It's a very familiar passage about the prodigal Son. I've observed that in the beginning of this passage, we're told of a Father having two sons but to my surprise I'm amazed at how less focus the passage is on the Older son who stayed home when the Younger one went away to waste the portion of inheritance allocated to him.
This passage consist of 22verses, the first 14verses are totally revolving around the Father and His lost son! It's only towards the end of the passage in verse25-32 that the older son is only mention in passing. I then wondered and searched more about this less mentioned son, trying to figure out what was he doing in the mean time the father keeps standing and watching by the gate if his lost son would be coming home.
It turns out that the older son was faithfully serving in his father's field in verse25 when his first mentioned. Already I passive him hardworking, submissive, devoted, loyal, obedient and committed! The father seem to have had it all if he were to pay attention and take note of the older son.
In verse29, do you think that the Older son is angry that the Younger one is back home after wasting their fathers' wealth or his angry that he served faithfully through out the years and was never rewarded not even with a young goat to share with his friends?
Putting myself in the Older son's shoes I understand his argument and where his coming from as a son who has chosen not to rebel! It's not like he didn't know that his untitled to the fathers wealth, his not claiming to be "good" either but nonetheless he stayed home and served obediently! Whereas the younger "selfish" son didn't return home with a genuine attitude of reconciling with the father, hunger brought him home! Please observe verse17,
�But when he came to himself, he said, How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!'...�
Isn't it only human nature for the Older son to be bitter looking at the circumstances?
I understand what you mean as well, it does seem a bit unfair, but if the older son(who represents God's people, more specifically the Israelites) was really obedient to the father(God), the older brother would also have been celebrating that the younger son was returned from the clutches of death. In this parable, the older son did not understand the father's will, doubted the younger sons motives, and did not exhibit a loving attitude toward either the father or the younger brother. He went so far as to resent the father's joy at seeing his younger son alive.
The younger son did have a realization that showed his motives for returning, and an attitude of humble repentance. He realized that the father whom he had rebelled against was really a fair and loving man who took care of every one in his home, and when the son came back, he was humble and requested to be taken back as a servant, not the position he had once held as heir.
That is the same state we are in when we return to God, having a realization that God is not an oppressive tyrant, but a loving Father, and that we have done Him wrong, misrepresented His character, disobeyed His safeguards, squandered His talents, and not only that, but by doing so, we hurt His other children. We no longer deserve to be called His sons or daughters.
Christ displayed the attitudes that the older son should have displayed, going so far as to die for his earthly siblings, giving us shares in His inheritance, a promise to live forever together with Him.
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God"
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
Hello my brother and much appreciation for sharing your understating of this parable!
I related to it in a more personal home set up than a church as you referred to. I couldn't help it but to note some form of rejection so to speak and ignorance of the Older son's efforts which brought forth anger and a sense of bitterness seeing the father throwing a huge party for the return of his younger son! What really got to me though when searching about the Older son, was that his also referred to as, �The lost son who remained home�.
I knew right there that he was in even more danger of remaining lost cause physically he was home with the father while there younger one is literally lost somewhere. This confirmed what had always bothered me about lost souls in Christ within the church when there's such a concern of soul winning to be done out there!
When referring to lost ones' in Christ, I mean the very members who were once won but circumstances striped them of their faith, only they have chosen to remain in Christ and serve.
This is where my issue is with wasted efforts in Christ! Where ones efforts are overlooked especially now that there are new souls in the picture. Was the Younger son referring to his brothers hard work when thinking of the loafs that are enough for the servants to eat and spare? (Weather its in a home set up or the church)
Both sons were lost... Yes! only the older one didn't realize that his also lost for his attitude! Though he invested effort for years. Most probably he might have wanted to leave too but he stayed and served. My inner questions are, �Could this be the case in judgement day? New members could have been running home to the Father and share in your efforts while you're being disqualified? Is there a possibility that our efforts might be invain in Christ if they are the reason why we decided to stay even in harder times?
