The story of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15:11-32, is probably pretty familiar to most of us. The younger son decides he wants his share of the inheritance. He heads out into the world and soon squanders it all. A famine hits the country and the son has to take a job feeding the pigs. Finding himself to be so hungry that he is willing to eat the food he is feeding to the pigs, he considers his own father’s servants, and how well they are cared for, and decides to return home to his father. He is warmly greeted, celebrated, and loved! What a wonderful picture of God’s love for us - while still in our sin and worldly-ugliness, He runs to us, forgives us, and the angels rejoice that another sinner has come Home!
But what about the brother of the prodigal son?
He never strayed; he didn’t run out and squander his inheritance.
He didn’t leave his father’s side.
He wasn’t celebrated, but watched the celebration for his brother.
All that we are told about the older son is that he stays - he remains with his father. He questions the celebration for the wayward younger brother, and becomes angry when the details are shared with him.
When his father comes to him, his reply seems so appropriate - so raw - so reflective of his frustration:
‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ Luke 15:29,30
How do you feel about “death-bed conversions”? People who have had their whole life, who have heard of Jesus, who have ignored Him, and then choose Him in the last moments. Their lives may have been ugly, filthy, seemingly worthless - and maybe they have even gone against every social, moral, ethical and scriptural rule in their treatment of people. Yet, for some reason, they decide to accept Christ in their final moments.
I am thrilled for them! Our lives - yours, mine - we’re just one mistake, one poor choice, one unguarded act - away from the same kind of life that these others have had. Wouldn’t we still want the hope - the Hope - of salvation if we were the one facing our final moments?
Now, the prodigal son may not have been in his final moments on earth, but he was pretty close to being without any hope. His money was gone, there was a famine, his access to food must have been severely limited if he was considering a meal of pig slop.
He was almost without hope.
And then he made the right choice - after so many wrong choices. He realized that what he thought was hope turned out to be hopeless. He realized that when he had put hope in his own abilities, it turned out to prove hopeless.
And then he realized the true Hope - his father, his salvation, his source of life. His capital-H hope. And so he did the only thing he could - he went home to Hope. And what happened next?
Hope came running.
So he got up and went to his father.
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:20
And he was saved. And safe. And full of hope - and Hope.
The older brother - the one also hurt by the younger brother’s decisions - he is filled with anger. Here stands his brother, who has made wrong choice after wrong choice, who has hurt the family, probably ruined reputations, squandered wealth and riches.
…and that younger brother is welcomed home…
to hope.
And to Hope.
I have been a Christian pretty much all my life. I grew up in a Christian home, I was taught about Jesus from the time I can remember. I chose Jesus very early on, and really didn’t waiver. That is my testimony - that I found God early, and really never let go of Him. By some standards, it’s a rather boring testimony. I don’t have story of miraculous rescue from addiction or struggle; I didn’t make horrid choices. I stayed with Jesus.
But really - that’s a beautiful testimony, isn’t it? God is faithful - God has remained faithful! And I have been saved, safe, and protected from so much that others have had to struggle with.
What about those in our lives - yours and mine - who have squandered their Father-given gifts? I am so quick to extend grace - and Grace - to those who I don’t know; to those whose issues or worldly-wrongs haven’t directly affected me. Do you find the same to be true?
Why can we extend grace to those we don’t know, yet we struggle to extend grace to those we do know? Why did the prodigal’s brother have such a hard time forgiving his own sibling, but may have forgiven a stranger much more quickly?
Maybe because pain is very real. Maybe because for as much as we would like to view ourselves as Christ-like, the reality is that we’re still human. We aren’t actually Christ. We can only ever be Christ-like.
When we are hurt, angered, betrayed, it’s human nature to put up walls, to defend our name, our honor, our own life. We want revenge, or justice, retribution, vindication. We wonder why, when we stay on the straight and narrow, bad things happen to us. But isn’t that the way of this cold, cruel world?
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Jesus lays it out for us - we will have trouble in this world. At the same time, isn’t that the key, dear friends? We will have trouble in this world.
