Parable of the Prodigal Son Should Be of the Elder Brother

Dr. Baucham believes that the title of what we call the “parable of the prodigal son” in Luke 15 should be “the parable of the elder son.”  He has a good reason.  Let’s begin the truths that Jesus is really trying to convey.

For background, in previous chapters of Luke, Jesus is often eating at prominent homes of the Pharisees, who often test and challenge Him with questions—with an intent to trap him.  They particularly don’t like the “other” people who obtain audience with Him.  As it says in Luke 15:1-2:

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. ² And the Pharisees and scribes complained (or grumbled), saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”

These verses are the key to understanding the three parables in the rest of the chapter, including the “prodigal son.” They have a single message; Jesus wants them to see their evil thoughts, as we shall see. The Pharisees realize that Jesus has some strange gift in His teaching and healing, but they can’t be friends--His fellowship with “sinners” is a deal-breaker; these people are unacceptable to the Pharisees.  The three parables that Jesus now tells make one point, in escalating sequence.

Parable One in Luke 15 is the man with a hundred sheep who goes out to rescue one lost one.  When he finds it, he is so happy that he rejoices with friends and neighbors.  Even though one sheep is only 1% of his wealth, he breaks out in rejoicing nevertheless (these were not rich guys).  The immediate lesson Jesus is teaching is, God’s concern for all of the world is so great that if only one person is made righteous, there is rejoicing in heaven over the one.  In Luke 15:7 Jesus expresses it thus:

I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

That last phrase, “just persons who need no repentance” is a hint; you will see what it means after the three parables are completed.  But the Pharisees, clueless after this “hint,” are likely in agreement with Him about the lesson.

Parable Two is a woman with 10 silver coins, who loses one.  Now we’re up to the idea that 10% of her wealth is gone.  After a desperate search, she finds it, and again, asks everyone to rejoice with her.  And Jesus again connects the metaphor to salvation; He says that the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents. The Pharisees would still be nodding their heads in agreement, even though they never saw the need for repenting. When John the Baptist was in town, they didn’t join the repenting going on; they felt they didn’t have a problem that way.  They could, however, see the joy of increasing wealth.  They have compartmentalized thinking.

Now Jesus lowers the boom in Parable Three.  A man had two sons.  Think where we’ve gone in importance—one sheep out of a hundred sheep, one coin out of 10—and now, only 2 precious living sons. One son left home to do evil.  He was lost…but later he returned!  There is great rejoicing—by his father.  Let’s study the parable in detail, and we’ll see exactly what Jesus wants us to learn.

Note first how the younger son was awful in how he treated the father.  He had said to his father, “give me the share of property that is coming to me.”  Since you’re supposed to get that when daddy dies, the son said, in effect, “Oh, man, I can’t wait around any longer for you to die. So go ahead and give me my inheritance now.”  We would say “You, ungrateful…:  But no, the Scripture simply records that the father divided his property and gave him his half. Scripture also records that only a few days later he left home to go to ‘a far country.’  Whenever God’s people do that, they’re headed for trouble.  God wants the Jews in Canaan, the land of promise—not in Egypt, or Assyria, or Babylon; they just wasted time living elsewhere.  Wanderlust like this son wants usually means that you’re planning on sinning against God.  Indeed, this son already proved himself to be greedy, ungrateful, and impatient—and he is now doubling down.  After he takes off, and indeed had riotous living.  Luke 15 then says a severe famine arose—this is a sign of God’s judgment.  He gets hungry, and has reached an all-time low. And his job becomes feeding pigs—no Jew should ever feel good about feeding pigs. 

Jesus was, in effect, saying that this son was the kind of sinner the Pharisees could make as a poster child for “do not do this, and especially do not even talk to people like this.”  In fact, the prodigal son reflects the same kind of people which hung around Jesus. But that son was still loved by the father.  And he repented.  And his father forgave him. He is on the right road.

One percent of your sheep, you find it, you rejoice; 10% of your coin, you find it, you rejoice; and especially likewise you rejoice over a son that was lost and has returned, in repentance. Note the son’s honesty in calling it a sin.  He didn’t feel like he deserved to be called his father’s son; he was willing to be a servant in his father’s house.  A true repentant.

But further study is needed, because Dr. Baucham is trying to claim that this parable, or the three parables together, is really about the eldest son; and it was directed at the Pharisees, as you’ll see.  And maybe it’s directed at you or me.  Lots of people condemn the Pharisees, yet have the same mentality.  The Pharisees listening in were in agreement this time as well--until the ending of the third parable—and then they figure out Jesus is aiming it at them.  He is honing in on their refusal to see any value in the common sinner. Even if that sinner has faith, or repentance, they still look at the past and see a “sinner.” These men would never allow this son in heaven; Jesus would.  The Pharisees operate on a “works=salvation” base, the opposite of what God does. They should rejoice over this return to the father.  But they don’t, and the parables are asking “why not?”  There is a warning to them in the answer.

So Jesus is getting to the high point of the parable.  Let’s see it from Luke 15:24ff:

“²⁴ for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to celebrate.  Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. ²⁷ And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf’ ²⁸ But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. ³⁰ But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ ³¹ “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. ³² It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

So the eldest son is not rejoicing—in fact, he is angry, and even refuses to show up at the party. The Pharisees were supposed to think on that.  If the Pharisees can understand celebrations for sheep, or coins, why not even a greater rejoicing for a son whose soul was lost, and is found? Why not agree with the angels, who are rejoicing in heaven?  Well, this is the rub--they don’t feel that these kinds of people deserve heaven; they’ve got too many sins.  But they feel that they do, because, like the elder son, they followed the rules, they didn’t break the law or their tradition, they were careful not to sin.  THEY deserved gratitude, because they acted righteously (so they thought). Not these people; they were just ‘sinners’ unless their works were proper. (Note also that the elder son wanted to have a party too, but not with his father—but with his friends). 

