Luke 15:25-32 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 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. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 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.’”
In part one, I explained how I've really felt badly for this Older Son for quite a while. But The Lord began to show me more of the story - the forgotten blessings of being the good son.
So why did he think he needed recognition for doing the right thing?
Why did he think he deserved a party for taking care of his responsibilities?
Because he isn't thinking about what he has. He's thinking about what he doesn't have. He didn't have the excitement and good times his brother had. He's missed out on so much! He's forgetting that in missing out on his brother's escapades, he's also missed out on his brother's heartache.
And now I can see that he ABSOLUTELY mattered to his father! His father kept him in the home, working with him daily, enjoying a relationship with him despite his brother's absence. Large parties and celebrations didn't happen because every day was a joy to the father who had one of his son's home. And in being home, the Older Son had many, many more moments and memories with his father than his brother, who missed out on them by being gone. What is truly sad is that in all his thinking of being the "good son," what became evident was his evil heart. He couldn't even be happy that his brother was home, safe and reconciled. Because I have identified with the Older Son, that has also been my heart: evil and jealous, unable to find joy for someone else in their repentance and blessing because I was so focused on how I was being left out and being "good."
The beauty of the story of the Prodigal Son is that of the wayward son who realized his mistakes and, in humility, came home to reconcile with a father who ran to greet him with open arms. It is a picture Jesus wanted to instill in us as the picture of our Heavenly Father when one of His children comes running to Him for forgiveness. The hidden beauty of the story of the Prodigal Son is that of the compliant son who shows us his hurting heart at his perceived injustice of the situation. By looking deeper, we can see that while he is hurt, he is also wrong. He has been blessed and rewarded many, many times over.
I can imagine the conversation between the two brothers:
Older: It's so unfair that you got a celebration for doing everything wrong when I've been here, having no fun, and doing everything right. How lucky are you!
Younger: If you think my life away was fun, let me tell you about starvation. And having no bath. And living with the pigs. If I could, I would trade all that time back for a chance to stay here and work in the field. You were the lucky one.
It is in this same way that God our Father blesses us when we are faithful. We are spared the tragedy of separation from Him when we are living obedient lives. We are kept close in relationship with Him when we choose to follow His Son. We do not get the heavenly choir of approval singing over us every day, but we do have a life full of joy and peace and guidance because we have a Father who knows we are where we belong. We may miss some of the "fun" of the world, but we are also missing the consequences of that fun. And we may be living to a standard that isn't always easy or enjoyable, but we are living a life we chose - a life with Christ.
In my years of feeling sorry for and identifying with the Older Son, I missed the blessing of being where I am and what I've been spared. I do not have a dramatic salvation story or a life of hardship turned 180 upon giving my life over to Jesus. But I also do not bear the scars of such hard living. I instead have the sweet treasures and memories of my Father's attention and affection. I have the evidence of His love in my daily life as He has led me and guided me and preserved me. I have the security of knowing that all my needs are met, as are many desires. I have learned that while it can be frustrating to do the right thing and not be celebrated for it, it is better than the alternative of living a hard life because the need for attention is greater than the love being offered.
I am so thankful to be the Older Son, or daughter in my case. I am so thankful that I have not had to learn the hard lessons of running from my true calling as a child of God. But the truth is, we are all Prodigal Sons and Daughters. We have all been without God at some point in our lives. For every one of us, there was a time before we decided to believe in and trust in Jesus as our Savior. There was a moment in which we were the Prodigal Son running for the Father's arms as He ran toward us, joyful that we had come to Him.
For some, you are still living without the Father by refusing Jesus as your Savior. The Father still waits, looking in the distance to see a figure running for His arms, crying out for forgiveness. So we can all identify with the Prodigal Son: doing our own thing, realizing it's not working, and returning to the One who has loved us all along.
Don't stay away one second more! The Father is waiting. He will celebrate your arrival. And this time, all of His sons and daughters will celebrate with Him.
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