SLIDES

A Parable of Reconciliation and Restoration

Part 4 Luke 15:25-32

 Introduction

As we work through the verses in our lesson today, let’s remember that Jesus told this parable in Luke 15 to demonstrate to the Pharisees that that even though they did not love nor respect the outcasts and dregs of the nation if Isarel such as tax collectors, sheep herders, tanners, prostitutes, God certainly did.  In the story of the shepherd who went after one of his sheep who wandered off until he found it, and the woman who diligently sought after a coin, until she found it teaches us that our Heavenly Father sought after those believing Israelites who were believers who were out of fellowship with Him, even if they were considered outcasts by the Pharisees. By doing this, God showed love, grace, and mercy toward these disobedient backsliding outcasts. These two stories also teach us that when a believer in Jesus is out of fellowship with Him today, because His grace, mercy, and love, He will seek them to return to fellowship with Him or patiently wait for them to return.

In today’s lesson, our focus will be on the eldest son’s relationship and attitude toward his younger brother and to his father and what these relationships may teacher us today. Before we dive into the lesson, I want each of us to ponder and silently answer the following questions about our view of other believers in relation to ourselves. Do I ever think or say the following:

·  “I don’t hang around with people I don’t like.”

·  “I have some issues and problems, but that’s between God and me, and at least I am better off than so-and-so.”

·  “If they too worked harder at doing what’s right, then they would be better off.” 

·  The way many are doing church, isn’t the ‘right way!

·      I find it hard to be friends with people who do the wrong things.

·      It’s not my responsibility to help people who won’t help themselves.

·      I’m feeling grateful to be a Christian when you see other people’s failures and flaws.

·      I sometimes judge those who see things differently.

·      I feel better about myself than others because of “all the things I do for the Lord.”

·      I am sometimes critical of other people’s walk with God.

In our last lesson we saw that the prodigal son came to his senses about his dire situation in a faraway land. He began the process of repenting when he took the first step of admitting he had sinned against the Father in heaven and his earthly father when he left home and waisted his inheritance on sinful living. The second of repentance was the action of going home and confessing to his father that he had screwed up. The father showed grace and mercy toward him by forgiving him and treating like the son he was instead of a hired hand.  The father told the servants to place a ring on his finger, and to get him an expensive robe and a pair of sandals. A fattened calf was killed and cooked for a celebration the father was giving because his son had returned. Now we pick up the next part of the story with verse 25.

The Older Brother (25-32)

As we unpack the last portion of story of this Israelite family, please remember that this part of the parable in Luke 15 is about family relationships. The youngest son who took his inheritance to another land and waisted it has confessed his sin to his father and has repented. Now we are going to deal with another family relationship between the oldest son and the father.

25    “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.

26    “And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be.

27    “And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound

The older son returns from working in the field to find there was music and dancing coming from his house. (This could not be a Baptist family if they were dancing.) He inquires what is going on from one of the servants and the servant told him his younger brother had returned and his father was giving a celebration party with a fattened calf. A fattened calf was a delicacy because it was probably corn fed rather than grass fed. It was prime beef. The servant also explained that the father had “received him back safe and sound.”  The verb “receive back” is important. It means “to receive something one previously possessed.” It’s like the sheep and the coin that was returned to its rightful place. Even though he had lived a hard life when the famine came, he returned home relatively good health, safe and sound, in spite of all that he had gone through.

28    But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.

Instead of being happy, like his father was, about his younger brother returning home, he became angry and refused to go into the house to celebrate. His father pleaded with him to go join the festivities, but he refused. Now, there are four questions we need to try to answer.

1. Did the father tell the older son that he was watching for his brother every day? If not, did he know it?

2. Why did the father not tell the elder brother that his younger brother had come home?

3. Why did the father not invite the older brother to the celebration.

4. Did the older brother have a right to be upset with the father’s actions just mentioned?

I want to make several observations. Now we see a reversal among the brothers. The older son that was the obedient son and the insider is now complaining from the outside and the younger son who was the wayward child and the outsider is now celebrating from the inside. So, the outsider is now the insider and the insider is not the outsider. The older brother who was the faithful and obedient son did not join in the celebration and the younger son who wandered and squandered his inheritance is given a huge celebration. Does this seem fair? Let’s continue the story!

