The Other Side of The Story
Luke 15:11-32
I’m sure that almost all of you remember that back in the day there was this radio news pundit called Paul Harvey. I used to love listening to him, even though I was just a kid and he was talking about stuff that really wasn’t within my radar at the time, because I was a kid. But as I grew older, I really began to like listening to his common sense, wise words about something that was going on at the time. He was kinda like a modern version of Mark Twain or Will Rogers.
But anyway, Paul Harvey had a radio show called “The Rest of the Story.” It was wildly popular, and it was broadcast all over the country. He would begin his show with a news feature, telling everyone about whatever it was that was going on, and then right after a commercial he’d announce, “And now, for the rest of the story.”
Well, that’s kinda what I want to do today. You see, our text today is Luke 15:11-32, and if you’ve already opened your bibles to that, then you know that this is the story or parable of the Prodigal, or Wayward Son. It’s a story that I’m pretty sure everyone knows because in one way or another, you’ve heard it all your lives. It’s also a much-loved story, and that’s probably because so many of us easily identify ourselves as the prodigal who have spent much of our lives chasing things that weren’t right or good, but then one day a =happened and we “saw the light” as the song goes. We did an about face and returned to the narrow gate and the narrow road.
The vast majority of sermons that anyone has ever heard on this story focus on the prodigal son and the fact that he got his inheritance early, went off and blew it all in riotous living. Then in his poverty and starvation, he came to himself and returned home to a father who had been anxiously waiting for his son to come home the whole time. That’s what most people focus on, and like I said, it’s probably because we so easily identify with the prodigal. But, as Paul Harvey used to say, “And now for the rest of the story” because there is another side to this story. There’s another player here that we tend to condemn and then ignore. We chalk him off as a hard-hearted person who’s unworthy of our attention.
But is he? Is he truly unworthy of our attention? You know, when we blow off the older brother like we tend to do, we fail to understand the full purpose of the Lord’s story. You see, the reason why the Lord told this story is because the Pharisees and the Scribes were complaining that Luk 15:2 …"This Man receives sinners and eats with them." They didn’t like the fact that Jesus was accepting everyone who came to Him, and so they grumbled and complained about it.
So, after He heard what the Pharisees were saying, He gave them the stories of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son. But in that story of the Lost Son, there are two sons that are lost. The prodigal that refers to the tax collectors and sinners the Pharisees were complaining about, but also the older brother which is speaking of the scribes and Pharisees themselves. They are the ones I want to talk about today, they are the other side of the story.
So, if you have your Bibles opened and turned to Luke chapter 15, or if you wish, you can just follow along on the screen as we read verses 11-32
Luk 15:11-32 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. (12) And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. (13) And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. (14) But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. (15) Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. (16) And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. (17) "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! (18) I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, (19) and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." ' (20) "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. (21) And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' (22) "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. (23) And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; (24) for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry. (25) "Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. (26) So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. (27) And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.' (28) "But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. (29) So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. (30) But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.' (31) "And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. (32) It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.' "
This is a story about 2 kinds of sinners, and it’s likely that each of us will identify with one of them, but what’s not spoken much of is the fact that many of us should be identifying with both of them. Many of us were like Billy Joe and Bobby Sue who took the money and ran (The Steve Miller Band-Take the Money and Run). The prodigal’s story, his life can be summed up with 3 points: 1) He was sick of home, 2) He was homesick, and 3) He was home again. He was a rebel, a renegade, a rioter who ended up penniless, shameless, and friendless, but one day came to his senses and returned home.
But the other son, now he stayed home, didn’t he? He was the good son. The fine son. He was a hard worker who stayed out in the field making sure his father’s property was well cared for, and he always did what his father told him to do. There really isn’t anything that is obviously wrong with him on the outside. He had no apparent evil or wickedness, but that’s because his sins weren’t of the flesh, they were of the spirit.
