenly Father, who runs to meet us the moment we turn our hearts back to Him in repentance. This story has served as a great source of encouragement to parents of wayward children as well as to those who have found themselves far from God, wondering if He could ever accept them back again.
Who is this story really for?
Jesus told the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son in response to the Pharisees and teachers of the law muttering about the “sinners” Jesus chose to associate with. He wanted them to understand the intense love God has for the “lost” and the rejoicing that takes place in heaven when a sinner repents. But is that the only lesson from this story?
Over in Luke 18:9-14, Jesus shares a parable about a Pharisee and a tax collector (contrasting the pompous “righteousness” of the Pharisee with the humble repentance of the “sinner” tax collector). Notice why he shared this parable: “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable” (Luke 18:9).
What an apt description of the Pharisees and teachers of the law in general! They thought they were better than everyone else (and from a legalistic, religious standpoint, they were). They thought they were the righteous ones and everyone else was beneath them. No wonder they were offended in chapter 15 that Jesus would dare eat with tax collectors and undeserving “sinners.” So, when Jesus told the parable of the lost son (“The Prodigal Son”) in chapter 15, He used the opportunity to teach them about more than just the excessive love of God; Jesus took a swipe at their self-righteousness by including the description of the reaction of the elder brother.
Why does the elder brother matter?
When we read the story out of context, we sometimes wonder why Jesus would talk about the elder brother at all. It feels like an interruption in the parable or an unnecessary add-on. There’s a lost sheep, a lost coin, a lost son… and then, “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field.” It’s somewhat anti-climactic. There could be little doubt in His hearer’s minds, though, that the muttering elder son was an illustration of the muttering Pharisees and teachers of the law who could find no pleasure in the repentance of sinners because of their own self-righteousness and indignation. While Jesus described the wayward son, they were probably disgusted by his actions. He didn’t care about his father at all! He just wanted his money. He took off and indulged in one party after another without any thought of his father… that is, until he found himself penniless and slopping pigs. Thank God they were not like that! It’s the same attitude the Pharisee displayed in Luke 18:9-14. In that parable, the Pharisee thanks God he is not like that humbled tax collector, and then he lists all his religious accomplishments. When the elder son in the story of the prodigal son tells his father, “All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders,” they were probably thinking, “Now, there’s someone we can relate to! He’s the good one!”
But Jesus tags on the elder brother description to drive the point home that the younger brother wasn’t the only one who showed disregard for the father. Both sons were “lost.” They were equally in need of being found. In the parable, the father actually went looking for the older brother, just as the shepherd actively searched for the lost sheep and the woman searched for the lost coin until she found it. The one who was truly lost was the one who thought he wasn’t – the one who didn’t recognize his need.
The Elder-Brother Syndrome
This is what we could term “The Elder Brother Syndrome.” It’s why we look at a reprobate “sinner” and recognize his need of Jesus immediately but fail to see the need of the prideful soul sitting in the front pew week after week and year after year. In the book, The Prodigal God by Tim Keller, the author claims most people fall into 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.” If only everyone could be more like them, the world would be a better place. But Jesus’ parable reminds us that the ones who are truly “lost” are the ones who don’t realize their need. Here are a few characteristics of the elder brother in the parable and how we can make sure we don’t fall into the trap of pride, anger, resentment, and indignation.
- He thought because he obeyed the rules, he deserved blessing. Have you ever found yourself asking God to heal someone because she deserved it or because she has been faithful for so many years? Have you caught yourself thinking surely you will make it to heaven simply because you go to church every week and you don’t break any rules? We are very much prone to keeping a checklist and treating our salvation like a contract. If we just do enough of the right things, we’ll make it. That’s how the elder brother felt. “All these years I’ve been slaving for you…yet you never gave me even a young goat…” He was mad because he didn’t think he was getting what he deserved for his faithful service. Have you ever felt short-changed by God? Have you felt that your service has been overlooked and that you deserve a pat on the back? Has your pride puffed you up to the point where you think it’s actually possible to earn God’s grace and blessing?
- His motive 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 squandered half of their shared inheritance. Now that he has been welcomed back into the family, they would both receive a slice from a much smaller pie when their father died. He didn’t care about his father any more than his younger brother had when he demanded his inheritance while his father was still alive. So, for us, our relationship with our heavenly Father should center on pleasing Him, loving Him, and growing closer to Him, even if it means we don’t get everything we want. If you don’t wind up with a “mansion over the hilltop” when you get to heaven and find yourself in a one-room apartment in the new Jerusalem, will you be disappointed? Are you serving God only for the promise of getting a crown or walking on streets of gold? Or do you want to know Him more than you want another breath? Love for Jesus must be our starting point, without loving only to get something, even if that something has been promised and is beneficial to everyone. Our motives must be pure. 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 tainted. Love Jesus for who He is, not what He can give you.
- He thought his brother’s sinfulness was unforgivable. The elder brother was indignant that “this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes” was the object of his father’s affection and celebration. His father might be willing to forgive, but by golly, he wouldn’t! His standards were higher than his father’s. This sin was unforgivable. While the younger brother might be his father’s son, he was no longer a brother to him. How pompous and arrogant! But Christians do this all the time. They judge and hold past sins against one another. They identify people as “former” this or “ex” that. Instead of offering the clean slate of forgiveness, they hang on to the dirt so they can bring it up again later. If the father, who has been wronged, can forgive, why can’t we? And as I was reminded once through a sermon by Dr. Earle Wilson, forgiveness means forgiving yourself, too. If God can bring himself to forgive you, then you can forgive yourself, too. Your standard is not higher than God’s!
- He resented his father’s joy and refused to share in it. Think of the long, dark, heartbroken nights this father had spent worrying about his lost son. Think about his disappointment as days turned into months and perhaps years of longing for him to return. And now he is so full of joy that everyone in the household and probably the town came to celebrate with him. And the elder son won’t even come to the party. He didn’t share his father’s heart. He didn’t share his joy. As Christians, our hearts should be broken by the things that break the heart of God. And they should also be filled with joy by the things that bring joy to the father. That means we need to know Him and what He truly wants. We need to get on the same page as God and see the world through His eyes. I admit this is not always easy to do. But we’re not on this planet to look out for our own interests. We’re here as His ambassadors to represent Him to a world that is lost and in need of a relationship with Him. If we can’t catch His heart and reflect it, then we don’t know Him as well as we need to.
Even as I wrote this blog post, I was searching my own heart. I’m afraid that on more than one occasion I’ve found myself exhibiting pride and trusting more in my own works than in God’s grace. I wonder if I always see the world the way God sees it. God help me! God help all of us! May we never become the Pharisees who are blinded by our own “goodness.” May we search our hearts daily and examine ourselves on the inside rather than just the outside.
May Psalm 19:12-14 be our daily prayer:
But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
If you liked this article, you might also enjoy…
