(Luke 15:25-32 NIV) "Meanwhile,
the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and
dancing. {26} So he called one of the
servants and asked him what was going on. {27} 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has
killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
{28} "The older brother became angry and
refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. {29} But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been
slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a
young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. {30} But when this son of yours who has squandered your property
with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
{31} "'My son,' the father said, 'you are
always with me, and everything I have is yours. {32} 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.'"
The title of the lesson is from a comment by
Carol Martin. It accurately reflects the facts: the two sons are rebels. One
runs away; the other stays respectable. It is on the second we shall focus
this morning.
Attitudes
Mark Twain called this the greatest short
story ever written. One mark of its greatness as literature is the delicate
characterization of the three principals. We see this in their attitudes. I
give you three views this morning.
Comparison and Contrast: Father and Older
Brother
Character is shown in action -- writers are
always told to develop their characters with action. There are three actions I
would point out to you by way of comparison:
·
The
father rejoices to see the younger son; the older brother questions. Look at
the difference in the lives! One man is living a life in which joy just waits
to bubble to the surface.
The other would need it spoon fed to him -- and I suspect is looking for a
substitute.
·
The
father is looking for his younger son -- not seeking, but on the alert. The
brother doesn’t care; he is looking inward. He’s looking out all right -- for
number one.
·
The
father runs to the boy; the brother waits in the field. Which of them cares?
The brother’s attitude
A curious question: in all this mass of
servants, why does no one run to the older brother and tell him what’s going
on? Why does he have to come into the house to ask? Sherlock Holmes pointed
out to Inspector Jones “the curious incident of the dog in the night.” “The
dog did nothing in the night.” “That was the curious incident.”
Perhaps no one wanted to be the messenger who delivered the bad news!
The brother displays three interesting -- and
almost tragic -- attitudes. Listen to them and see if you recognize these
symptoms:
·
He
is a man of grim duty - slaving away all these years. It is the service of
duty, not the joy of love.
·
He
feels no obligation to his brother. Indeed, he refers to him as “this son of
yours” rather than “my brother.”
·
He
has the suspicious mind. No one mentions prostitutes before he does; the kid
has been away. Where did this idea originate?
Attitude check!
·
Is
your service to the Lord a labor of love, or grim duty?
·
Do
you see (for example) the homeless as your brothers, or ...?
·
Are
you always ready to see the evil in others?
We must now hop over to the other side of the
fence.
The Prodigal’s View
The Prodigal comes home confessing. There is
no thought that he intends to make up with his brother; his father is all that
is on his mind. I submit there are two lessons here:
·
Sometimes,
it’s easier to confess to God than it is to man!
·
Divine
judgment is always just; human judgment can be excessive as well as lax.
Compassion and Envy
If the older brother were a true reflection
of his father, he would have shown compassion in the same way. He did not.
Why is it that we have such hard hearts?
·
Sometimes
a lack of compassion is a symptom of pride. We are working our way into
heaven, and therefore feel very righteously superior to those who are not.
·
Sometimes
is just a case of indifference. We have not had our hearts softened to those
around us.
·
Sometimes
we know too much. We’ve studied the Scriptures; we’re Bible experts.
Knowledge without grace leads to pride; we can become too holy to associate
with anyone but those like us. (The word I’m looking for is “Pharisee”).
But there is a second possibility. Maybe
it’s not just a lack of compassion; maybe it’s envy. Is it just possible that
the older brother sees the prodigal as someone who “got away with it all?” A
person who got all the pleasures of sin, and still finds his way into grace?
How many of us want to spend our days in all the sins of the world, repent the
last day and squeak into heaven! And how many more envy those who do?
Perhaps the brother would have said, “It’s
not fair!” And indeed, by the Old Testament law, it was not fair. For in the
Old Testament tradition, we would find that the first born son had rights:
·
he
was entitled to that double share.
·
he
was entitled to authority over the younger brothers
·
even
if his father didn’t want him to get it (because he didn’t love his mother) he
still was entitled.
This, however, misses the point. I put it as
a question: “Is God fair -- or merciful? Can He be both?” Only at the Cross
can He be both fair and merciful.
The brother’s problem may be that of envy.
So what advice might we give him?
·
(James
4:2 NIV) You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you
cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you
do not ask God.
·
(Prov
14:30 NIV) A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
·
(1
Cor 13:4 NIV) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not
boast, it is not proud.
The Pharisee
It’s not obvious from the short passage we
have read, but this parable (and the two preceding it) are not directed at the
disciples. They are directed at the Pharisees.
It is a serious matter to call someone a Pharisee. Indeed, it smacks greatly
of the judgment we are not to perform. So I will give you some tests. Ask
yourself these questions:
p Are you looking for loopholes in the law of God, always
trying to make an exception to what the Bible says to apply to you?
(Mat
22:16-21 NIV) They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians.
"Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and
that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed
by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. {17} Tell us then,
what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" {18} But
Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You
hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? {19} Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They
brought him a denarius, {20} and he asked them, "Whose
portrait is this? And whose inscription?" {21} "Caesar's,"
they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to
Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
p Do you delight in being publicly praised for your good
works -- and is it this which motivates you to do more?
(Mat 6:2-4
NIV) "So when you give to the needy, do not
announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the
streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their
reward in full. {3} But when you give to
the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
{4} so that your giving may be in secret. Then your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
p Do you feel that your faith would be much stronger -- you
would be much more convinced -- if you saw an occasional miracle or two?
(Mat
12:38-40 NIV) Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him,
"Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." {39} He
answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks
for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet
Jonah. {40} For as Jonah was three days
and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three
days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
p Do you feel superior (in a quiet, decent way, of course)
to those whose lifestyle is “not Christian at all?”
(Mat 12:7
NIV) If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire
mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent.
p Do you see the main purpose of this church as a health
club for saints to practice their spiritual exercises (“great singing, great
worship.....”) or a hospital for sinners?
(Mat 9:11-13
NIV) When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does
your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" {12} On
hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy
who need a doctor, but the sick. {13} But
go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not
come to call the righteous, but sinners."
p Does your life go one without any results for the Lord?
No fruit?
(Mat 3:8
NIV) Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
Finale
I have a great fear in delivering this
lesson. When I first began to compose it, I feared that I would lose some
students, for no one likes to be called a Pharisee -- especially when looking
in a mirror. Now my fear is worse than that. I fear that I won’t lose
anyone. The Pharisees of our time are also lukewarm.