Messengers of the GospelSample

The Other Brother

In week one of this plan, we looked at the three “lost” parables in Luke 15. The first focused on a shepherd’s pursuit of one lost sheep, the second focused on a woman’s efforts to find her lost coin, and the third focused on a lost son’s return. The context in which Jesus told these parables is given at the beginning of the chapter.

“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:1-2 NIV)

It was in this context that Jesus told three beautiful stories. Most discussions of the third and final story focus on the son who squandered his inheritance by running off to live the party life. Naturally, we focus on the younger brother because we can easily see ourselves in his story. We may not have so publicly shaken our fist at God, but we have all wandered off from God and lived for a little while in our own personal fun land. It is often easy to admit that the younger brother was our past, but it can be harder to consider that the older brother may represent our present way of thinking.

The older brother lived a good life. He generally followed the rules and worked hard. If anyone deserved the father’s favor and love, it was he. He was bothered by the whole situation with his younger brother, especially when the prodigal son returned home. Put yourself in his shoes for a moment. If you were to look out towards the road and see that your greedy, no-good, disrespectful swindler of a brother was walking back towards the house, what thoughts would run through your mind?

“He’s got a lot of nerve...”

“Dad is really going to give it to him now.”

Or even the darker thought, “I was hoping he would never return.”

As thoughts like this were running through his mind, he may have seen his father charge off the porch towards his younger brother. But then the unexpected happened. There was no shaming, there was no beating, there was only grace. Hugging, kissing, honoring, and lovingly joyful grace.

When the big brother saw their father welcome his younger brother with such grace and love, he was angry. He had not been the one to run off with their father’s money, disrespected the family, or dragged their name through the mud. The older brother seethed with jealousy toward his no-good brother and self-righteous anger toward his father. Pastor Tim Keller explains,

“Do you realize, then, what Jesus is teaching? Neither son loved the father for himself. They both were using the father for their own self-centered ends rather than loving, enjoying, and serving him for his own sake. This means that you can rebel against God and be alienated from him either by breaking his rules or by keeping all of them diligently.”

Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith

The story of the Prodigal Son clearly shows three parts of the younger brother’s testimony: His life before, the middle in the mud, and his life after restoration. But it also shows us another truth. The older brother teaches us that we are all stories in progress.

Your story is still in progress. My story is still in progress.

The older brother had a life that outwardly looked like he had it all together, but inside, he was full of jealousy, anger, and judgment. Somehow, his heart had grown cold and bitter. His love for his father was fading, and he did not share his father’s concern for the lost. Have you ever been able to relate?

We must be careful to spend time with the Father, enjoy a strong relationship with Him, and allow His heart to shape our hearts for the lost.

Reflection:

What is the condition of your relationship with your Heavenly Father right now?

Do you feel the desire to bring the good news of His grace to others, or has that desire grown cold?