“For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven, which is yet to come.” Hebrews 13:14
This world is not our home. We were not created for this world. We were created to live in this world for just a little while, and then to have eternity with Jesus! And so we will have trouble here - because this isn’t our home. This world is just our journey to our Home.
And so for me, and for you, we will suffer; we will endure heartache and hardship. It’s meant to point us to Jesus - to help us keep our eyes on Hope and Home.
And our Father, who created us, knows our hearts. We can express all of our feelings to Him. We can tell Him, as the older brother did, just how angry we are at the seeming injustice. We can point out how we haven’t strayed, we haven’t been a black mark against the family, we haven’t disgraced our father, or our Father.
And I love the answer that the father gives to the prodigal son’s older, more faithful, brother:
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Those of us who have the testimonies of staying near to God, as the older son stayed near to his father, we have access to God - we always have. We have all we need in Him - we always have. We have all of who He is, working on our behalf - we always have. We have all of the things that God can provide, and all He can do for us - we always have.
Isn’t it just like Jesus to tell such a story of hurt, betrayal, anger, frustration, faithlessness and faithfulness, and then to end with the only thing that’s truly important?
At the end of it all, isn’t salvation the only thing that’s truly important?
Isn’t that the only thing that’s truly of worth in this life?
When you are hurting, and when I am hurting, whether it’s pain from a loved one, or from someone who doesn’t even know us, let’s remember the end of the story - this story in Luke, and this story in life. Let’s remember that while our lives may look like that of the prodigal son’s brother, we are one step, one action, one unkind choice, away from being the prodigal ourselves.
Dear friend, and to my own dear heart,
if you or I were the prodigal,
wouldn’t we LONG for the Father to see us a far way down the road
and come running to receive us Home again?
Friends, truly that’s all that matters, isn’t it?
Salvation.
We can be saved, from pain, from fear, from hurt, from death.
The end of the story is life.
Life.
Who can we take with us? How many other broken hearts can we gather and take Home to the Father? The Father is waiting - whether we have remained steadfast, or whether we have taken every path except the right path.
Luke 15 is made up of 3 parables, each one talking about loss of something precious. In each parable, Jesus describes the rejoicing over the salvation (the finding of) the lost item. Those who don’t stray, those who remain faithful - their reward is in heaven. The angels have already rejoiced over their choice of salvation. They were lost and then they were found. Just like the prodigal.
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:7
If I was lost, or if you were lost - no, when we were lost - heaven rejoiced over our salvation! Remember, trouble is ours in this world - anger, frustration, pain, hurt. But this world is not our home. Our home is with our Father, whether we are the steadfast brother, or the prodigal brother.
Our Home is with our Father.
And He saw us a long way, far off down the road,
and gathered us up when we came running to Him.
And He will do the same for all of us,
prodigal or steadfast.
Photo 1 Source / Original
Becky, in my heart I struggled with the justice/injustice of the father in this story for many years. I just went on with “Of course, God is always just…” but without resolving the conflict.
One day I realized I had to have a better solution than just tacitly agreeing…of course it has to be right. I began to ask the Lord to reveal to me why I reacted to this story as I did. And guess what I got: Someone whispered in my spirit, “You’re angry because you are the older brother.”
Oh….
Suddenly my heart was opened to see my pride, arrogance and hypocrisy. Not pretty. Not pretty at all. But confession and forgiveness has resolved the conflict. I’ve been able to appreciate the story ever since.
Thanks for your blogs. Precious!
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Rebekah Reply:
December 7th, 2013 at 8:50 am
So true, Aunt Marj! And I’ve always felt as though so many other parables were aimed at “leveling the playing field” between the Pharisees, especially, and the common people. And then to see this, where the injustice seems so great. But really it’s about our hearts, isn’t it - whether we’re the prodigal or the older brother. Jesus points out that none of us are any better than another. The part that I have to continue to consider is - how does the older brother go on living? Did this brother learn from his encounter with his father and continue to live at peace in the family? Or did his feelings overcome him and did he struggle in bitterness? It could easily go either way - and maybe that’s why we aren’t told any more of the story, because we all must make our own choices. Love to you!
