the parable of the older brother

We have all heard the parable of the “Prodigal Son” You have probably heard it preached several times. Jesus is a master Story Teller and this is one of his longest most involved Parables. It just sucks you in right from the very beginning when we get to meet this Younger son. And Jesus Paints the picture of a son we are not supposed to like.
First this younger son approaches his father and asks for his inheritance. This loses some of its edge in translation what the younger son basically said was “Dad I Wish you were dead. I am tired of waiting around for you to drop dead I want everything that I have coming to me now.”

But wait it Gets Worse. If we study a little bit about the culture we learn that the family inheritance is always divided up by the oldest son after the father passes. So the Son was also asking his dad to take his older brothers right away from him.

Well the Father divides up his property and Prodigal takes his share and leaves He spends the riches his Father gave him and eventually finds him self feeding pigs and contemplating eating the food that he giving to them. He realizes that He would be better off as a servant in his father’s House. So he rehearses a speech that he will give to his dad and beg his dad to take him back. But the Story of the Prodigal son isn’t really about the Prodigal Son. There is a real good lesson in the actions of the prodigal son. And I am sure many of you like me can relate to his story. I certainly do I definitely took the gifts and privileges I was given for granted and turned my back on God. I definitely ended up falling flat on my face, humiliated and helpless I had hit my personal rock bottom, so I maid the Journey home. But even though the parable may teach us a lot through the testimony of the prodigal Jesus did not tell it for that reason.

I have Also heard This Parable preached from the Perspective of the Father. The Prodigal turned his back on his father he embarrassed and humiliated the family name. And yet where was prodigal when the father first saw him and greeted him… That’s right he was still a long way off. The Father welcomed him open arms and killed the fatted calf and had a party for his son who was dead but was restored to life.

We definitely learn something about the character of God from the actions of the Father. God is a loving father who is waiting for us to accept the redemption and grace he wants to lavish on us. No matter ho badly we smear Gods name or how bad we damage his reputation or arrogantly we turn our backs on God he waits for the opportunity to take us back. That’s another great lesson we learn from this parable but that is still not the main lesson it is not the reason why Jesus told the story. Lets just call these other lessons the added benefits of this great parable.


Turn with me to Luke 15 1-3 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ 3So he told them this parable:.
So he Told this Parable. Why did Jesus tell the parable to expain to the Pharisees and scripes why he was hanging out with these evil filthy tax collectors and sinners.

OK this is where I need to stop for a minute and discuss this phrase Tax collectors and Sinners. If I ever get smart enough or enough time to write a book it will be a bible study on the rawness of many of the scriptures. The bible is the Word of God and God is a good God. So we naturally assume that his word is going to be a good word. But God is also a real God, Jesus was real and lived in a sin infested fallen world. Tax collectors were considered sell outs to the Jewish people they had turned their back on the Jews and were taxing them and giving the money to Rome the enemy all to make a prophet. They viewed the same way we would an American Taliban. The very mention of Jewish tax collectors made people shiver with anger. The reference to tax collectors doesn’t have that same effect on us 2,000 years later. And Sinners represented those who were known committers of sexual sin or those who had turned their back on their faith.

So let me read that again with the Kind of Rawness it would have had in the ears of the early Christian church.:

Now all the Terrorists, prostitutes and Homosexuals were coming near to listen to him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ 3So he told them this parable: Jesus told the parable to explain why he was speaking to and teaching the worst possible people in imaginable.
Here we have the Pharisees and the scribes, the religious leaders of the day challenging Jesus’ with these evil sinful people. And what does Jesus do He tells them a story. His Parable is a confrontational narrative that presents God as a God who loves unconditionally. In the parable the Father comes outside twice the first time he goes and gets the sinful son and welcomes him home the second time he goes outside to beg the older son to come inside and enjoy the party.

Lets take a closer look at this older brother Father encounter. The older brother returns and hears the music from the party. A servant tells the brother that his younger Brother has returned. Incensed at the news the brother refuses to go inside. Like many religious folk this brother believes that his acceptance from the father is the result of his performance. For years I have served you he says working in your fields tending your sheep. Teaching your Sunday School paying you tithe cooking for your harvest festival dinner quoting your scripture. But you have never even killed a goat for me let alone the fatted calf.

The older Son has the nerve the gall to think he has earned a reward. Well maybe not maybe he knows that he has not done enough to earn a party but he does know one thing he has done a whole lot more than his sinful younger brother. But the Younger brother hasn’t earned anything all he did was walk up to the father and accept grace the father poured on him.

Now we have the older Brother standing out side refusing to come into the party. The fathers comes out to him and basically tells him “all I have is yours, I want to pour my grace on you just come in side. The story ends there Jesus finishes his parable without telling us what happened. We don’t know if the older brother broke down and came inside or if he let his jealousy and bitterness keep him out side. Or do we in the context that Jesus is telling this story The sinners and tax collecotors are parting with Jesus and he is for Giving there sins and Jesus is telling the storyt to a couple of hangry older brothers


Well what about you. Are you ready for the Prostitutes and terrorists the alcoholics and homosexuals to begin filling our church or does the thought of that upset you? Maybe you do relate more to the Prodigal and you have hit you personal rock bottom. Than come up here and tell you heavenly father that you can’t make it with out him and accept his grace? It is all up to you.