Introduction
Chapter 15 is one of the most important chapters in the entire Bible; it includes several powerful parables, which deals with the lost—to include the parable of the Lost Sheep: which represents the lost sinner out in the world, the parable of the Lost Coin, which represents the lost sinner within the home, the parable of the Prodigal Son, represent the wayward Christian. The story of the Prodigal Son seems to come in six (6) steps, rebellion, recklessness, realization, repentance, restoration, and then resentment. It would have been nice, in fact perfect, if it had ended there in the 24th verse of this chapter with restoration, but it didn’t, because Jesus gives us yet another parable in His series of parables—the parable of the Elder Son.
When the younger brother in this text decided to come home back to the father, this is when the party began—but as the party barely begins the resentment of the older brother becomes a great issue. The elder brother made it quite clear that he wasn’t coming to the party; he would much rather settle for simply staying on the outside (in the field) due to his jealousy and resentment towards his younger brother and his anger towards his father for embracing what he felt—his loser younger brother.
The story of the Prodigal Son is indeed a very beautiful story but if we cut it short at the return of and celebration for the younger son then we miss a huge part of what Jesus was teaching. Yes, the younger brother did learn a great lesson that through the generations have benefited all of us who loves the Word the God—but the older brother was still offended, if he brings anything to the party it is legalism, disdain, arguments, and contempt. He felt that he was owed an explanation from his father, and with this said—there are people today who actually believe that God owes them some sort of explanation for many of the horrible events and circumstances that take place around the world today.
In fact, there are people who live their entire lives demanding an explanation and there are those of whom you would think deserves an explanation. Such as, the father who holds a rose taken off his son’s coffin, the wife who holds the flag taken off her husband’s casket, the couple with the barren womb and the fervent prayers, the families of innocent crime victims all throughout America, and people who have lost greatly through natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes—you would think that would receive an immediate explanation from God. But the truth is, God owes us absolutely nothing and we owe Him everything. This is exactly why Job said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."
I just watched a Youtube video (yes I watch Youtube) of a god-fearing family in Oklahoma as they set foot outside their tornado shelter after the recent F5 tornado which passed through Moore, Oklahoma the other day, I could hear who I assumed was the wife and mother of the family praying as they walked through the rubble and ruin that used to be their home, and at the end of the video I distinctly heard the father and husband of the family say, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away…” now at the risk of not sounding as if I am picking on the news media I dare say that if this godly couple had been found angrily demanding an explanation from God with a clinched fist it would have been shown all over the world, but seemingly what was said during this tragic occurrence by this godly couple that day was not news worthy enough.
But what they were saying was increasingly clear God owes us no explanations. However, the father here in our text does set out to give his elder son an explanation as to why he elected to embrace his long lost younger brother with loving arms. In this parable given by Jesus, the elder son represents the self-righteous religious zealots in the world today—you know who they are, those moral, just, and good people who have never committed a gross or visible sin. Those people who are very religious and are always found doing religious works; who just know without any doubt that they are indeed acceptable to God at all times.
This parable points up to us that the spiritual state of the prodigal brother rises up while the spiritual state of the older brother falls down. And the father remains unchanging—he demonstrates equal love toward both his children; he is consistent in demonstrating the love of God. The father in this parable is a type of our heavenly Father. The younger son represents prodigals everywhere while the older brother represents all those who, through the hardness of their heart and the meanness of their spirit, want to bring down judgment on all those who are trying to make straight their paths.
He was in the field (Outside) away from home
This elder son like most very religious people was in the field; he was outside away from his father’s home. On the surface, what he was doing while he was outside working appeared to be very commendable. He was working diligently on some very religious things: services, rituals, ceremonies, ordinances, prayers; you name it. He even used some very religious talk and terminology in the course of his daily conversation. He attends services and he prays and testifies as much as needed in order to satisfy his conscience. Why? Because he’s in the field (Outside) and he professes wholeheartedly to know God and the things of God with great expertise, in other words, he was just like the Pharisee who loved to follow Jesus around but for the wrong reason.
For sure he had a commendable work ethic, he was very dedicated to his work outside and there is no doubt that worked and worked hard. In fact, he most likely had a reputation for being such a hard worker. While his younger brother was out gallivanting around in the far country he was busy working, and perhaps he thought within himself one day due to my hard work this would all be mine. While his younger brother was out and about somewhere in the far country spending up his inheritance on wine and loose woman—he must have contemplated that all his hard work will pay off one day he just might be able to even double his inheritance. His mind was on himself, he even forgot about the father although the father was right there with him—and probably he began to think of the entire estate as being his own. He has long since ceased to be grateful for what he had. He thought that it was his own works that helped him to achieve what he has.
And now that his younger brother has returned his sanctimonious bubble has burst this is why during the party he was outside, and stayed outside. Staying outside during the celebration of his younger brother’s homecoming celebration just felt right to him. Most people who are like this elder brother feel as if they are usually right about certain things, the Bible says, “there is a way the seems right…” and it just seemed right to him that he should make an open protest by staying outside in the field. He followed certain religious procedures and practices so that his conscience would never bother him, but how much religion do you need in order to make yourself feel acceptable to God? Some feel that they need very little religious activity while others feel as if they need a great deal.
