Post by Cindy on Jul 8, 2016 13:00:23 GMT -5
Usually when we hear about this parable, we hear about the younger brother, the one who was called the prodigal son, but we should really focus on the older brother as well, as he has a lot to teach us. The greatest thing that the Lord has called all of us to do is to love each other, and really, to love everyone, even our enemies. We're to do that not only with words and prayer, but with our actions - with how we treat them as well. Jesus wants us to have a heart of love for everyone just as He does. This is one of the big areas where this older brother failed. We are used to hearing how the Father pursued the younger son, how He longed for his return, and was always waiting and looking for him with open arms, but we need to see that the Father was pursuing his older son as well.
First we see that the older brother was sure of his own salvation. After all, he'd always stayed home, obeying his father, and doing the work on his father's estate. So this man was obedient, diligent, handled his father's finances carefully, and was a hard worker. He'd never brought disgrace to his father's name (at least in his mind). It was the younger one who'd run off to live for himself. So he sounds like the model child that any parent would want to have doesn't he? Strangely though, we don't hear anything about him loving his father, or showing love to his father during the years the younger brother was gone....
When the older brother hears the sounds of a party and discovers that his younger brother had returned, you'd expect him to be glad to see his brother and to see how happy his father was. But that's not the case. Instead the older brother is angry, and his feelings are hurt. He's so angry he actually refuses to go inside to even see his brother or father! The picture the story paints of the older brother shows us that he had been dwelling on angry and negative thoughts about his brother the whole time he'd been gone. Because he'd focused on his anger all that time, those feelings had turned into bitterness and he was now captive to sin. (Acts 8:23) This man had no thoughts about his own sins though, as he was much to busy being proud that he hadn't run away from his duties, and any thoughts about sin were always directed toward his younger brother who had run away. In fact, he openly declares his brothers sins to his father when his father tries to get him to come in and join in the celebration.
Ouch! This is where it starts to make us realize that we've done the very same thing at times. Here his father is trying to let the young man know that He loves him and wants him to join in the celebration, but the older brother insists on maintaining his self righteous anger instead. He's not going to give his younger brother any breaks at all. He obviously doesn't even want his brother to be home! He'd much rather the kid had stayed away, even though he had to be aware that it would have broken his father's heart. At this point, the older brother knows nothing about what happened to his younger brother, only that he has come home. He shows no interest in knowing if his brother is OK, or about what he'd been through. he obviously wants nothing to do with his younger brother at all.
He was not only angry at his younger brother though, he was angry at his father too! He wanted to be the center of his father's attention, and the fact that his younger brother had it only made him angrier. If we look at what he said to his father, we can see that he felt that his actions over the years should have earned him a lot of credit with his father. He expected to receive something for his good behavior, and therefore was angry that he not only didn't get anything (In his opinion anyway) but that his sinful brother did! While his self righteous behavior may have appeared more socially acceptable then what his brother had done, both had sinned and both needed to repent. Yet only the younger brother had done so.
In fact, he was so angry that he wouldn't even acknowledge the prodigal as his brother! Instead he referred to him as "this son of yours". Talk about bitterness, and a lack of love, not to mention the disrespect and insolence he was now showing for his father. It's at this time that the older son begins to list his brothers sins. It makes you wonder how he knew about them doesn't it? It's really not that much of a mystery though. When we are full of hate and anger toward another person, we tend to want to know anything bad that they might have done, and we go out of our way to find out these things...generally through gossip that we encourage. We really don't care if it's true or not, because as far as we're concerned, the person is so rotten that only bad things could be true of them anyway, so we'd never stop to consider trying to discover if what we'd heard was truth or not. We also tend to think back to the very first time we ever met that person (or back to when they were born if they're a brother or sister) and dwell on every single negative thing that person has ever done in their life. When we talk to other people we then tell them about the things this person did before, and that encourages them to find out new bad things about this person to tell you and keep the anger and bitterness growing. If someone should try to bring reconciliation, like the father did here, we rebel and begin to list their sins as to why we would never even consider it, for surely they'll never change or be worth anything.