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Thank you for this. I have struggled as the older brother for years but not because I felt like my parents did not give me a pat on the head for never hurting them in the ways my brothers have but because of the pain I’ve witnessed my parents endure. I was raised in a Christian home and Jesus has been apart of our family since day one. He is my best friend yet 2 of my brothers strayed so far off course it pains me deeply. One brother at 17 dated a 13 year, got her pregnant, was charged and almost convicted of statutory rape. It was determined that he was not the only person she had been with and the charges were eventually dropped , my parents had to declare bankruptcy to keep him out of jail, he married a couple of years later, left that wife 5 days after she gave birth to their son, and now 10 years later is still married to his first wife but has a live in girlfriend and 2 children by her, he sees his first son once a year if that. He has been unemployed off and on for years and my parents continue to pay his way through life. I’ve watched as my parents hearts have been ripped out over and over again. My older brother had been let go from his job and was drunk and high and started texting a girl, she eventually told him she was 13, he is 40. He went to meet her, “she” was an undercover cop. He has been in jail for the past six months and was just sentenced to 10 years in prison. My mom is devastated, and depressed not only for her son but for his 5 children that he will not be around to raise. So for me I come at this from the perspective that maybe the older brother spent those years watching his father pine away, fret, worry, beg God, suffer through depression and financial ruin while his younger brother was off “having fun”. It is something I have struggled with for going on 13 years now. I don’t hate my brothers exactly but I am SO terribly angry at them for what they have put my parents through and I don’t know how to let go of that anger. I would love nothing better than for them to “return home” so to speak. I am so tired of watching my parents hurt so much and there is nothing I can do to help. I try to give it to God and yet I hold onto my anger and bitterness. I’m a mess.
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Rebekah Reply:
December 7th, 2013 at 9:21 am
Danielle, this is truly heart-breaking. I even struggled just in reading it; I can only imagine the nightmare it must be to live through this. The Bible tells us that Jacob wrestled with God, in Genesis 32:28. I wish I could tell you how to let go of the anger and the hurt. I can’t, except to say keep talking to God about it. Keep working it out with God. Ask Him for peace that passes understanding. Ask Him for a pure heart in dealing with your brothers. Ask Him to pour out blessings on your parents for the time and finances that they have invested in trying to save one of their own. Ask Him to restore the years that your brother will miss with his children and his extended family. I will be praying for you - what a long road your family has walked, and what a long road still to go. But remember - the journey takes you Home. Keep your heart right with Jesus, and don’t ever stop praying for your brother. Praying with you - and for you - here from my little corner of the world!
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Aye! To God be the glory
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Rebekah Reply:
December 11th, 2013 at 7:53 am
Amen! To God be the glory, indeed! Blessings, friend!
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Throughout my life, I’ve actually never been able to identify with the Prodigal Son, but have been able to identify with the Older Brother many times. Among my family, my other brothers have all left the faith and gone off to marry and have lucrative careers. As a result, I’ve been left by default to remain in my home town as caretaker of my now-elderly widower father, an alcoholic who actually gets along much better with each of my three other brothers than I (it’s not that he dislikes me, it’s just that I both take after my late mother who never got along with him — plus I’m the only non-engineer in the family so he literally can’t understand my thought process). Yet, my brothers have left him behind on purpose while I’ve opted to remain where there is literally no work in my field (I had to opt for an entirely different graduate program, as well as opt for an MA instead of a PhD) and daily rants leveled at me for doing things like using big words when I bring him to doctor’s appointments. I’m a daily mass-goer with an active prayer life and a deep sense of morality, so my main sins to confess are those Older Brother-in-the-Parable-style moments of losing my cool and getting involved in the arguments set up against me. That I fail so utterly at honoring my father — and by extension, my mother, who I promised on her deathbed to take care of him when my brothers refused to — by yelling at him like that, even about something like his drinking, makes me feel like the worst of sinners.
