The Problems of the Prideful Son
Luke 15:25-32
* Have you ever watched a movie and wonder what happens next? If you have, then you are thrilled at this word, “SEQUEL”. It has become common for popular movies to have follow-up movies which are called sequels. Today’s message is a sequel to our message last Sunday evening.
* Turn to Luke 15. Last Sunday evening we began in verse 11 reading the familiar story that we all have come to know as the “Prodigal Son.” But we did not focus on the younger son who left town, we focused on the father who was patiently watching, completely forgiving, & totally accepting. But as our story ended last week, we could hear the music and see the dancing as the gang celebrated the return of the Lord Son. In movie terms, the credits were rolling, the colors were going dark, and ‘the end’ appears.
* HOWEVER, there is a final shot which shows the OLDER BROTHER coming toward home from a long day’s work, with expert cinematography we see him turn his head as he hears the music. The last scene shows a contorted face of scorn on this older brother. Ah – what a cliff-hanger. Let’s Read!!
* Luke 15 has long been known as the “LOST” chapter in the Bible. In verse 3 we read about the lost sheep, in verse 8 it is the lost coin, and then in verse 11 we read about the lost son. If is obvious that Jesus is attempting to teach us something very close to His heart. To fully grasp what He is saying requires us to read verses 1 & 2 of this chapter. (EXPLAIN verses 1 & 2) Suffice to say that Jesus’ desire was that those who needed the gospel be granted, given, and allowed to receive it PLUS, His teaching point us to going & looking for the lost! But the scribes & Pharisees wanted no part of reaching out to those on the other side of the tracks. (I.E. not our kind). As Jesus told each of these three stories, He message is clear, “Go out of your way to find, welcome, and receive those who are lost.”
* This thought that God would run down the road toward the lost sinner was unbelievable to the Pharisee. After telling the story of the son, Jesus knew He had the crowd’s attention and, being the master teacher that He was, He wanted to drive home a very personal truth for the Religious lost.
* This truth about the older, prideful son, was not required to shed light on reaching the lost, it was required so the religious can see that being critical and complaining is not the way of the master & has traumatic results. Let’s look and discover some truth about & about being an older brother.
1. Examine His Attributes – In any life there are some attributes which are desired and some which are not. Pride has a way of taking the good from our life and turning it bad, it takes the beautiful & turns it ugly, and it takes the right & makes it wrong. As we will survey this older brother, we will discover that good attributes can be misused and misunderstood. Check 3 of his quality, attribute, and/or traits.
a. He was Reliable – Verse 25 tells us he was out in the field. He was a hard worker, probably in the civic club, paid his bills, was honest, faithful, obedient, and quite likely very ethical. He was a good man. As was the case with families of his day, he left to go work the home place around daylight and return to the house around dusk. Unlike that younger son, who had run off and probably squandered all his assets, this boy had continued to serve his dad, his family, and their tradition by being the “good boy.”
b. He was Religious (probably) – Quite likely, he carried his family to worship week in and week out because this boy did things simply because they were right. Even if he didn’t attend weekly worship, he was religious about many things in his life. He religiously worked, served, and reported. He religiously watched after his dad & the home place. He was a good, good man. Quite likely, he was in one of the civic clubs, paid his bills on time, and was ethical to a tee. Yet, I suggest there was something different about him. I suggest;
c. He was Reactionary – What do you do when you hear music at home? Do you stop and ask one of your friends, children, or someone else what is going on? Or do you walk in to see why you are missing the party? I suggest that he had become so reliable and so religious in his work that he reacted about anything which he had no knowledge. While it’s just speculation, to see his reactions (I.E. he heard, he stopped, he called) would be just cause to examine a couple of other things;
2. Examine His Attitudes – To read about his reactions as he approached the house (where a party is in progress) lead me to believe that some issues existed for him even before this day. Don’t forget, when his dad had given the younger boy HIS inheritance, he also gave the older boy his. This reeks of a developing attitudinal problem. Let me suggest 3 such problems;
a. He was separated – I heard a preacher say many years ago, that the younger son left the father physically while the older boy did what was right and stayed at home physically, but in his mind – he was far away from day. Put some reality into this relationship. The older brother was witness to the actions & attitudes of the younger son up until the day the boy walked out. He remembered the stressful situation that his younger brother had caused. Then finally, when the younger boy was gone, dad wouldn’t let him go. Can you imagine being around the dinner table and hearing dad sigh and commiserate about where his boy was? Can you imagine how many times the older boy heard his dad tell neighbors & friends how much he wished his son would come home? I can hear it now, “He’s got a good heart, He’s really a good boy—just hanging with the wrong bunch, or I can wait for him to come home.”
