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The Elder Brother: Returning from Slavery to Sonship
The Parable of the Prodigal Son and the Elder Brother
In Christ's parable of the Prodigal Son and the Elder Brother, He held up a mirror to the Scribes and Pharisees, for they had acted in the same spirit as the Elder Brother. Today, the Elder Brother continues to stand before us as a representative of believers who continue to live as slaves to God instead of as His sons.
"A certain man had two sons: and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
"And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
"Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: but as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found." (Luke 15:11-32 KJV)
In western culture, family units are referred to as nuclear because they are small, consisting of a father, mother, and several children. But family units in biblical times were very large, and included every member of the family - aunts, uncles, cousins, and even servants - and were referred to as extended families. The family unit was actually a little kingdom over which the father was head (Gower, 57).
In the parable of the prodigal son and the elder brother found in the book of Luke, chapter 15, the father in the story had two sons. From the outset the story points to the father's relationship with his sons. The father represents God, the prodigal son represents the lost, and the elder brother represents the self-righteous. The younger son decides to leave home, and instead of waiting upon his father's death, requests his share of the inheritance be given him now. The father fulfills his son's request and divides his property and wealth between his two sons. In Hebrew culture, the firstborn son was legal successor of his father as head of the family or clan. He also received a double portion of his family's wealth upon the father's death (Richards, 383-384).
In Luke, chapter 15, Jesus told three parables: the Lost Coin, the Lost Sheep, and now, the Lost Son (perhaps Lost Sons would be more fitting). In the parable of the Lost Coin, the woman was responsible for finding the coin. In the parable of the Lost Sheep, the shepherd was responsible for finding the lost sheep. In the third parable, the father is not responsible for finding his lost son. There is nothing he can do (nor we can do) to save a lost soul. All he can do is keep one eye on the road and whisper a prayer as he goes about his daily work. It is the Spirit who is responsible for searching and bringing in the lost, for no man can call Jesus "Lord" except through the drawing power and revelation knowledge of the Spirit.
In each case, finding that which was lost brought considerable joy, and how much more valuable is a lost soul than a coin or sheep! The younger son did not say why he wanted his father's inheritance. But we can determine that he wanted to leave home and live his own life the way he desired. He separated himself from fellowship with his father and his obligations as a son. Without the restraining influence and authority of his father, he squandered a considerable amount of wealth upon riotous living and harlots. Reduced to poverty, a famine in the land added to his considerable troubles causing him to find work tending swine, a most degrading job in Jewish culture. Laboring at a job, yet starving at the same time, he began to covet the husks which he was feeding to the pigs. There was more provision for the pigs than for the servants who fed them.
In this, Jesus gave a graphic portrayal of Israel's experience. Pentecost states: The nation had been put under the law even as a son is under the authority of his father. The law was to oversee their conduct and to control every aspect of their lives so that they would please and honor God. But the nation had refused to submit to the oversight of the law. They took what material blessings the law provided (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) and then forsook the law that brought the blessings to them. They consequently were expelled from their land and served Gentiles in foreign countries. (Pentecost 335)
Through the laws of the Old Testament, mankind sees his unrighteousness and wickedness. Trying to obey all of the rules and laws is impossible, and becomes a burden too heavy to bear. The apostle Paul referred to the law as a yoke of bondage which entangles (Galatians 5:1). He further stated that he was alive without the law, but when the commandments came, sin was revived and he died. In Romans 7:22-24 (KJV), Paul wrote, "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"
Through the story of the prodigal son and the elder brother, we see two possible responses to the laws and authority of the father: (1) to run away from it as did the younger son; or (2) to accept it begrudgingly and view it as a yoke of bondage and slavery. This is how the elder brother responded to the authority and rules of his father.
