Luke 15:25-32 - The Son Who Flipped the Script

Luke 15:25-32

The Son Who Flipped the Script

flip the script - reverse the usual or existing position in a situation; do something unexpected… (Definitions from Oxford Languages)

(vv 1-2) - “To receive or welcome sinners implies showing hospitality, playing host to them at a meal. To invite a person to a meal was an honor that implied acceptance, trust, and peace.” (Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, Bruce Molina & Richard L. Rohrbaugh, p. 370).

REPENTANCE always brings a person in right relationship/fellowship with the Father.

(25-27) The EXCITEMENT at the house

(25) But now the ‘elder brother’ theme...makes its appearance in order to drive the lesson home: the Pharisaic audience may perhaps approve of the story as a story, but their own attitude to returning prodigals must be clarified.

The elder son was out at work while all this was going on. It is strange that nobody went to tell him what had happened, and that he must find out for himself:

is there some suggestion that he was not on the best of terms with his father (cf. K. H. Rengstorf*, 53f.)?

Or is the point simply that he slaves away all day in the fields until his duty is complete?

...συμφωνία** can mean ‘(the sound of) music’, ‘band, orchestra’, ‘a wind instrument’ (cf. Dn. 3:5; O. Betz, TDNT II, 304–309, thinks a double flute is meant), and χορός** is ‘dancing’; cf. 6:23; 7:32. Jeremias, Parables, 130, suggests that clapping and singing and dancing by the men are indicated.

(28-30) The EXPOSURE (ENVY) of the other son - (Angry, Enraged, Fuming, Furious, Irrate, Irritated, Repugnant) - SELF-RIGHTEOUS SON

“refused to go in” - anger will keep you separated and outside (separated from the family, the fellowship, and the festivities)

- The apparent insider is an outsider.

“father came out” (father took the initiative as he did with younger son) - our anger cannot keep God from coming to us…and encouraging/exhorting/entreating/inviting us

15:29 The elder brother explains his position, reflecting the parable’s deep irony, which works at two levels and allows the parable to be called a “parable of reversal” (Crossan 1973: 73–75).

First, as already noted, the son who was lost and outside is now inside, while the “inside” elder brother complains from outside.

In addition, the son who was faithful and obedient—even to the point of working like a slave (δουλεύω, douleuō)!—has no reward or celebration, while the son who wandered and squandered is given a huge celebration.

What the younger son felt fortunate to become (a mere servant) the older brother resents. The complaint is like Matt. 20:11 (Nolland 1993a: 787). In effect, the older son demands, “Where is justice?”

The elder brother’s concern for justice is natural.

But the point is that God’s action is gracious, not deserved. Repentance yields God’s kindness, which wipes the slate clean and is a reason to rejoice.

A proper response is not to compare how you are treated in relationship to the penitent, but to remember that repentance yields the same gracious fruit for all, so it is just.

Repentance also represents a new direction in life, and one might share in the joy of a changed direction. The brother is so consumed by the issue of fairness that he cannot rejoice at the beneficial transformation that has come to his brother.

The brother’s anger emerges clearly as he complains directly and publicly to the father. He contrasts his own faithfulness with the supposed lack of generosity of his father.

He does not formally address his father, thus indicating his anger, but immediately launches his attack by declaring his faithfulness in terms that portray himself as a slave: he “served” and obeyed “every command.”

But the elder’s refusal to serve as host and welcome his brother is an insult to the father in this patriarchal culture. Irony abounds: the “obedient” son is disobedient here, and the gracious father is made to look unfaithful and unfair.

The son’s rebuke is expressed in strong terms, for not only does he complain about the lack of generosity toward him but he also notes that not even a goat —an animal worth very little—was made available, much less a special fattened calf (in our culture, it would be the difference between a fast-food hamburger and a four-course meal).

The “faithful” son’s feelings are hurt, and the father’s integrity and evenhandedness are called into question. He separates himself from his sibling entirely and faults his father for being so kind to the reprobate family member (Talbert 1982: 151 notes that the attitude of the elder son indicates that he has become a covert sinner).

(30) He cannot bring himself to speak of his ‘brother’, but talks contemptuously of ‘this son of yours’

15:30 The complaint continues. The elder son now turns from the father’s lack of support for him to his gracious treatment of his brother. His anger is clearly apparent, as he will not even acknowledge his relationship to his brother: he calls him “your son” and “this one.

”28 He contrasts the son’s activity and the father’s response in an unfavorable light. Describing the lifestyle of the brother in most unflattering terms, he charges him with devouring the father’s earnings with immorality, namely harlots, a charge echoing Prov. 29:3. Plummer (1896: 378) suggests the elder is contrasting the brother’s illicit company with the elder’s more suitable friends mentioned in 15:29.

(31) The EXPLANATION of the Father

(31) The father addresses the son affectionately (τέκνον) and assures him that he is constantly (πάντοτε, contrast οὐδέποτε, v. 29) with him, and that all his father now possesses is his. The saying must be interpreted to mean that legally the son will inherit the farm, since it has already been promised to him. If the son has not already enjoyed the fruits of it, it is because he has not asked rather than because the father was unwilling to give it.

15:31 The father has a ready reply. He speaks to the son’s concerns first and then to the issue of the brother in 15:32. The father’s reply is as gentle as the son’s complaint was harsh. He addresses his son tenderly with τέκνον (teknon, child), a vocative that could easily be rendered “my child” in our idiom (Jeremias 1963a: 131; Matt. 21:28; Mark 10:24; Luke 2:48; 16:25).29 He affirms the faithfulness of the elder brother and his special place in his heart. He accepts that this son has always been at his side. He reminds the son that all he owns belongs to him; neither the father’s activity nor the brother’s return in any way diminishes the elder’s status. The double use of πᾶς-related terms emphasizes that just as the elder son is “always” with the father, so too he has “all.” In fact, πάντοτε (pantote, always) here stands in contrast to the elder’s οὐδέποτε (oudepote, never) in 15:29 and corrects the charge that the father is unfair (Marshall 1978: 612). The elder should not lose sight of the benefits he has always had because of his access to the father (Gutbrod, TDNTTDNT Vol. 4, Pg. 1060 4:1060). In a sense, he has always had access to the celebration. The animals are his!

(32) The EMANCIPATION

sn The theme he was lost and is found is repeated from v. 24. The conclusion is open-ended. The reader is left to ponder with the older son (who pictures the scribes and Pharisees) what the response will be. The parable does not reveal the ultimate response of the older brother. Jesus argued that sinners should be pursued and received back warmly when they returned.

15:32 The second issue is the brother. The father will not allow the son’s complaint to stand nor will he allow the elder to separate himself from his brother. So the father speaks of the younger brother as ὁ ἀδελφός σου οὗτος (ho adelphos sou houtos, this brother of yours). In other words, “He is not just my son—he is your brother!” The father affirms the necessity of celebration, not just its appropriateness, by the use of ἔδει (edei). It was morally right to rejoice, given the circumstances of the return. A resurrection of sorts has occurred. A dead brother is now alive. That which was lost has been found. Such circumstances should result in joy, not questions about fairness. The father’s reply matches his remark in 15:24. Justice means that acceptance should greet such a turnaround. Jesus’ listeners are left with an implied question: what will the elder son do now? Luke 15:25-32 - The Son that Flipped the Script