Be that as it may, the elder son was in the field (Outside) and not in the house of his father. In fact, he did not know what was going on in the house; he only knew what was going on outside of the house. When he finally discovered that a celebration, a party, was going on in the house, when observed that there was music and dancing in the house—he immediately questioned it. Although it was celebration of salvation and repentance, but he still questioned it. This was his first fault.
He Shut His Own Self Out
Look at verse 28, “…he was angry and would not go in…” he would not go in and so this caused his father to come out. He was outside and angry with his younger brother because he was inside and joyful with his father in his father’s house. And truth is, he just didn’t understand repentance—perhaps the primary question in his mind was, how can a man who had been so immoral, dirty, unclean, low-down, and rotten, with the smell of pig all over his body be so gloriously changed all of a sudden? And why did the father so graciously allow him to come inside?
The father came out and “intreated him” in other words he begged him to understand repentance and salvation and come in from outside. But he was jealous of the treatment his younger brother was receiving from the father, and he decided to just stay outside and miss the party.
He Was Self-Righteous
He claimed to be religious, the great Charles Spurgeon once said, “The greatest enemy to human souls is the self-righteous spirit which makes men look to themselves for salvation.” I believe Jesus in speaking of this elder brother and pointing his self-righteousness was in effect speaking of the Pharisee. Earlier in this great Gospel of Luke, Jesus charged one of the Pharisees of being clean ceremonially on the outside but unclean on the inside (Luke 11: 39). In other words these self-righteous brothers treated religion like a dishwasher who only washed the outside a cup but elects to leave the filthy bacteria inside of the cup where it is.
A man or woman, religious or non-religious, cannot establish his or her own righteousness. They cannot make themselves clean enough to approach God: not by their works, nor any sort of religious ceremony and worship, they cannot dare to approach God by merely looking on the outside and remaining unclean on the inside. How do we know that this elder brother suffered from self-righteousness? Well, just look at his response to his father’s invitation to join the party. In verse 29 he says, “I served thee…” he’s calling in his chips so to speak. And then he makes a point of how moral and just he is, “Neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment.” He never stoled from, cheated, lied to, or cursed out anyone and he wanted his father to know this.
He felt that his father never gave him what he knew he deserved, he never received any kind of recognition for all his good works “Thou never giveth me a goat (I am paraphrasing here) that could I use to throw a party with all my buddies, but as soon as this loser of a brother of mine comes back home after spending all his money on prostitutes, what do you do? You don’t settle for killing a calf, you have to go out and get a fatted calf instead, and after all I’ve done for you I think I will sit this one out and just stay outside!”
He Lacked Compassion
He was very uncompassionate, he couldn’t even call his own baby brother by his god-given name he just referred to him as, “…thy son…” which indicates that he felt that he was much better than his brother. Sadly, there are a few people in the Church who because they make a nickel an hour more than you think that they are somehow better than you and will not hesitate to treat you as such.
Unfortunately, we live in a world system that caters to this selfishness: Not all politicians but there are a few who often are more interested in winning elections than they are in helping their constituents? Not all businessmen but there are a few who often are more interested in making money, unscrupulously if necessary, than in preventing harmful products from reaching the market? And not all pastors and ministers but a few are often more interested in being popular or in gaining money than in guiding their flocks along paths of morality and love? Why? It is all because of the lack of compassion, and this elder brother chose to focus on his younger brother’s faults and especially his past rather than focus on his repentance, because he lacked compassion.
He Couldn’t See What True Salvation Really Looked Like
The father allowed him to get all frustrations out of him, he allowed him to go ahead and rant and rave a little bit. And after this older brother spoke his mind by explaining his desire to stay outside the father gave him a few good reasons why he should come inside and join the party. First, he says, “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.” In other words, he has indeed been serving for many years. And indeed, he has never neglected any command of the father and yes he is set to inherit all the father now has.
However, he failed to see the bigger picture—he just wasn’t listening as carefully as he should have. If he were listening a little more carefully he would have realized that the father has not committed himself to giving the younger son another piece of the estate. He (the Prodigal Son) had already squandered that off, yes he was accepted back into family, and yes he received a signet ring, but there was no second portion to be meted out all over again.
He reminded his older son, “All that is mine is yours,” and in essence he reminded his son that reason he took his son back was simply because…he had to. If we have a wayward child or spouse or relative or personal friend who has truly, truly repented and now wants to live their life for God and the question arises as to whether we should take them back the answer is, we have to. Because if we do not we run the risk of being unforgiven ourselves.
Conclusion
The danger of staying on the outside is actually extremely dangerous because it really is staying outside of the will of God. And anytime you are outside the will of God you are in a very dangerous place and position. When someone comes back to Jesus after living a life in the far country it is God’s will that we all feel a sense of celebration. When someone who once was dead, spiritually dead and now they are spiritually alive it is a great cause for celebration. Luke 15: 10, “Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner (all it takes is one) that repenteth.” If God Himself and the angels rejoice greatly when just one sinner repents. Who are we not to? Whenever the pastor preaches a Word from God and the invitation is given and someone comes forward and the invitation it is a time to celebrate; God does not want us to stay on the outside and not join in on the celebration—because whosoever comes forth may have been but now they are very much alive! Amen.