* Every time the dad mourned the loss of his younger boy, it drove a wedge between him and his dad. And now, the day had arrived for which he had dreaded ever since the day his brother walked out. He heard the music, the celebration was so robust that he could tell they were dancing, and he knew there was only one thing that would allow his dad the joy to have a party, THE LOW LIFE BROTHER OF HIS WAS BACK!
* I submit to you that here is the real truth Jesus was attempting to communicate! In verse 1 & 2, we see the religious people not happy at all the sinner (the lost ones) coming to Jesus, and yet, that is the one thing which make the father HAPPY! In a spiritual sense, this is true today. God doesn’t get happy when we have the right style of music, wear the right clothes, or even sit in the right class room, HE THROWS A PARTY WHEN A LOST PERSON COMES HOME! To be separated from the Father is to miss the joy in the journey, the joy of Jesus. The brother missed it.
b. He was selfish – Dad had to come out to him. And when dad was there, he discovered his oldest son had an “I” problem. He has the “I, me, my, mine” problem. Eddie Carswell said it like this, “I, me, my, mine, pride will get you every time. Four words that spell decline, I, me, my, mine.” The older brother was all caught up in what HE WANTED, HIS FRIENDS WOULD LIKE, and WHAT DAD HAD NEVER DONE FOR HIM. Is it fair to say that the older brother lost sight of the bigger picture? Possibly, but I submit, that he was so self-absorbed that he secretly hoped the brother would gone for good. Dead was okay, but gone was the hope. Selfishness is ugly in any language.
c. He was self-righteous – How many recognize the phrase in verse 30, “This son of yours?” Most of us parents know what it’s like to speak to our mates & say, “Your son” or “Your daughter” did this. He didn’t say, “my brother”, but this son of YOURS!! He yours, you’ve made such a fuss over him—and look what he’s done!! You gave him your best & he’s been running around, being immoral, and “I would NEVER.” I can hear the pitch in his voice and the anger rising toward his dad as he delivered his scathing attack on his dad & his brother. We need to never lose sight of this truth; ‘except for the grace of God, I could be the one.’ Self-righteousness was & is one of the most visible traits of a Pharisee. And a Pharisee wants you to think better of him than he actually is. The attitude of the older brother led to 3 specific actions which we need to at least see.
3. Examine His Actions – To have the attributes & attitudes of the older brother will cause us to have some very real & similar actions.
a. He Refused to join the party – When the servant told him what was going on, his words, probably were, “He’s back? You’re kidding! GO tell his father that I won’t be there.” I can add many other words which I think he probably spoke. If it was indignation – he would have slipped in to bed.
* Probably, he would have talked with his father at a later time, but the older brother seldom does that. What he wants is to get as much attention as he can, place blame, and pitch a “fit”. By the way, when you miss the party, you always miss a good time.
b. He Resisted His brother – I am back to his self-righteous remark, “This son of yours.” Think about this, he resisted even seeing his brother by not going in, have you ever thought about why? Could it be that if he went in, saw his younger brother, and heard his brother repent with a broken heart, that HE KNEW HE WOULD HAVE TO GRANT FORGIVENESS? Could it be that he didn’t want to forgive his brother, this boy who had left so arrogantly and come back so humbly? I am convinced that it breaks the heart of the Father when relationships are damaged and someone doesn’t want to make it right. The spirit of the Elder Brother doesn’t know & really doesn’t care about working it out because honestly, his hurt keeps him warm at night.
* To every younger brother here today, you’ve run away from God, the church, and the fellowship of believers. You’ve taken all you could get and went to the distant country. You spent all, wasted all, and found yourself in the pigpen; the father is looking a waiting. We are not the elder brother. We won’t resist coming together under the Father.
* Let’s finish with the prideful son – finally, don’t miss it…
c. He Rejected His dad – The Older Son was so eaten up with his selfishness, self-righteousness, and anger, that he rejected the very one who he thought he was trying to protect. Verse 28 tells us that dad came out and ‘pleaded with him.’ Older versions use the word ‘entreated’ while the Greek word literally means, he ‘called him by his name.’ Can you see the picture—dad comes out from the party, sees his oldest angry, puts a loving hand on his shoulder, and talks softly about the fact that the one who was lost & dead is now home! Can you see the older brother literally shrugging to get dad’s hand off of his shoulder? The spirit of the Older brother always rejects the father, and do you know why? Because the Father is about redeeming, reconciling, and restoration while the Older brother is about criticism, condemnation, and casting aside.
* The story ends tragically. The son who left & was dead was now found, is alive and restored. The son who never left the premises was now dead to the Father. The older son never took a step off the porch & left home.
* God is looking down & wants to restore the younger brother and redeem the older brother. Which one are you?
