Jump Start # 543

Luke 15:29-30 “But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends;  but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’” 

  Our passage today is taken from the parable of the prodigal son, a favorite story of so many people. The Lord is showing the forgiveness, love and grace of the Father, toward those who lived recklessly, irresponsibly, and sinfully. This parable is Jesus’ answer to the accusation at the start of the chapter that the Lord receives sinners and eats with them. That’s exactly what the Father did with his wayward son who came home. The boy returned. The Father didn’t take the food out to the barnyard where the prodigal was staying, instead, the boy got up and came home. Indeed, Jesus did receive sinners and He did eat with them. He fed more than 5,000 at one occasion, and 4,000 at another time. Yes, Jesus did that. He came to seek and to save the lost. He wanted all people to come home to God as the prodigal came home to his father. This story is a classic for multiple reasons and one of the greatest is that we can see ourselves in it so easily. Who among us hasn’t been that prodigal at one time or another? We remember what it is like to “come to our senses” and to realize the shame we’ve caused, the guilt we feel, and the great need to come home where God will accept us. Life as a servant of God beats anything that the world offers. Yet, God isn’t content with us being a servant, we are His children. He wants us at the table, not serving, but rather, dining with Him. What a great God we have.

  The elder brother, who states what is found in our verse today, was a mirror of the Pharisees, and again, sometimes, too often, us. His thinking is cloudy. He is jealous of how the prodigal is treated. He is feeling left out and cheated. He is angry with his father. The prodigal should have been thrown out, instead he’s given a feast, with the fatted calf, that was being saved for special occasions, like a wedding of one of the boys. He feels the father is going overboard and all this isn’t right. The more he dwells on this, the more he becomes worked up. He refuses to participate. He refuses to go into the house. He refuses to even talk to his brother. He’s mad and he won’t have any part in this. I can certainly see myself in his shoes, so much I had to make sure his first name wasn’t Roger.

  Our verse today explores the attitude, thinking and explosive words that the older brother had to his father. We remember from the story that the father had to go out and beg this son to come in. The same father that ran to meet the prodigal, now has to go out to his oldest son, because he’s missing the celebration.

  The eldest son’s words are full of exaggerations and contrasts.

• He begins by reminding his father that he has worked for so many years for him. Doesn’t the father know this?

• He claims that he has never neglected a command of the father. That’s a stretch. The father could probably refresh his history but he doesn’t. He lets him rant for a while.

• You never gave me a goat to celebrate with my friends. A goat was cheaper than the fatted calf. He’s one of the contrasts. Did he forget the daily meals he got at home? Maybe he never asked his father for a party? He views his father as stiff and unwilling to enjoy life. How is it that he could so long with his man and not know him?

• He then says, “this son of yours.” Not my brother, but rather, your son. He has cut off all connections and relationships with the prodigal. He disavows him and has nothing to do with him. He is not mine, he’s yours!

• He’s devoured your wealth with prostitutes. The money was an inheritance. It was no longer the father’s but the prodigal’s. The same time the prodigal got his money, the elder brother got his—which under Jewish law would have been more than the prodigal received. Did he consider his money his or the father’s? Where did the idea of prostitutes come from? The text doesn’t tell us how prodigal wasted his money. Was that a common rumor? Had they heard about him? Was this jealousy? Is this what the elder brother would have done if he could get away?

  The elder brother is a sad person who sees life as work, work, work. He’s home with the father, but he doesn’t enjoy it. He works. He wishes he could have fun, but there’s too much work to be done. The Pharisees, in their twisted thinking thought staying close to home and working for the Lord ought to get one into Heaven. But this life was hard. There was little to smile about. There was little to enjoy. The end of each day, the tired body went to sleep, weary from all the tasks done that day, and realizing the next day would bring more.

  There are some Christians who live this way. They don’t enjoy being with God, they have too much to do. They see work everywhere, even worship is viewed as something to be “done,” rather than a special time of being with God. Things to do, things to do, and more things to do. It’s hard. It’s often lonely. It’s discouraging, because few others are working like they are. In this twisted thinking, they’ve forgotten to enjoy the abundant life that comes with Christ. They fail to bask in the sweet fellowship of God and feel somehow, by doing all these things, that God will look upon them with favor. They misunderstand God. They misunderstand what God wants. They are miserable Christians who are trying to convince a world thirsty for sin that they ought to be come like them. The world looks at them and thinks, ‘You have to be kidding? You are miserable in Christ and we are having a blast in sin. Why join you? You need to join us?” And that is all it takes for some to do that very thing.

  The story of Luke 15 is TWO lost boys—one in the far country and one lost at home. One thought the way to life is sinful indulgence and the other thought the way to life was hard service. Neither had it right. Both had everything they needed right at home but they didn’t realize it.

  Our relationship with God ought to be rich, fulfilling and like nothing else. Worship services, where we get to express and enjoy this relationship with God ought to be exciting and rewarding. How wonderful it is to be a Christian.  Even the broken and lost can enjoy this relationship, by coming home to God.

  It’s great being a Christian!

  Roger