The Father's Heart for the Elder Brother

Luke 15 - The Father’s Heart for the Elder Brother

Church family let’s go to the Lord together in prayer.

Recap Last Week

Pastor Josh did a great job leading us last week. We saw:

The Younger Brother’s Shameless Sin

The Younger Brother’s

The Father’s

The Father’s

Ultimately, this makes up the Father’s Heart for the Younger brother, for the prodigal.

I find it providentially kind that we would approach this text the week before and the day of Father’s Day.

Many of you may have a prodigal child, you may have been a prodigal, or maybe you are currently a prodigal within your own heart and mind. On the same note, I would venture to guess that many here this morning are more like the Elder brother than we would like to admit.

What we find in the first part of this parable is the Father’s compassion and love for his son that is unconditional.

The son’s actions don’t mitigate the love of the Father.

Intro

Today we turn our attention to the second half of the parable, looking to the heart and actions of the elder brother.

I would be remiss if I don’t stop and camp out for a moment on this passage in Luke.

Let’s talk shop.

This parable finds itself situated in the middle of the Christ’s journey to Jerusalem.

In Luke 9:51 we see that Jesus has “set his face” toward Jerusalem where he will go to die as a substitutionary atonement for those that would hang him on the tree.

This helps us think rightly and situate this parable within the larger narrative of Luke’s gospel.

This parable is part of a greater story of Christ’s love for his people, his intentional moving toward them out of love and compassion..

Not only does the context help us rightly situate this parable, but it also aids in application. Who is the Lord speaking to? Look back to Luke 15:1-2. He’s talking directly to the Scribes and Pharisees.

This parable is also part of a larger set of parables, three to be exact.

Pastor Josh walked us through this last week.

The three parables are:

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

The Parable of the Lost Coin

The Parable of the Prodigal Son or the Lost Son(s)

And finally, this parable shows the heart of God for those that are far from God:

The younger brother pictures those that are living the life and mindset of hedonism, living what is gratifying to the flesh. Whatever pleases them, brings immediate gratification.

Today, the second half of the parable brings

Read Luke 15:11-32

This morning, I want us to look at both the elder brother and then the father. We will move through this passage fluidly, but I think that will help us see the point of this portion of the parable.

The Duty of the Elder Brother (V25-27)

Story:

Where do we find the elder brother?

He’s dutifully working the field.

He begins to make his way into toward the house because he can hear laughter, music, and dancing.

He can tell that something at the house has changed.

For so long, his father has been standing at the road looking for his younger brother.

Yet now, after he has worked long all day (really all his life), he hears this roaring party.

He calls out to one of the hired hands and asks, “What is going on?!”

The servant answers him, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.”

This is NEWS to the older brother.

His younger brother has been gone for a long time and before he left their home, he essentially spat in the face of their Father when he asked for his portion of the inheritance.

And now he’s home.

But there’s a party.

Shouldn’t he just be a hired hand?

Shouldn’t he have to earn his way back?

Shouldn’t the Father be more cautious with this wild, younger brother?

What is his dad thinking?

His brother doesn’t deserve this.

He squandered his inheritance.

He did all those things. He lost it all. It’s his fault.

Can you imagine how the older brother felt? What he was thinking?

He was enraged! Frustrated is just the tip of the iceberg.

He has worked his whole life, devoted it to the work of this land, and in his mind, he’s received nothing.

But now this wasteful son has a party thrown for him?! The fattened calf has been killed? Music? Dancing?

This older brother was fit to be tied.

He refuses to go into the party.

“Nope! I won’t do it. This is ridiculous.”

This feels reasonable doesn’t it?!

The older brother has stayed home. He has worked hard his whole life, dutifully to his Father and to his land.

That’s who he has worked for right?

Maybe not.

Maybe the elder brother was really working for himself, for his own gain.

Maybe his duty was to himself.

Practical thought: You and I must always check why we are doing something.

Why am I serving in this capacity?

Why am I giving?

Is it because of the love of the Father, worship, and adoration?

Or is it because I’m earning my keep? Right standing before God?

Brothers and sisters, the only reason you and I should ever be doing something is out of love and worship, awe and adoration for the one who stood in our place.

It is because of what he has done for us, that we in turn live our lives for him.

Don’t get that order mixed up.

As soon as you are performing your task dutifully for yourself, you will end up in a horrible kind of arrogance.

But if we continue to serve and love, work and rest, because of the Love of our Father, because of the work of the savior, then we will have this rightly ordered in our hearts and minds.

The Recoil and Refusal of the Elder Brother (V28-30)

The Appeal of the Father (V31)

This gets really interesting when we remember the audience that Jesus was speaking this parable to: The Pharisees

Can you imagine what they were thinking?

They hear the first part of this parable and look at one another and say “Oh I know plenty of people like this,” “What a fool, typical” or maybe “I would never. This has no bearing on me”

And then when Jesus gets to the part of the elder brother, they sympathized with him.

“He’s doing his duty”

“He’s worked all these years for his father.”

“He’s rightfully angry.”

And finally Jesus gets to the final part of his appeal, “It was fitting eto celebrate and be glad, for this your brother iwas dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

The pharisees jump back

The Love of the Father (V32)

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, there are many thoughts and responses to the elder brother in the prodigal son. What do we know about the elder brother? He was self-righteous and self-centered. He wanted the gifts of the father, but not the father himself. Yet despite this we see the appeal and love of the Father. He comes out to this lost son and entreats him to come inside and celebrate the return and repentance of the younger brother. He loves his son. Yet he never comes inside. The parable ends and there is no sight or sound of the older brother coming inside. He’s left out. It’s truly a tragedy. This brother’s own righteousness has disqualified him and kept him from coming into the family.

This reminds me of a story one pastor shares about Jesus with the thieves on the cross.