We’ve seen in the parable of the prodigal son that if you are far from God – no matter how far – there is still hope for you. That’s true whether you are a rule-breaker or a rule-keeper. It may seem surprising, but ironically rule-keepers may be farther from God than rule-breakers. This is the lesson of the prodigal’s older brother.Not every rule-keeper is far from God, but those who are can be identified by five marks that show up in this parable. .
Mark #1: You work for yourself, not for the benefit of others.
In our last lesson, the lost son, after wasting his inheritance in wild living, came to his senses and returned home. He hoped his father would allow him to come back as a servant. But the father joyfully received him as a long-lost son. He ordered a lavish party to celebrate the young man’s return.
During the party, the older son came in from working in the fields. He heard the sounds of celebration, and asked what it was about (Luke 15:25-27). Is it realistic to think that he was the only person who didn’t know what was happening? Perhaps Jesus exaggerates this detail to underline how isolated the older brother is from the community – and the family.
As the story unfolds, we learn that the older brother’s work was mainly for himself. He thought highly of himself because of his efforts. His work established his value and importance. He didn’t really care about his brother. Later, the story raises doubts about how much he even cared about his father. In this way, the older brother mirrored the Jewish leaders. They were proud of their rule-keeping, self-righteous and self-sufficient.
Mark #2: You get mad at God for his extravagance to others.
When he heard what was going on, “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in” (Luke 15:28). The celebration for his brother bothered him deeply. Compare this to the other characters in these three parables. When the shepherd found his lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7), the woman found her lost coin (Luke 15:8-10), and the father found his lost son (Luke 15:20-24), they all rejoiced – because they so valued what had been lost. Only the older brother fails to reflect the culture of heaven (Luke 15:7,10). Rule-keepers often resent the grace of God to others because they value themselves much more highly than them. When this happens, it might be because of the third issue…
Mark #3: You’re blind to God’s extravagance toward you.
The older brother’s attitude reveals a lot about his own relationship with his father. In Luke 15:28, as he was sulking outside the party, “his father came out and begged him…” In that culture, when the older son publicly refused to enter the party, he turned the family dispute into public news. This would have insulted his father’s dignity as much as the younger brother had done when he took his inheritance and left town.
Yet instead of punishing him, the father overlooked the grievance. He willingly sacrificed his own honor because he wanted reconciliation with his son. He wanted the family united with him in his joy. The father’s attitude toward the older son was not unlike his attitude toward the younger. In both cases, he ignored the offense and pursued the relationship. But the older son was blind to how generous and gracious his father was to him. This makes sense when you consider the next point…
Mark #4: You look at relationships transactionally.
In response to his father’s appeal, the older son’s heart was revealed (Luke 15:28-30): ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
Notice first that the son failed to greet his father with a title of respect – like “Father” or “Sir”. Even the younger son honored his father that way (Luke 15:21). Second, he did not want a relationship with his brother: “this son of yours.”
Then, he emphasized all the things he had done for his father, and the ways his father had failed to do something for him. This is a transactional relationship, meaning: if you do one thing, the other party is expected to do something for you. The older son had held up his end, but his father did not fulfill what he expected. And clearly his younger brother did not deserve what he received. But the older son has missed his father’s heart. He was entitled and resentful because he was keeping score. Yet his father was joyful because his dead son had come back to life (Luke 15:32). He was touting his faithful service, but his father wanted not a servant, but a son.
Many Jews of Jesus’ day were scrupulous about keeping God’s Old Testament law. In response, they expected God to bless and honor them. They had reduced their relationship with God to a contract. Likewise, many religious people today think God is obligated to reward their service. They think, “If I give financially, God has to reward me financially. If I obey God, God owes me a comfortable life.” But God doesn’t want to make a deal with us. He wants intimacy, connection, and love.
Mark #5: You stay on the outside.
Jesus ends the story in a provocative way. In Luke 15:31-32, the father tries to win the older brother’s heart. But Jesus never tells us what the older brother chose. Did he relent and come inside? Or did he remain angry and bitter, estranged from his father? The parable ends with the older brother still on the outside. Nothing in the story suggests that he admitted he was wrong, or surrendered to his father’s wishes. Jesus leaves it hanging so that if you’re a rule-keeper, you will ask yourself what you would do in the older brother’s shoes.
Surprisingly, rule-keepers can be far from God just like rule-breakers. But you don’t have to stay on the outside, if you would come to your senses and repent. If you humble yourself and admit that your rule-keeping doesn’t save you, you can move from being a mere servant to a beloved son or daughter of God.