As the younger son had distanced himself from his father's influence and authority, so the elder brother distanced himself from the father in his own work, being away "in the field." Tasks were not done out of love, but out of obligation. Chores were completed with immediate reward in mind, and without immediate reward, work became like slavery or forced labor. Thus the elder brother's angry reaction when his younger brother came home after squandering away his entire inheritance. Instead of being punished, the younger son was rewarded with a warm welcome, feasting, and dancing.
This elder brother had been born to privilege and fellowship but had never experienced what was available to him. His was not the heart of a son, but that of a hireling servant. He had never entered into fellowship with his father even though he received his father's blessings. He did not show the heart of his father that welcomed the sinner but rather showed the hardness of his heart by his rejection of the one who returned (Pentecost, 337).
While the first part of the parable receives the most attention, both parts are equally important. The way the father reacted as his younger son's return should have been the manner in which the elder son reacted as well. Today, the elder brother continues to stand before us as a representative of believers who continue to live as slaves to God instead of as His sons, and who demand to be rewarded for their labors now instead of being grateful to the Father who has saved them.
The attitude of the elder brother can be found in many forms. How does the seminary graduate feel when he looks upon the ministry started by an uneducated brother which is more accepted and more fruitful than his own? How does the faithful Christian family struggling to make ends meet feel when they see another Christian family living in wealth and splendor? And how does the faithful and fruitful saint of thirty years feel when a drug addict or prostitute comes to Christ?
The elder's brother spirit is very manifest. "Who is the elder brother?" The carnally-minded believer, not living up to his privileges, and who has lost his first love and his passion for souls. Observe, the elder brother in the story was a member of the family and a servant of his father; and yet what saddens one is his utter joylessness, and he seems scandalised at the gladness shown by others over the returning prodigal. And note the price he had to pay. Such people are shunned. Observe how long the younger brother had returned before the elder brother came in from the field. How long does the killing, dressing, and cooking of a calf take? A few hours must have passed, and yet not a single servant thought it worth their while to go out and inform the elder brother of the return of the wandering one. (Smith-Lee, 178)
G. Campbell Morgan adds: The difference is between two sons, one self-righteous, and the other a sinner. But that is not all. Look at this elder son. What do we find? He was devoted to his father's law, and he was devoted to his father's service; but he was entirely out of sympathy with his father's heart; and therefore unable to set the true value upon his brother. The Pharisees and scribes were the men Jesus was looking at when He talked about the elder son. He was taking them at their own valuation, devoted to the law and service to God. To them He said, in effect, "You cannot understand God, you cannot understand the heart of God; if you did, you could not look with contempt upon these men outside, with whom I am mixing." The elder son was out of sympathy with the heart of his father. How many sons of God are like that, even in the Church today!" (Morgan, 266)
What are the symptoms of the spirit of the elder brother?
1) A lost sense of indebtedness. The elder brother made the statement, "Neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment." Could this be possible, that a person could grow up without a single act of disobedience? Of course not. Like his younger brother, the elder brother was also a pardoned sinner. But unlike his brother, he had lost consciousness of his sinful state. He had lost the peace of being forgiven, and had become a stranger to its feeling of joy.
2) A forgetfulness of blessings. The elder brother stated, "Thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friends." Just as the younger son had been given his inheritance, so the elder son had also been given his inheritance as well, for the father had divided unto "them" his living. This would mean that the elder brother had at least two-thirds of his father's goats, cattle, or other livestock. "All that I have is thine," the father would tell his oldest boy. Yet living among such wealth and riches, he had forgotten his blessings, and thus lived in spiritual poverty. No wonder the Psalmist David proclaimed in Psalm 103:2, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's."
3) A loss of love for the lost and their return. Having no sense of his own indebtedness, the elder brother had no sense of his younger brother's lost condition nor sympathy for his sinful state. Though the ordinances declared against the younger brother - "wasted his substance on riotous living and harlots" - had been blotted out forever, the elder brother still quickly recalled them, "not considering his own self." The elder brother could not understand his father's reaction toward someone who had wasted so many years and so much money on riotous living.
