The Older Brother Part II
Thanks for the wonderful comments and observations from the last post concerning the older brother. I heard Randy Harris say one time that most of us cannot relate to the younger son, in that most of us have not TOTALLY turned our back on God in rebellion. Yeah, we struggle daily......if not hourly.......but I would guess most of us have never completely left God altogether. Randy went on then to quickly add that most of us HAVE been the older brother sometime in our walk......therefore we can relate to him much better. BINGO! Guilty as charged. How about you? Have you ever felt you EARNED God's love and grace? Then the older brother's attitude and heart should resonate with you. And as I pointed out yesterday, if you have been opposed to God showing grace to someone else or some other group, and if you have been judgemental of someone's idea of celebration......then you have walked in the older brother's shoes.
One last observation about the older brother, and then I will move on to some other topic. Isn't it sad that the older brother had lived with his father all those years, and didn't even really KNOW his father?!? I am assuming he knew a lot ABOUT his father, but like many of us, he found out there is a HUGE difference in knowing about a father and actually knowing him. If he had known him, the celebration would not have been a surprise to him. The love the father showed for his younger brother would have been anticipated and expected......instead of being a shock.
Don't think this point was missed by Jesus's audience that day. Remember who he was talking to.........those who thought they knew the Father better than anybody! Come to find out, all they knew was ABOUT him. If they had really known the Father, they would have known His son. They killed the son of the one they thought they knew.
Do you know about Him.......or do you KNOW HIM?
8 Comments:
Thanks
KR
I know that for a long time in my earlier life I was very critical at times and not understanding at all of fellow Christians going through struggles with which I didn't have any problems. After living longer and going through a lot of terrible things myself, I came to a much more humble place in considering the shortcomings of others and in truly rejoicing for and with people and the Father when they "came back," so to speak.
I don't know that I've ever felt, though, that I had earned God's love and grace. Quite the opposite was true for me.
And, I'm not so sure but what the older brother may have in some ways deep down inside felt "inferior" and loved much less than his younger brother and was driven to jealousy because of those feelings. Not of having earned his father's love and grace but of NOT having earned it, as it may have appeared to him his younger brother did, without "just cause."
I don't know - what do y'all think about that possibility? Resonate with anyone?
Those who know about God ask, "What must I do?" Focus is on self. Those who know God ask, "What can I do for you?" Focus on others. I have always loved the following quote:
God is calling us to be conduits of his grace, not cul-de-sacs." - John Piper, Let the Nations Be
Glad! (2nd edition, Baker, 2003, page 102)
It is always a struggle to know God rather than just know about Him. Fortunately, He knows that and remembers that we are dust!
I wonder if the older brother wasn't jealous -- not of the welcome home, but of the fact that the younger brother had loads of forbidden fun and then got back in -- equal with the one who had denied himself all the fun he secretly wished he could have. Kind of like the older ladies who chaffed at us years ago when we gave a baby shower to a young lady who had confessed adultery. They actually told us that by showering the young lady with love we would be encouraging adultery among our teens! Yessir -- LOTS of girls will get pregnant for those fine parting gifts....
I have been the older brother recently in some of my feelings toward a certain person. I'm praying & seeking God in this. You hit the nail on the head with this one. To Patrick, What a tragic story! Did these women ever repent of this publicly?
Not that I know of -- but I can hope they did. They are God's daughters and I know He would forgive them and, in fact, longs to.
Sometimes I think we miss the point of the entire parable. We call it the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The real hero of the story is the loving Father who waits at the door every day, every hour, every minute. When he sees his son, he runs. God pursues us daily. You're right, David, how sad for the older brother to have lived with his Father and never knew Him. How many of us do the same? Great post, bro!!
Jim, this has always been my favorite parable because you can look at it from at least 9 different viewpoints that even I can think of, and I'm not all that imaginative. There are probably lots more. I like to think it is about God, Israel, and the gentile nations, as well.
Regarding knowing God vs. knowing about him, it's kind of like knowing the stats of your favorite ball players vs. getting out on the field and playing ball. Too often I'm sitting in the stands. It's immaterial whether I'm cheering or booing the players--the question is: "Am I in the game?"
Good posts, davey.
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