I also reference this parable, and the two brothers, often when discussing the role in parish life of we remaining-in-the-parish Catholic Singles (my position beholden to taking care of my father, as well as the economics of holding multiple side jobs since my field I was trained in isn’t represented around here, makes dating successfully — and being the sort of “provider” that is needed in the role of Catholic husband — basically impossible). We watch as those who leave the Church to go date sexually in the hook-up culture of college and young-adult life have their fun, meet another lapsed Catholic who does the same, cohabitate for a while, then return to the parish for pre-Cana and a huge church wedding and celebratory announcements in the bulletin before public baptisms, CCD, and the beloved roles that married couples & parents in the parish play…while we continue to chastely sit invisibly in the back pews or act as ushers and sacristans without any pastoral support of meeting the opposite sex that isn’t represented at the parish (realizing, if the Church doesn’t the role that that would play in the sort of more traditional Marriage Formation that they always call for). Again, it’s difficult not to get upset at times over this situation and treatment (even for those of us who look at it from the perspective of the return/conversion of sinners and especially of the joy of children being baptism and catechized) — if you look over the Catholic Blogosphere, many singles (especially men) have grown to be permanently bitter as they’ve aged into their forties and beyond and realized that they’ll never get the pastoral support expected for their loyalty and service to the parish while returning and converts get their sacramental “fatted calves.”
In all, in life, there’s a fine balance between what is considered selfishness and what’s considered one’s expectations of justice — we need to often consider the reaction of when one considers themselves treated unjustly treated and the initial momentary human urge for anger. We don’t know how the Older Brother was the next day in that parable (of course, for the purpose of the story, there is no next day, because there’s no moment that matters beyond the ones presented). However, we DO see how we react to the same circumstances over short- and long-term and the feelings that we get (including the guilt and shame) as Christians for reacting as the Older Brother would when passed over in that moment. Because yes, that party is a welcome of the Prodigal Son and the magnanimity of the Father, but there is also the very real shame involved of the sudden position faced by the Older Brother — he doesn’t know what those guests at the party are saying about him and how they’ll react when they see his face (as a man in his place but also crippled with anxiety over the years, often from being put into poor positions by taking the ethical and moral high road, I know that I would expect that I was being laughed at by everyone there, realistic image or not…).
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Rebekah Reply:
August 28th, 2014 at 10:37 am
It’s amazing the situations we find ourselves in sometimes. They seem so wrong at times - where we can even sometimes feel justified in our frustration. Those are the times I’ve found I have to dig deep and see what God has for me, personally, to learn on my journey. I pray the same for you - that despite all of the seemingly negative aspects of what you’re doing, that your father would have some way to express his kindness, his gratitude for you staying with him. The life of faith can definitely be lonely at times, but ultimately the reward isn’t here in this life.
Thank you for your time and your thoughts - I appreciate you sharing and please know that, if nothing else, God sees every step of your life. He knows of your help for your father, and even the frustration regarding the faith. He is the friend who sticks closer than a brother…. Blessings!
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Becky, there is sooo much truth in this post. I’ve been the prodigal, squandering my salvation for what the world offered. So, I get grace! Yet, I can totally see how the older son would feel. I’m so thankful the Father has enough love for us to correct us, regardless of our sin. I’m so thankful for grace and mercy. So glad you linked up this post!!
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Rebekah Reply:
December 9th, 2014 at 9:22 pm
Me too, Leah - I can totally understand both sides of this story. Makes me thankful that God is in control and loves us, as you said, no matter what. Blessings, friend!!
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I have to agree with Leah’s opening line, for it was going to be mine; there is sooo much truth in the post! Reading through it I felt comforted and challenged at the same time! I sometimes have felt begrudging at the thought of ‘death-bed conversions’, more angry at family and friends mistakes than I would have been if it was a stranger, I have a similar testimony to you, but sadly drifted during my teenage years (thank goodness for hope and grace) and I could go on and on! Your post has so many good and heart-felt truths that one could just chat about it forever! Thank you for sharing this at The Loft and reminding me that this earth is just our temporary home and we have something greater to look forward to! I also love your photos! How did you get so amazing at taking such beautiful pictures? God bless
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Rebekah Reply:
December 9th, 2014 at 9:26 pm
I think, for myself anyway, when I’ve been the victim of the prodigal son, it’s harder to forgive. When a stranger’s sins haven’t touched me, it’s so easy to forgive. It’s a great lesson for me in forgiveness, no matter what.
