What a Father!
The story of the Prodigal is one of the most famous stories of all time, and rightly so. It is so rich and deep that books have been written on this one very short story.
Most of the focus is usually on the younger son. We love the notion of the prodigal come home. And what a great father! The son has squandered quite a bit of money and doubtless brought shame on the family name. Nevertheless, when the son suggest coming back as a hired servant the father will hear nothing of it. His son is home safe again. Time to celebrate. For all of the fallen sinners out there, father is just waiting for you to come home.
As I have gotten older and spent more and more time in the church I find myself drawn more and more to the older brother. This is the one who stayed home but was really as far away from his farther as the prodigal. It’s not just that he won’t attend the party; he’s mad that there even is a party. When he wants to know what’s going on he doesn’t go to the father, but asks a servant instead. When the father comes out to him this boy complains that he has been the father’s slave. He really doesn’t have a clue.
In many ways the older brother is a less sympathetic character than the younger. In fact, in the only way that really matters he is less sympathetic. The younger brother has realized how good the farther is while the older one hasn’t.
Yet, the father loves them both and says even to the older one, “All I have is yours.” What a father!
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