Lesson 4408

 (Lesson 4408)(02-26-24) Luke 15:25-32 

“Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” 

 

Today’s quote continues the Parable of the Prodigal Son, it is focused on the elder son's reaction to the celebration for the younger. When the elder returned from working in the fields and learned about his brother's return and the celebration that the father had arranged for him, he became angry and refused to join in. His father came out to plead with him, but the elder son expressed his frustration, feeling overlooked despite his years of faithful service without transgression. He resented the celebration for his wayward brother who had squandered his inheritance. The father responded by affirming the constant presence of his eldest son, stating that everything he had belonged to him. However, the father insisted that celebrating the younger son's return is a good thing because he had been lost and was then found, was dead but again lived. This part of the parable highlights themes of jealousy, grace, and the joy of reconciliation, contrasting the human tendency to earn favor with the unearned grace of the father.