Those are just inner question that you don't have to answer dear one unless you're willing to travel that extra mile.
Since the Older son served for years and eventually got lost too while he was yet home without knowing that his now losing the race,
Do you somehow think that, the more years we remain on earth and most probably serving God, we could be missing the race due to incidents that take place as trails and leave us with such scares that we carry on serving not knowing that our attitude has turned from the one we had joyfully in our early days with Christ?
It's definitely possible, Paul was worried about that himself. There will be many in the last days who will think they're going to make it, but who haven't experienced the change God wants to see in their hearts. It's a sad state of affairs, because you're right, those people fall thru the cracks because they're "in church". They never grow, they never become purified, and not many people think to help or encourage them.
I remember hearing a sermon on this story a while back: the short answer is that though the younger son physically left, the older one wasn't really there either - he was just going through the motions.
Now it has been said that this is a warning to those that think they're saved - and scripture does indeed warn of that because it's a costly falsehood to believe - but I see the older son as being more a warning against religiosity, that of obedience out of duty rather than love, and the hypocrisy of unforgiveness. I've even heard it myself where self-professed Christians have declared that they would never forgive somebody (for a trivial offence)! I'm not sure, but I suspect the same individuals don't ask for forgiveness much either, and I pity such people that cannot rejoice when their lost brother or sister comes home, regardless of how badly they messed up first.
�I suspect the same individuals don't ask for forgiveness much either�
The question of forgiveness is a tough subject cause it's not depended on the guilty part acknowledging that his at fault, he may not even bother to come and ask for forgiveness. The unfortunate part will always be the wounded one! Often times we neglect our wounds but rather put more effort in forgiving the offender, which is a process also in asmuch as one may have decided to forgive sooner.
I appreciate you sharing your understanding of this parable, which is more based on the church. It left me with more questions that may seem irrelevant in a way, maybe it's because I related to it in a more home environment more than a church. I'm not condoning or supporting bitterness in the body of Christ! Rather I'm more focused on what causes people to react in a certain way. You're welcome to correct me if I somehow perceived this whole scenario in a wrong way.
Jesus could have left few details unsaid purposely which would be the reason for the questions that I have.
*With me it doesn't seem like the father had a father/son relationship with the Older son. They only related in a form of giving and taking orders in regard with the field and other home duties to have them done! This is where the question of obeying faithfully comes forth as a complain from the Older son in verse29!
*This is me now assessing this in my little mind, I would still be wrong! It seems like the Younger son was a spoiled one to even have a nerve of asking for the portion of the will allocated to him. This communicates a higher level of disrespect and dishonour to his father. We can almost say that he said to his father, �You're as good as dead to me already, so give me my portion!� But then again we're not suppose to add or subtract from the scripture! Though it questions how they related since it eventually come down to this conversation.
*It's very possible that bitterness and anger from the Older son was aroused by neglection since we're not told of the father having an intimate bond with the son who remained home! All we hear about the father is that he kept waiting by the gate. If they had any bond developed during the absence of the Younger son, they would have had a man to man talk and have issues resolved and addressed about their personal relationship and the return of the Younger son. The older brother wouldn't have been angry as he was at the end!
* The focus on the Younger son was so much that the father didn't realize even once that he was losing the present son too? How does he worry so much about the one whose already away at the expense of losing the �present� useful one? Do we seriously think that his angry because of his brother's return or his angry of the opportunities that were missed when he could have bonded and enjoy his father's attention? Does this mean that the father cares less about the lost one?
I have endless questions about this parable. To a certain point, I'm wondering if this father didn't contribute on his Older son feeling so angry and bitter. That's why I said earlier, �I'm not condoning bitterness but rather trying to figure out, what really caused it from the first place that he should be disqualified when he has served faithfully for years for a servant who had no effort, who rather returned home out of selfishness!�
