prodigal god, elder brothers

A parable in New Testament (Luke 15:11-32) goes like this:

A man had two sons. One day the younger one asked him to divide up his property and gave him his share. The father agreed and the young son took his share and went away. He then squandered all his fortune and ended up working in the pig field eating pig feed, then he repented and headed home feeling totally ashamed and was ready to accept the lowest position his father would give him, when, surprisingly, his father came running to him with open arms and started a great feast of celebration for him.

Now the elder brother was coming home from work and heard the music and dancing, and learned it was all for his wayward brother's homecoming celebration set up by his father. He was angry, and said to his father, "For years I have slaved for you and you gave me nothing, and yet this other son who squandered your fortune away you throw him such an extravagant party (at my expense)!"

"'My son," the father said, "you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

So, this is the well-known "prodigal son" parable, the focus traditionally being on the repenting son and the forgiving father, representing the lost people and the all loving God, respectively.

But how about that very disgruntled elder son... Who does he represent?

He represents the moralistic church-goers who think they are behaviorally superior to the unchurched, the self-righteous ones who think they are entitled to having more from God because they have given Him more, the insecure ones who think they have to work hard for God lest He should take things away from them...

How does such great disconnect come into play?

Misunderstanding the true meaning of salvation is certainly one cause of it, but another more egregious cause probably comes from the spiritual laziness that puts us in a default "religious mode" that treats our Godhead just like a Figurehead: adorned, respected, but not conversed, praised, loved, day in and day out, intimately. Worships and rituals then become acts and formality, duties without pleasure. The joy disappears, the resentment sets in. Soon we become the elder brothers.

These are some points I take from the book "Prodigal God" by Timothy Keller, a great book Ivan picked and guided for the group for the past few meetings. Two other things I think the book explains beautifully well at the end are on the meanings of "Homecoming" and "Feasting," that I'll leave for my buddies to share with me when we meet again this Saturday :)