There are two brothers in this parable, Jesus intended it this way. It is because His Jewish audiences were very familiar with story of two siblings. There will be a good one, and a bad one; a wise one, and a foolish one; an accepted one, and a rejected one. Actually, I am not too sure why Jesus makes the older brother looks bad, foolish and rejected.
The older brother is bad because he is jealous of his younger brother. The older brother is foolish because he doesn’t know how to enjoy himself in the presence of his father’s house. The older brother is rejected because he has rejected the love and grace of his father. But why the older brother? Will the parable be the same if the older brother is the prodigal and the younger brother is the one who stays home and treats himself like a slave to his father? I think you might have an answer in your heart. So do I.
We expect that the older we are, the better we become; the older we are, the wiser we become; and the older we are, the more acceptable we become. But sadly, in this parable the older brother did exactly the opposite. As I ponder upon this, I have a question for myself: as I grow ‘older’ in the Lord, have I become better, wiser and acceptable before God?
I may be more skillful in ministry, but do I really know God better? I may be very knowledgeable about the Word of God and theology, but do I really have the wisdom of God? I may be well liked by many church members because of my preaching and teaching and other ministry performances, but have I accepted my ‘self’ as God has accepted me? You may have the answer too in your heart.
As we grow older, let us carefully examine our hearts. By the way, how old are you?
HHS…
Abel…
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