You see, there are sins that are outward, and there are sins that are inward. There are sins that are of the flesh, and there are sins that are of the spirit. There are gross sins, and there are subtle sins. People tend to pay more attention to the prodigal than to the elder brother partly because we can identify with him, but also because he has a good ending! Our tendency is to identify most with someone who has a good ending, don’t we? We like the rags to riches, and overcoming all obstacles stories, don’t we? So, we don’t pay as much attention to the elder brother because we don’t like the idea that we can be just as much like him as we can the younger brother. The younger brother may start out bad, but he ends up in a good way, but the older brother, though he seems to be good he really ends up being bad, and none of us want a bad ending. We want the good ending.
Friends, this story is a love story, but we’re going to find that the love of the father, or the love of God which melted the heart of one sinner, hardened the heart of the other sinner. One turned around, the other didn’t. We also see here that Jesus had compassion for the obvious sinner, the one who sinned against the flesh, but He had some white-hot words to say about the other one who was self-righteous and guilty of sins of the spirit and wouldn’t let go of those sins of the spirit.
Now, like the father in our story prepared a lavish meal for his returned son, we are also getting ready to partake of a meal of great importance. It’s a meal that we must prepare ourselves for, because when we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we should come to the table with a heart that is overflowing with pure and sincere love for God. That love should lead us into service for the Lord, and that service ought to lead us into great and wonderful joy. Love, Service, and Joy. Three things that we need to take measure of before we come to His table.
1. The Measure of Your Love
The first thing I want to point out is that you can measure your love for the Father by your relationship with your brother. The apostle John told us that 1Jn 4:20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
Now, we can’t see the Father, but we can see our brother, so in a very practical way, what we can see is something we can measure. Like the sight glass on the front of those big coffee dispensers at Pak A Sack or Toot N Totem, we can tell what and how much is inside that container because that sight glass shows us. Well, in a similar way, our love for our brother is like a sight glass that gives us a measurement of what’s inside of us.
Friends, what I’m saying is that we must examine ourselves very carefully, and if you find that you have hatred in your heart for a brother or sister in Christ, or a neighbor which would cover everyone else, then you are not ready to take of the Lord’s Supper! Let me make this even clearer. If you have resentment, envy, jealousy, hatred, malice, contempt or any other negative feelings in your heart toward your brother, sister, or your neighbor, then I’m warning you right now that until you’ve confessed and repented of that sin, then you are not right with God and should not take of the Lord’s supper.
The apostle Paul warned the Corinthians that one of the reasons why some of their numbers were weak, sick, and had even died is because of this very thing. They weren’t examining themselves, and they were participating in this ordinance in an unworthy manner. He said, 1Co 11:30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. So, friends, be careful, be very careful what you do and how you come to the Lord’s table!
The older brother had a deep seated resentment toward his younger brother, and even anger against his father that might have been festering for a long time. He had been out in the field all day, working like he always had, but when he came home and heard all the merry-making and found out that his brother had returned home, he didn’t shout “Hallelujah!” He didn’t say, “Well praise God! Our prayers are answered!” He wasn’t even happy for his own father who had been looking off into the distance for a long time, hoping to see his son return home.
No, instead, he responded with envy and jealousy. They were happy and celebrating that a lost son had come home, while he was angry and upset for the same reason. He lost sight of the fact that the celebration was for everyone, even for him. He could have joined in on the fun and had a great time, but instead he sulked and he missed out. The level of his love for his father was displayed in his poor relationship with his brother, and so he missed out on the meal.
You can measure your love for the Father by your relationship with your brother, and…
2. The Measure of Your Service to the Father is seen by your fellowship with the Father.
Now, like I said, the older brother had been out in the field. He had been working the ranch. Working the farm. He had been taking care of the flock. He had been out in the field taking care of business. Luk 15:25-29 …And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. (26) So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. (27) And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.' Now check out his response... (28) "But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. (29) So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.