29    “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;

The word “look” is the same Greek word that Jesus used when He wanted to call attention to something important when He said” Verily (KJV) or truly I say to you.” He reminded his father that he served as a slave by him faithfully serving him by never disobeying an order that his father gave him. There is more irony here. The obedient son is now disobedient because he will not personally welcome his brother home and will not be part of the celebration for his brother’s homecoming. The disobedient son has not repented and is not he obedient son. The gracious and merciful father is being portrayed as being unfaithful and unfair.  The older brother is basically saying, “This is so unfair.” “Where is the justice in all of this?”

The older son also complains that not only about the lack of generosity toward him not even a goat was made available for him. A goat was worth very little compared to a fattened calf. That’s like comparing a hamburger to a quality steak. The faithful son’s feelings are hurt and the father’s integrity and evenhandedness are called in to question. He separates himself from his brother and faults his father for being kind to his reprobate brother.  

30 “… but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.”

In verse 30 the complaint continues. He accuses his father of lack of support for himself and to the gracious treatment of his brother. Note that he does not even acknowledge his family relationship with his brother. He calls him “this son of yours.” Also, he accused his brother of ravenously eating up the father wealth by associating with prostitutes. Did the older son just surmise that his brother associated with prostitutes or did he hear that from someone else? The older son’s message to his father was clear. His rebellious brother should be disowned, not honored. How could his father give a celebration and killed a fattened calf to someone of such despicable character.

Several more questions?

1. Did the father make known to his older son that he could have a party with his friends and kill a lamb or may even a fatted calf? If not, should he have?

2. Should the elder son have asked his father to have a party with his friends?

In the next two verses we find the fathers reply to his son’s accusations.

31    “And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.

32    ‘But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”

There is a difference in tone between the son and his father. Pay close attention to this. The son’s accusations were harsh and the father’s response is gentler. He addresses his older son tenderly by using the term that can be translated “my child” instead of son. The father acknowledges that his son has always been by his side and that all that belongs to the him (the father) belongs to his son. Note the son had always (at all times) been with him as his son and all that belongs to the father belongs to him as well. The word father’s use of always is in contrast to the son’s use of never in verse 29. So basically, the father is saying to his older son that your accusation is incorrect. Don’t lose sight of the fact that the father was telling his son that the benefits he has always had include his access to him. In reality the son has always had access to the animals he wanted for a party because they were his.

In verse 32 the father changes from the son’s relationship with him to that of his brother. Note that he tells his older son that “we” that includes the father and the older son, that “we had to celebrate and rejoice…” The word that is translated “had to” literally means “it was necessary.” This is the same word that is used in John 4:4 when Jesus told his disciples that” He had to pass through Sameria.” It was necessary for Jesus to go to Samaria because he had an appointment with the woman at the well as well as many of the Samaritans in Sychar. The father was saying that the celebration was not just appropriate but also necessary. The father tells his oldest son that he is just not my son, but he also your brother.  We must remember from our lesson last week that a resurrection of sorts had occurred. The prodigal son was dead (dead to his father since he was no longer with him) and now he is alive again. What a great reason to rejoice. The question on the listeners of Jesus’ parable is “What will the older son do now?”

Now that the story has been told about the attitude and conversation between the father and his oldest son, what does it all mean and also what can we take away from it. In short, the father represents our Heavenly Father who is gracious and forgiving and the oldest son represents the attitude of Pharisees who were not charitable at all. The older brother was not charitable towards his younger brother. They despised the outcasts of Israel and wanted nothing to do with them. On the other hand, Jesus loved these outcasts and enjoyed being in their company. Because of this attitude, many of these outcasts trusted in Jesus as the Messiah.

The questions I asked at the beginning of this lesson deal with a pharisaical attitude. We can choose to be like the older son and the Pharisees or we can choose to be like the prodigal son’s father and our Heavenly Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. Its’ always our choice to make.

