But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him

Luke 15:28

Recurrent Thought

When God demonstrates His Grace to others, be grateful; for you too are a recipient of the same

Our appreciation or the lack thereof of the Grace of God at work in others is the measure of our passion for Kingdom advancement. If we are passionate about the expansion of the Kingdom or the reign of God in a particular geographical locality, we will not be bothered in how God saves people. The reality is that all peoples are sinners despite their civilization, their education, culture and all manner of trappings of live.

The Luke 15 story begins with the fact that the Pharisees stumbled on the fact that Jesus attracted people with questionable characters: the tax collectors, prostitute, vagabonds etc. In answering their inner grumblings, Jesus gave the three Parables whose emphasis was the necessity of joy due to the fact that the Lost were found. Thus, in the story, without saying it, Jesus showed that it was needful to rejoice for the fact that the ones rejected were coming in the Kingdom of God (Luke 15:1-2).

Despite having deep lessons in all the three parables the main point of Jesus telling the Stories was to unmask the legalism of the Pharisees and show that they did not understand the Grace and Mercy of God.  Jesus reveals the narrowmindedness of the Pharisees through the behaviour of the Older brother.

The Story of the Older brother is the main point of the Three Parables (Luke 15:1-2)

Five Behaviors of the Elder Son in the story

1. He Questions the Purpose of the Party for a Squanderer (Prodigal)
   • The older brother does not understand the excitement as regard to this one who sinned so much
   • He does not understand how the Father responds with such joy towards the son who squandered everything
   • He stumbles on the celebration of a changed life through the Gospel,
   • The merry-making at home distressed him (Luke 15:26-30). He sulked over the goodness of God and this exposes how he misunderstands the Love that rescues the lost. This gloomy and bitter spirit is a Pharisaic spirit which does not want others to enter heaven (Mathew 23).
   • In essence the Elder Brother evaluates the case and blames the father for wastage.
   • The older brother could understand the Goodness of the Father.
   • The Elder Son could not understand the Power of the Gospel to transform lives
   • The unfortunate thing is that He is the one who keeps the Law and yet has no relationship with the father. He is within the vicinity of Grace but never enjoys it.
2. He Questions the Administration of the Grace of God
   • The Elder Brother expresses his pain. It was very close.
   • The older brother claims that God is not fair for he has not expressed the same excitement for him
   • The older brother believes that God is not fair for not having expressed grace and mercy for him who has been faithful. He has not come back with the blessings of great appointment despite his faithfulness
   • To Him God is Unfair. He does not assess properly, a Squanderer he gives grace
3. The Elder Son Reveals His Ungratefulness
   • He claims that he had been faithful and yet God had never thrown a party for him
   • The Father showed him that all that was in the house were His.
   • The Elder Son looked at this one event of the demonstration of mercy and concluded that the Father was unfair. He concluded that the father was not appreciative of his services.
   • The Elder Son had it all wrong. Hee had been enjoying daily, the comfort of the Father and the bounty of the parental table; he was an ungrateful recipient of the constant kindness of God
   • One extraordinary feast granted to his brother was nothing in comparison with the constant and continued manifestations of fatherly love and care he had been receiving day by day for many years
   • It is evil on our part when we can’t celebrate the very constant kindness of God, the very regularity of his gifts and never see his fatherly love in such things.
   • Many do not understand the wisdom found in the fact that a life of continuous godliness is far easier than a life of godliness succeeding a life of sin.
   • We must listen to the father well when he assures that " And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours (Luke 15:31) 
4. The Elder Son Despite Keeping the Rules He was Never Happy
   • The Elder Son is like the Pharisees who stay religious but are never happy. Although they put an appearance at the temple, they were never happy in their religion.
   • He was usually at home, but never enjoyed the Fathers Home. (Luke 15:25.) The self-righteous spirit made him an isolated soul. The elder son was really as forgetful of God as the younger; however, his forgetfulness took a different form.
   • He did not understand the joy of home despite being in close proximity. He had the Father but never enjoyed his Presence.
   • In his anger he demonstrates a godless spirit. (Luk_15:29.) He has been a faithful and faultless servant, he believes, and yet he has never got even a kid to make merry with his friends. His whole idea of joy is away from the father. He thinks to spend it all with friends is great. He is still in the first stage of the younger brother, from which he happily has escaped.
   • The Elder Son is unable to realize the necessity of to rejoicing over the return of the lost. (Luk_15:31, Luk_15:32.) The father’s explanations are vain, although they ought to have been convincing.
   • The Elder Brother was full of jealous and he could not rejoice, on account of the return of his younger brother.
   • Unfortunately, those with this behavior of the Elder Son do not rejoice at the recovery of fallen fellows by the ministry of Christ.
   • Due to this behavior some People rejoice at the misfortunes of their friends.
5. The Elder Son’s warped Character was sustained by Wrong views
   • He had wrong views of the character of God. This man did not have sufficient trust in the integrity and goodness of his father.
   • He wrong views of the nature of kingdom service. This elder brother considered the service of his father as legal and constrained. The child of God ought to have a properly feeling of serving in the Fathers House! He saves as a son and heir to the inheritance.
   • He had wrong feeling towards the objects of Divine mercy.
   • He saw his brother as a prodigal son, only. He justified his feeling because that is all he surmised.
   • He refused to appreciate his brother as a valuable member of the family because he had greatly sinned. His feelings did not appreciate how Grace is given to Sinners

Conclusion

The elder brother was an angry man, don’t be one

Altar Time

• Lord despite my situations, let me not be bitter on reason of what you are doing in Others
• I am Grateful for What you continue to do in my life