Dr. Baucham says it’s easy for us to see the sin in other people, but hard to see it within ourselves.  Jesus wants to show the Pharisees what kind of people they are. So He gives  a contrast between the two sons. The Pharisees, like the eldest son, their own hearts were ruined by prideful judgmentalism--but they didn’t even know it.  Do any of my readers have a sin problem like that, that they are not aware?  Do you have a prophet that God has placed in your path, and when he admonished you, your reaction was not right, and you blame him or ignore him?  Perhaps you comforted yourself because you thought of someone else that is a worse sinner than you.  I’m sure God accepts that ‘justification,’ right?  To really show the Pharisees’ heart, what was their reaction to Jesus when they perceived that He was judging them in the parable?  They got angry, like the eldest son.  But let’s talk about real wickedness; not too much later, they wanted to kill Jesus.  They wanted to kill God; imagine that.  But the prodigal son, who had been greedy, selfish, and impatient, who had dishonored his father, who squandered his wealth, who left the covenant community--was now so happy that he repented, his father forgave and accepted him, that he will probably never do those things again.  The forgiveness and mercy that he experienced has given him a born-again changed life. His relationship with his father was love and relief.  He feels washed from his sin.  Now, who, I ask you, deserves heaven?  The guys who want to kill God incarnate?  Or the guy who loves being with his father again?  The self-righteous guys who can’t even see that their great sins are pride and self-righteousness (for starters), and don’t even realize that their hearts are ruined?  Or the guy who recognizes his past sins and now sees no motivation any more to continue in them?  You see how this was a warning to the Pharisees.  And how it could be a warning to us, if we feel God “owes us” because of our presumed righteousness that we generated on our own. Do you ever say to yourself, “I did what God wanted, I tithed—a but I’m not getting wealthier, like Malachi promised. He owes me.  I could have used that money that I tithed.”  Or, I didn’t cheat this year on my taxes, so God should be proud of me.  Or, “I have slaved as pastor for this church for a decade, but I know several churches that pay their pastor better than this congregation of mine.  Or, I could pay back maybe 3 or 4 of my credit cards if I got the treatment I deserve, because I had faith that God promised prosperity.  God, how about a break this time at the lottery?  I’m getting depressed.  And so on.  Saying “God should do good for me, I’ve been righteous” are Pharisaical thoughts. When you feel God owes you, you’ve got the whole gospel upside down.  The Gospel is about God’s mercy and our coming to Him in humbleness, not feeling worthy.  We must desire change that led us into past sins.  We must love and are obedient to Him because of what He did to make it possible to even have a relationship with Him. Parents, you pray that your children will never know the life of the prodigal—but do you pray that your children will not become like the older brother?  Keep in mind, the prodigal son got saved, so his soul is right.  But do you want to hear your children say something like “I earned it.” We definitely don’t want this kind of self-righteousness ingrained in a son or daughter’s personality; such a child will not make it to heaven thinking like that.  Parents make a mistake, telling the “bad” child, “why can’t you be like your brother?” Watch that--you shouldn’t raise the “elder brother syndrome.”  Is it possible that you seldom pray for the elder, since he never gets in trouble?  That you thank God for how “easy” he was to raise?  But the main goal is, you want him born-again, right?  But you should know that the continuous self-righteous ones are the toughest to convert, and the most surprised when they end up in hell.  He finds it easier to hide his wicked pride, rather than the obvious screw-ups by the prodigal.  

Father’s counsel to the older brother is wise: He tells older son. “you had me the whole time.”  And, “everything I have is yours.”  His son should have acknowledged these advantages, but he didn’t; he is still resentful, and his anger is likely directed toward his father. This son wanted recognition, typical of pridefulness. Repentance usually doesn’t result when the sin is self-righteousness or pride. His works and law-keeping were earning him something for heaven—and earth—he thought. If he is not prospering as the pagans, he will say, “that’s not fair, God.”  It is too easy to compare himself with others; he is totally missing that the gospel is not about “who sins the least.” That’s a game that he, from outward behavior, at least, could win. Works righteousness can make you spiritually blind like that. It’s too easy for the elder brother not to see his need for a Savior, for mercy to forgive his great sin. He might say, “what do you mean—are you talking about me?” 

If he’s got a PhD in anything, he is less likely to feel a need for a Lord to rule his life, either.  He is likely to pray, “Thank God that I am not like one of them,” a prayer that puts one closer to hell, as Jesus explains only three chapters later.  Works righteousness is also a down-trending vortex, too.  When the repentant sinner is getting all the attention, the prideful elder brother might likely think, “To get my father’s approval, I just haven’t been good enough yet,” and he doubles down in his legalism and that reaction ultimately expands his pride.  Then he is still far away from the father, and he doesn’t feel spiritually satisfied, and he is miserable. Scripture says, “the Law kills.” We should be thanking our Lord for His redemption, worshipping and loving Him.  But people like the elder brother, who give credit to themselves, have robbed Jesus from His praise.  He instead might praise his own works, however insufficient they are.  Finally, he can’t even rejoice over the goodness of God’s wonderful gospel. 

He should go to his father and say, “I’m reminded of how I’ve experienced your blessing this whole time, and did not have to suffer privations like my poor younger brother, until he got home.  You have been generous to him, and to me.  Thanks, dad, for being here for me.” The way he is, Ephesians 2:8-9 needs to sink in to this kind of person.

One sin is too much to reconcile with God, without Jesus. We cannot be perfect—but Jesus was.  Claim that, and don’t forget to thank Him endlessly for saving you from hell.  You can’t help but love Him, thinking correctly, as Scripture so abundantly tells us. 

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