Charles Spurgeon writes in his work, Miracles and Parables of Our Lord: We very frequently speak of the sorrow for sin which accompanies conversion, and I do not think we can speak of it too often; but yet there is a possibility of our overlooking the equally holy and remarkable joy which attends the return of a soul to God. It has been a very common error to suppose that a man must pass through a very considerable time of despondency, if not of horror of mind, before he can find peace with God. Now in this parable the father seems determined to cut short that period; he stops his son in the very middle of his confession, and before he can ask to be made as one of the hired servants, his mournful style is changed for rejoicing, for the father has already fallen on his neck and kissed his trembling lips into sweet silence. It is not the Lord's desire that sinners should tarry long in the state of unbelieving conviction of sin, it is something wrong in themselves which keeps them there; either they are ignorant of the freeness and fulness of Christ, or they harbor self-righteous hopes, or they cling to their sins. (Spurgeon, 393)
4) A loss of the joy of service. Notice in the elder brother's monologue, he states, "these many years do I serve thee." The Greek word translated as serve is douleuo which means "to be a slave, to be in bondage, to do service." (Vine's, 1030). His statement in the Weymouth translation reads, "I have been slaving for you." The elder brother worked hard and diligently for many years, but only, in his own words, as a slave. His obedience and faithfulness and service all this time had been but a tiresome duty, performed out of fear and dread and obligation, and not out of love nor a desire to please.
What is the cure for the spirit of the elder brother. What did the father do to win back his eldest wayward son?
1) He reminds the elder brother of his sonship and the blessings of sonship. The father said unto him, "Son...all that I have is thine." What meaning is conveyed into that one word, "Son!" Paul stated in his letter to the church in Galatia, " But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4:7 KJV).
From these verses see the wonders of Divine love and mercy; particularly of God the Father, in sending his Son into the world to redeem and save us; of the Son of God, in submitting so low, and suffering so much for us; and of the Holy Spirit, in condescending to dwell in the hearts of believers, for such gracious purposes. Also, the advantages Christians enjoy under the gospel. Although by nature children of wrath and disobedience, they become by grace children of love, and partake of the nature of the children of God; for he will have all his children resemble him. Among men the eldest son is heir; but all God's children shall have the inheritance of eldest sons. May the temper and conduct of sons ever show our adoption; and may the Holy Spirit witness with our spirits that we are children and heirs of God. (Henry, 187)
The father loves both of his sons. Embracing the younger son does not mean that he rejects the older one. Like the prodigal son some people get lost by running away, but no place is too far to keep God's grace from finding them. Others, like the older son, get lost when they stay at home and fail to see grace all around them. We may see in ourselves the prodigal and the elder brother. Like the prodigal we rejoice in the welcoming grace of God. On the other hand, when individuals fail to live up to our standards, we may become critical through self-righteousness, similar to the self-righteous pride of the older brother and the Pharisees. Let us remember that we are all in the desperate need of grace; we ought not have trouble giving grace to those who are undeserving. The fact is that none of us deserves the honor of living in God's homes, so God must give grace to us if we are to make our way to His kingdom. (Arrington-Stronstad, 483)
2) He reminds his son of his relationship with his younger brother. The elder brother distanced himself from his younger sibling. Notice in his statement to his father, he did not refer to the younger as his brother, but as his father's son. "As soon as this thy son has come...you have killed the fatted calf for him." But the father reminds him of his relationship with his younger brother. "This thy brother was dead, and is alive again."
The apostle Paul reminds us in his first letter to the Corinthians that though we are many diverse members, we are one body. He writes in 1 Corinthians 12:25 (KJV) "...there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it." To the Galatians, he penned, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:1-2 KJV).
