In Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son, the two sons are much more alike
than it really appears. The younger son had sought to find a way to get out
from the under the control of his father, but is that not what the older son
has also done? They both had been defiant, rebellious and self-serving in their
own ways. They both had a blurred view of their father and were trying to use
him to their own ends.
Both were away from their father. Both had to be invited to the feast.
One traveled far from the father, and the other stayed home but traveled in his
heart. Augustine wrote: "For it is not by our feet, nor by change of
place, that we either turn from Thee or to Thee ... in darkened affections,
lies (the) distance from Thy face" (Confessions,
1.28).[i]
Timothy Keller in the The Prodigal
God writes: “Why doesn’t the elder brother go in? He himself gives the
reason: ‘Because I’ve never disobeyed you.’ The elder brother is not losing the
father’s love in spite of his goodness, but because of it. It is not his sins
that create the barrier between him and his father, it’s the pride he has in
his moral record; it’s not his wrongdoing but his righteousness that is keeping
him from sharing in the feast of this father.” [ii]
The older brother was angry because his brother was back and accepted as
a brother. That wasn’t fair because he had already spent his share of the
inheritance and now he was supposedly being made a rightful heir to another
share. Where is the fairness in that? Resentment is a form of anger. Find your
resentment, and you will find the source of your anger. The older son’s words
are full of resentment at others and even at his father. He feels cheated and
betrayed, and he is hurt.
For the older brother life had become a monotony. He was resentful of his
brother for leaving with his inheritance which he never earned. Then the gall
to come and ask for more. He was resentful of his father for allowing himself
to be taken advantage of by his no-good brother. He resented his father for not
rewarding him as he believed he deserved to be rewarded.
Both sons really wanted the same thing; they just went about in different
ways. The younger wanted his inheritance before he was due to receive it. The
older also wanted the father’s goods instead of his father’s love.
Are you unhappy with God the way the older son was? Has God been unfair
to you? The real point of the story is the Father’s love. Are we away from the
Father? It really doesn’t matter if you did it the way the younger did or as the
older son did it. The point is to come back to the Father.
This is really what this story is about. It is whether or not we will
really see our own need and come to the Father because we love him for who he
is. Love the Giver of miracles not the miracle. Love the Provider not the bread
on your table. Love the Giver of gifts not the gift. This is the question worth
considering, will you pursue God for who he is not for what he has to give you?
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