As for the pictures, the main one isn’t mine, but the other 2 are. They were both with my phone. The one of the barn was “helped” by some editing program (maybe picmonkey?) to soften it up a little. The bottom picture - the sky - was all God’s doing, and the picture barely does God’s art any justice.
Thanks for stopping by! Blessings!!
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What a wonderful way to look at the story of the elder brother. As I read this story, I have always felt a bit of empathy with the older brother. His anger seems justified. But his focus (and ours) needs adjustment. We cannot focus on the here and now. We must focus on the big picture, on the greatness of our sin and the magnitude of a forgiving God.
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Rebekah Reply:
December 10th, 2014 at 10:24 pm
Yes, perfect words - the magnitude of a forgiving God. I can’t even begin to fathom just how great His love is!
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I, too, can understand the plight of the older brother. Feeling like his faithfulness was all for naught. Kinda similar to what I just studied yesterday in Psalm 73.
But God is faithful - in all things - and we can trust Him. So, so very thankful for His grace and mercy to us all. Because even those who are “always faithful” need His grace and mercy.
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Rebekah Reply:
December 10th, 2014 at 10:27 pm
Yes - we are all in desperate need of His grace and mercy. I’ve often felt like my faithfulness was for naught, but God lovingly reminds me that He sees it all - no matter what anyone else may (or may not) see. I just have to trust that He is working even when I cannot understand. Blessings, Karen!
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Rebekah, A beloved Pastor once told me the best testimony a person could have is one that chose Jesus early and stayed close from childhood to death. I believed him then, I still do. Neither he or I had/have such a testimony. Even so the WORD tells us ALL we like sheep have gone astray and HE comes after each of us in salvation AND discipline - Praise be to GOD!! When I was younger in faith, I used to grieve because I did not have that best testimony - but when I figured out that was ‘pride’, the biggest of sins, it taught me to just grateful that He saved me! Thank you for sharing this! Blessings Sister-Friend!
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Rebekah Reply:
December 10th, 2014 at 10:31 pm
Kathie, your words are so encouraging to me today! God is so good to give us a testimony that He can use in lives around us. I am grateful to not have to be redeemed “from” all the evils of the world. I’m so grateful for parents who raised me to know and love Jesus, and to stay close to Him. I’m so glad to be getting to know you a little more each week.
Blessings, dear sister!
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Yep, can relate. I love it in this story how the Father “went out” to the older brother. His stance was one of beseeching grace. No matter where we are in this story, God is compelling us to experience His goodness. I love that!!
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Rebekah Reply:
December 10th, 2014 at 10:34 pm
“He is not willing that any should perish….” God’s grace and mercy is so bountiful. Right this minute I’m watching a modern day film based on the story of the prodigal son - so interesting to watch everyone’s perspectives. This minute, this very minute, the father is running to the wayward son. No matter which brother we are, God is coming to us, fully offering His grace and mercy.
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When you’ve been the prodigal welcomed in, it can be difficult to ponder what on earth was the older brother’s problem! It reminds me of those of us who have a crazy, wild testimony, coming to Christ with great applause and hallelujas and then those who just realize their need of a Savior and then without fanfare receive Jesus…no bells no whistles, just the quiet miracle of need.
That older brother needed the miracle of redemption as much as the younger sibling did. But what is difficult for me is the way the story ends…I can only speculate that maybe that man got it.
Thanks for your thoughts Rebekah!
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Rebekah Reply:
December 16th, 2014 at 7:32 am
I wonder why, in this particular story, we aren’t told of the ending. We aren’t told that the brother understood and was overjoyed for his brother after all, or if he never understood it and went the rest of his life feeling miserable because he was “overlooked”. Either way, the redemption was something they both needed, but both viewed the other’s redemption in a negative way (the younger brother not wanting to stick around, possibly feeling he didn’t measure up, or that there was more in life for him to experience than to follow in his older brother’s footsteps - I’m speculating, of course). The important part is that the Father loves us all and isn’t willing that any should perish.
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