The older brother of the prodigal son demonstrates what can happen when people are around religion for a long time. Unlike his father, who expressed relief and mercy for his brother for returning home, the older brother was horrified by the celebration held in his brother's honor. His jealousy went beyond jealousy. His fury swept over him. As a result, his father suffered and his son wasted the family's valuable assets.
On the surface, those feelings make sense, and could have been based in love for his father. But further reading shows that this son had missed the blessings the father had been bestowing on him. That was the attitude of the Pharisees who first heard Jesus tell this story. It became the view of Jews in general as the Good News spread to the Gentiles. How could Jesus be so friendly toward sinners yet so distant from people who carefully practiced the finer points of the Law? How could God show compassion toward the Gentiles while bypassing the Jews, who had been His people for generations?
It might feel as if everyone overlooks people who make a lifelong habit of obeying God. It may seem like new followers of Jesus with gruesome pasts get all the attention. To everyone who feels under-appreciated, Jesus’ parable supplies both a comfort and a challenge. The comfort is that God never forgets who His children are. He blesses them continually. He has great treasures stored up for them.
The challenge is that they need to maintain the right perspective. Every one of their godly choices brings great good. We will never stop needing the Father’s compassion and mercy to make these choices and to recover from the bad ones. And when they comprehend that, they will find it easier to watch others connect or reconnect with the Father’s heart.
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