Luke 15:25-30 KJV
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
There are so many lessons in the parable of the Prodigal Son. We have a chapter (Chapter 6) devoted to this parable in “The Bible In A Nutshell” which we encourage you to read.
This lesson deals primarily with the elder son in the parable of the Prodigal Son.
If you are not familiar with the entire parable, please read Luke 15:11-32.
We won’t dwell on the younger son here, only to say that he left his loving father, and squandered his inheritance living in sin. He came to his senses, wanted to go home and went back to his father repenting and realizing that he was unworthy of His love.
Let’s look at how Jesus started this chapter. It is very telling.
Luke 15:1-3 KJV
1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
Jesus knew well, who was in His audience.
There were tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees and scribes in the audience.
He also knew very well that the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes criticized and looked down on him for receiving and eating with sinners.
So, Jesus would proceed to tell a story that they would surely understand.
In the story, there would be a younger son (who represents sinners and those who walk away from God) who rebelled against his father (who represents God), left home and found himself in a far country (symbolic of life away from God) where he wasted his inheritance in a life of sin. This son would realize his need and return home to his loving Father.
As mentioned, there would also be the father, who represented our Heavenly Father.
Finally, there is the older son, who unbeknownst to him, was living in his very own “far country” even though he still lived at home with his father.
In this lesson, we are focusing on the older son, who represents the bitter, judging and hateful Pharisaic attitude.
THE ELDER SON---ANGRY, JEALOUS, HATEFUL and RESENTFUL
The first thing to notice is that the older son did not appear to be glad that his brother had returned home. He didn’t express any compassion for his brother. He didn’t show any relief that his brother was safe and sound.
This is abnormal for a loving compassionate family. In a loving environment, any sibling would show great joy and relief when another returns home after a long time away.
Instead, we see that the older brother was angry. Angry that no one had informed him about the party for his brother. Angry that his brother was welcomed with such a celebration. Also, I believe that he was angry that his brother had even come home and he would no longer have his father’s sole attention.
Therefore, the older son presented his case to his father. He said “all these years I have served thee, and never transgressed one of your commandments. But, my brother, who wasted his inheritance and lived in sin with prostitutes received a warm welcome and the killing of the fatted calf.”
His resentment came out more as he said “for me, I’ve never received even a “kid” to have a party with my friends.”
In the older brother we see the following traits. Jealousy, anger, resentment and lack of compassion or love for his brother.
In this we see that the elder brother was all about himself. He was self-centered and self-righteous.
Remember, we see at the start of the chapter where the Pharisees were angry that Jesus would receive sinners. They were bitter and resentful that sinners would get such an invitation from Him.
Jesus was making a point to His audience of Pharisees and scribes. The point He was driving home was that this older son represented the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes who were self-righteous and looked down on sinners.
Unfortunately, it seems that the elder son never realized his sin. He was self-righteous and it is hard for the self-righteous to see their anger, bitterness, jealously or resentment toward others.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY
Jesus was a masterful storyteller and could cause His listeners to look inward and consider their condition.
As we look at this part of the Prodigal Son parable, we want to encourage a long hard look at ourselves.
Do we ever exhibit self-righteousness in any way?
What about anger, bitterness, jealousy, resentment or lack of compassion?
Can we say that we are free from these?
Finally, let us ask ourselves, "Am I the elder brother now or at other times?"
Heavenly Father, help us to honestly take inventory and make corrections as needed.
RVH