There are several main truths that we can take away from this story. First, the father pled with his oldest son to join in the celebration of the homecoming of his brother. He refused. During church history, there have been those who were out of fellowship with the Lord. When they repented and returned, every believer in their congregation should have rejoiced.  The same thing occurred sometimes when someone trusts in Christ at the end of a life of sin. In both cases, there were those believers who refused to rejoice in the return of their brother or sister in Christ or when someone got saved late in life. Their mindset is one of a Pharisee. Why should God forgive them after all of the horrible things they have done and why should I?

This is what the parable of the workers is all about. Some workers started at the beginning of the day. Some joined in at lunch while other an hour before quitting time. They all go the same wage for that day. Those who worked all day or began at lunch were upset that the ones who started an hour before quitting time got the same wage as them. This is an evangelistic parable that teaches that there are those who trust in Christ as their Savior early in their lives. Others are saved in the middle of their lives, while even others at the end of their lives. God shows grace to all of these by giving them the same benefits and blessings that salvation brings regardless of the time of their life that they trusted in Christ as their Savior. Our attitude should be one of rejoicing that a person trusted in Christ at any time during their lives, even at the end. 

The father did not force him to join in the celebration of the son who had returned. Our heavenly Father will not force us to join in rejoicing over someone who has repented and returned. We have the choice of being like a Pharisee by not rejoicing or we can allow the joy that come from the Holy Spirit to spring up in our lives.

One thing is that the older brother should have been cautious about making accusations against his father. The oldest son ended up being a self-righteous man. He basically said, “After all I have done for you and you never gave me a young goat that I could party with my friends.” As with the Pharisees of old and those of us today, we feel sometimes that the Father has given us less than we deserve. God just has not blessed us or rewarded us at the level we think we deserve. After all, we think sometimes, we deserve more from God whom we have served so well.

The problem many times is that we look at what God has given others. Maybe we should spend more time looking at those who were less fortunate than we have been or at least from one perspective to those who God has blessed or rewarded less than He has rewarded or blessed us. As Mick Jaggar sings in one of his recordings, “You can’t always get what you want, but you will get what you need!” 

Never forget that God is Sovereign and He can do whatever He wants to and whenever He wants to.

The older son was gently rebuked by His father and there are times when we must listen to our Heavenly Father’s rebuke of us.  The earthly father told his older son that he was always with him and that all that belonged to him also believe to older son. “After all, you, my son, are my heir and you have always had access to me.” There is certainly a sharp contrast seen here between the older and the younger sons. The younger son had squandered away his inheritance but the inheritance of the older son was still intact. There was no need for the older son to feel any resentment and jealousy simply because his father was having a celebration for his repentant son. The disadvantages of those wasted years were very real for the prodigal son. The older brother was far ahead of the game simply because he had stayed home. We must be always be mindful that as long as we remain in fellowship with Jesus that we always have access to Jesus day or night.

Hebrews 4:16 - Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In the same way, there is no need for us to feel slighted in any way when repentant sinners return to fellowship with God. They have probably squandered many of their heavenly rewards because of their behavior, but those who have stayed obedient to God, still have your rewards intact. Rejoice with the one who returns, he or she has nothing on you. Rejoice and celebrate that the Lord shows grace and mercy to these people. If the Lord can be joyous when they return, why should not we?

The bottom line of this parable is a decision you and I will have to make on a daily basis. Do you want to display God like characteristics or Pharisee like characteristics. This story is about God’s grace and mercy toward one who has veered away from the comforts and safety of the fold. When one does stray and return, we should be overjoyed because God had either gone after him or her or patiently waited for them to return. If God loves them and has accepted them, why in the world would we reject them. Their spiritual rewards are probably either gone or diminished, but ours are intact. Why all the fuss and resentment toward them?

Think through the ten questions I asked you at the beginning of this lesson one at a time. Does each question exemplify you as one who is like Jesus or one that is like the Pharisees. If like Jesus, wonderful. If like the Pharisees, you have something to work on.

 SELAH