You know, this reminds me of king Ahab and the time when Naboth refused to sell him his vineyard. Ahab was so upset that he couldn’t buy that vineyard to raise some vegetables that he went back to his palace and laid on his bed and turned his face to the wall and refused to eat. The older brother is interested in service, and it’s obvious that he’s a hard worker. He appeared to be the model son, but he had no idea what his own father had been going through since his other son left. He didn’t know what motivated his father. It is apparent that he never once sat down with his father and asked what’s going on, or how he was doing.
Instead, what went through his head was more along the lines of, “What is wrong with dad?” “What was he thinking?” And his whole mindset turned inward. He probably thought, “Man. We’ve never had better crops.” “Our cattle, sheep, and goats have never been healthier or more fertile.” “The barns are freshly painted and maintained.” “All our workers are happy and healthy, and all of this is because of me!” “Me, me, me. I worked my rear off and we’re prosperous, and no one ever threw a party for me!”
Brother, sister, this was a guy who was serving his father who had no clue of what was on his father’s heart! His fellowship with his father was little too nonexistent, so his service to the father wasn’t from the heart but from selfish and legalistic reasons. He told his father, “I have served you, but you haven’t rewarded me.” And friend, understand this—service done for our heavenly Father, if it is not cheerfully given from the heart, He neither needs nor wants.
We are to give to our Lord out of a heart that is motivated by love and appreciation for what He has done for us. You can measure your service to the Father by your fellowship with Him. If you are serving for a reward, it’s not going to be long at all before you’re going to be disappointed and complain that you haven’t been sufficiently blessed or recognized for all you’ve done.
So, check or examine your motives before you come to the Lord’s table. Do you have real fellowship with the Father? Do you know what He is most concerned about today? Are you giving of your time, resources, and treasure from a loving heart or to be recognized and rewarded? Have you truly given your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, to do with as He wishes or are you in this only for yourself?
You can measure your love for the Father by your relationship with your brother, and you can measure your service to the Father by your fellowship with Him. And now, real quickly…
3. The Measure of Your Joy
Oh friend, you can measure your joy with the Father by your sharing of the Father’s burden. Listen again to what the older brother said… Luk 15:29 …Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. And then he went on to say… Luk 15:30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'
Did you catch that? He couldn’t even say his younger brother’s name. He said, “…this son of yours.” Not my brother Bob or Jim, but “this son of yours.” His fellowship with his father may have been little, but his anger and hatred for his brother was complete. “This son of yours…” His brother didn’t come home to get more of dad’s money. He didn’t want to dip into his older brother’s 2/3rds share of the inheritance. He just wanted to come home!
And when he did come home, his father was so happy that he got a party! Luk 15:30-32 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.' (31) "And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. (32) It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.' "
The older brother’s joy was gone because he did not share his father’s burden for his lost son. You know, he could have joined in on the party. He could have made merry and have a grand old time, but because he didn’t care for his brother, he couldn’t share his father’s burden and so his joy was gone. He was so wrapped up in himself that he was miserable. He was self-centered and the only thing he was enjoying at the time was his own little pity party he was throwing for himself.
In vs 29, five times he makes reference to himself by saying “I” or “me.” It’s all about him. And friend, if you don’t share the Father’s burden, then you’ll never know the Father’s joy. If you don’t love your brother, you don’t love the Father. If you don’t have fellowship with the Father, your service amounts to nothing. And if you don’t have the Father’s burden, you will never know the Father’s joy. Do you know what the Father’s burden is today?
The older brother had it all, but when the joy was gone, then all he had meant nothing at all. All that the father had was his, but somehow he felt that someone else’s blessings diminished his own. That is the other side of the story.
He failed to understand that the father’s love for one in no way diminishes his love for the other because in the Father’s house there is always a surplus. There is plenty for all.
So, before we go to the Lord’s table where there’s always room for more, let us spend some time in quiet examination and reflection. Remembering that our Christian life can be summed up in love for the Father, service to the Father, and joy with the Father.
So, with every head bowed and every eye closed, spend a few moments in examination and readying ourselves to dine at the Lord’s table.