This shows us that the mans anger and bitterness toward his brother had corrupted his relationship with his father. This is exactly what Jesus warns us about when He tells us that if we do not forgive others, the Father will not forgive us! It has nothing to do with our salvation - we're still saved (assuming we were to start with) but our relationship with the Father will not be the same. We will not have the closeness we'd had before. How can we when we're keeping anger and hate in our hearts and God is a God of love? Remember how Jesus warned us too that anger was the same as murder? This man's anger killed or corrupted whatever love he'd ever had for either his brother or his father! That's what anger and hate do. They kill love.
The parable ends with the Father explaining to this son that everything He has already belongs to him, but that now he needs to rejoice for his brother has been dead but now is alive; lost but now is found. Notice though how the father describes the brother to him: “But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”” (Luke 15:32) By saying "this brother of yours" the Father is reminding him of how he had refused to call him his brother and instead had called him, "this son of your". He's also letting him know that he IS his brother and should be treated and loved as such. Love is the remedy for anger, hate, and bitterness. Love is not a feeling though, so He is not talking about somehow forcing ourselves to feel something. He is telling us to make a commitment to love this person and to show our love through our words, and actions. The feeling will eventually come as well but it has to start with that commitment. We choose to love because we love the Lord and it is His command to us. In this particular case, the actions would be to choose to join in the celebration and show the brother that he is glad that he is home.
We need to think about this seriously and consider if we have been harboring anger or bitterness toward any family member, or brother or sister in Christ, or anyone at all. Jesus tell us that we are to first love God, then love all others who love God and then love all who are members of our earthly family, and then love all other people even including our enemies. He doesn't exclude anyone for any reason. There are no "ifs, ands, or buts. There are no exceptions. God makes no mistakes. If there is someone in our life that we have a problem with we need to love them and cover their sins with that love. Jesus told us that's how people would know that we belonged to Him.
He doesn't hold us responsible for how the other person reacts, but He does hold us responsible for how we react, and does not expect us to give up when the person doesn't come around. After all, He didn't give up on us!
“This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” (1 John 3:11)
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14–15)
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)
“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.” (1 John 2:9–11)
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:7–8)
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:30–32)
““You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:21–24)
“The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?” (1 Corinthians 6:7)
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Hebrews 12:14–15)
“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:10–12)
First we see that the older brother was sure of his own salvation. After all, he'd always stayed home, obeying his father, and doing the work on his father's estate. So this man was obedient, diligent, handled his father's finances carefully, and was a hard worker. He'd never brought disgrace to his father's name (at least in his mind). It was the younger one who'd run off to live for himself. So he sounds like the model child that any parent would want to have doesn't he? Strangely though, we don't hear anything about him loving his father, or showing love to his father during the years the younger brother was gone....
When the older brother hears the sounds of a party and discovers that his younger brother had returned, you'd expect him to be glad to see his brother and to see how happy his father was. But that's not the case. Instead the older brother is angry, and his feelings are hurt. He's so angry he actually refuses to go inside to even see his brother or father! The picture the story paints of the older brother shows us that he had been dwelling on angry and negative thoughts about his brother the whole time he'd been gone. Because he'd focused on his anger all that time, those feelings had turned into bitterness and he was now captive to sin. (Acts 8:23) This man had no thoughts about his own sins though, as he was much to busy being proud that he hadn't run away from his duties, and any thoughts about sin were always directed toward his younger brother who had run away. In fact, he openly declares his brothers sins to his father when his father tries to get him to come in and join in the celebration.
Ouch! This is where it starts to make us realize that we've done the very same thing at times. Here his father is trying to let the young man know that He loves him and wants him to join in the celebration, but the older brother insists on maintaining his self righteous anger instead. He's not going to give his younger brother any breaks at all. He obviously doesn't even want his brother to be home! He'd much rather the kid had stayed away, even though he had to be aware that it would have broken his father's heart. At this point, the older brother knows nothing about what happened to his younger brother, only that he has come home. He shows no interest in knowing if his brother is OK, or about what he'd been through. he obviously wants nothing to do with his younger brother at all.