We are to bear one another's burdens. So we shall fulfil the law of Christ. This obliges to mutual forbearance and compassion towards each other, agreeably to his example. It becomes us to bear one another's burdens, as fellow-travellers. It is very common for a man to look upon himself as wiser and better than other men, and as fit to dictate to them. Such a one deceives himself; by pretending to what he has not, he puts a cheat upon himself, and sooner or later will find the sad effects. This will never gain esteem, either with God or men. Every one is advised to prove his own work. The better we know our own hearts and ways, the less shall we despise others, and the more be disposed to help them under infirmities and afflictions. How light soever men's sins seem to them when committed, yet they will be found a heavy burden, when they come to reckon with God about them. No man can pay a ransom for his brother; and sin is a burden to the soul. It is a spiritual burden; and the less a man feels it to be such, the more cause has he to suspect himself. Most men are dead in their sins, and therefore have no sight or sense of the spiritual burden of sin. Feeling the weight and burden of our sins, we must seek to be eased thereof by the Saviour, and be warned against every sin. (Henry, 194)
3) He reminds his son of his abiding presence. The father told him, "Son, thou art ever with me." The elder son labored in self-imposed exile, alone in the fields, forgetful that his father was there with him. "You may forget it, " the father said in so many words, "but I'm always here with you." Christ has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, and to be with us till the end of time. The writer of Hebrews almost seems to have the story of the elder brother in mind when he writes, "Let brotherly love continue...Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:1,5 KJV).
The Greek word translated as conversation is tropos which means "character or manner of life." (Vine's, 719). A literal translation of this passage would probably read, "Let your way of life be without jealously of others or covetousness of things. Be content with your present circumstances, for I will never leave you nor forsake you." Just as Adam in paradise was not content and was deceived into wanting more, the elder brother, surrounded by grace and wealth, was not content and wanted more. As the father reminded the elder brother, our Heavenly Father reminds us, "I am always here." We need nothing nor no one else.
In the parable of the prodigal son and elder brother, Jesus cracks the door to Heaven, ever so slightly, to reveal His own Father. Through that slender opening we see a purity that the Pharisees couldn't seem to understand. The purity of a father's love. A love that didn't play favorites. A love that reached out not only to the prodigal, lost in a distant country, but to the pharasaical, lost just outside the doorstep of home (Gire, 59).
I read a story recently of a woman who was married to an egotistical and harsh husband. Each day, before leaving for work, he would give her a list of things which he wanted done during the day. If she did not complete every task on the list, he would explode in anger at her. And if she did complete everything, he would not be satisified or would complain about how she did each task.
After many years of marriage, her husband passed away, and she would later marry a man who loved and cherished her, not for what she done, but just for who she was. One day, she was looking through a box of old records and papers and came across one of the lists from her previous husband. As she read it, a sudden realization caused her to weep tears of joy. She was still doing the things on the list. But she was doing them, not because someone was telling her to do them, not because she felt obligation or fear, but just simply because she loved her husband and wanted to please him.
This is what is unique about the age of grace. We don't perform works to get into heaven, we do them because we are going to heaven - not because we serve a taskmaster, but because we have a loving and merciful Father. And we are not His slaves, but His sons.
"Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4:7 KJV).
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WORKS CITED
Arrington, L., and Stronstad, R., ed. Full Life Bible Commentary to the New Testament, Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1999.
Gire, K., Instructive Moments with the Savior, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992.
Gower, R., The New Manners and Customs of Bible Times, Chicago: Moody Press, 1987.
Henry, M., Commentary on the Holy Bible, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1979.
Morgan, G., The God Who Cares, Old Tappan: Revell, 1931.
Pentecost, J., The Words and Works of Jesus Christ, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981.
Richards, L., ed. The Revell Bible Dictionary, Old Tappan: Revell, 1990.
Smith, J., and Lee, R., ed. Handfuls on Purpose, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971.
Spurgeon, C., Miracles and Parables of Our Lord, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998.
Stamps, D., The Full Life KJV Study Bible, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992.
Vine, W.E., Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, McLean: MacDonald, No publication date cited.
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