He was not only angry at his younger brother though, he was angry at his father too! He wanted to be the center of his father's attention, and the fact that his younger brother had it only made him angrier. If we look at what he said to his father, we can see that he felt that his actions over the years should have earned him a lot of credit with his father. He expected to receive something for his good behavior, and therefore was angry that he not only didn't get anything (In his opinion anyway) but that his sinful brother did! While his self righteous behavior may have appeared more socially acceptable then what his brother had done, both had sinned and both needed to repent. Yet only the younger brother had done so.
In fact, he was so angry that he wouldn't even acknowledge the prodigal as his brother! Instead he referred to him as "this son of yours". Talk about bitterness, and a lack of love, not to mention the disrespect and insolence he was now showing for his father. It's at this time that the older son begins to list his brothers sins. It makes you wonder how he knew about them doesn't it? It's really not that much of a mystery though. When we are full of hate and anger toward another person, we tend to want to know anything bad that they might have done, and we go out of our way to find out these things...generally through gossip that we encourage. We really don't care if it's true or not, because as far as we're concerned, the person is so rotten that only bad things could be true of them anyway, so we'd never stop to consider trying to discover if what we'd heard was truth or not. We also tend to think back to the very first time we ever met that person (or back to when they were born if they're a brother or sister) and dwell on every single negative thing that person has ever done in their life. When we talk to other people we then tell them about the things this person did before, and that encourages them to find out new bad things about this person to tell you and keep the anger and bitterness growing. If someone should try to bring reconciliation, like the father did here, we rebel and begin to list their sins as to why we would never even consider it, for surely they'll never change or be worth anything.
This shows us that the mans anger and bitterness toward his brother had corrupted his relationship with his father. This is exactly what Jesus warns us about when He tells us that if we do not forgive others, the Father will not forgive us! It has nothing to do with our salvation - we're still saved (assuming we were to start with) but our relationship with the Father will not be the same. We will not have the closeness we'd had before. How can we when we're keeping anger and hate in our hearts and God is a God of love? Remember how Jesus warned us too that anger was the same as murder? This man's anger killed or corrupted whatever love he'd ever had for either his brother or his father! That's what anger and hate do. They kill love.
The parable ends with the Father explaining to this son that everything He has already belongs to him, but that now he needs to rejoice for his brother has been dead but now is alive; lost but now is found. Notice though how the father describes the brother to him: “But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”” (Luke 15:32) By saying "this brother of yours" the Father is reminding him of how he had refused to call him his brother and instead had called him, "this son of your". He's also letting him know that he IS his brother and should be treated and loved as such. Love is the remedy for anger, hate, and bitterness. Love is not a feeling though, so He is not talking about somehow forcing ourselves to feel something. He is telling us to make a commitment to love this person and to show our love through our words, and actions. The feeling will eventually come as well but it has to start with that commitment. We choose to love because we love the Lord and it is His command to us. In this particular case, the actions would be to choose to join in the celebration and show the brother that he is glad that he is home.
We need to think about this seriously and consider if we have been harboring anger or bitterness toward any family member, or brother or sister in Christ, or anyone at all. Jesus tell us that we are to first love God, then love all others who love God and then love all who are members of our earthly family, and then love all other people even including our enemies. He doesn't exclude anyone for any reason. There are no "ifs, ands, or buts. There are no exceptions. God makes no mistakes. If there is someone in our life that we have a problem with we need to love them and cover their sins with that love. Jesus told us that's how people would know that we belonged to Him.
He doesn't hold us responsible for how the other person reacts, but He does hold us responsible for how we react, and does not expect us to give up when the person doesn't come around. After all, He didn't give up on us!
“This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” (1 John 3:11)
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14–15)
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)
“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.” (1 John 2:9–11)
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:7–8)
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:30–32)
““You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:21–24)
“The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?” (1 Corinthians 6:7)
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Hebrews 12:14–15)
“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:10–12)
!!
