The short story "The Parable of the Prodigal Son" in Luke is a familiar parable about a son who wastes his inheritance and returns home to his father who receives him with open arms. As I read the parable. I wondered why the prodigal son's brother seemed so discontent at his brother's return. The parable is about forgivness and joy but the characteristics and reason why the elder brother never received the fatted calf in the short story make me to believe he was lost and never found.
Luke says the prodigal son gets his inheritance and "wasted his substance with riotous living". From this quote the prodigal son can be characterized as selfish, careless, and irresponsible. When he realizes his wasteful habits had left him with nothing it says "he came to himself". Personally I believe when the prodigal son came to himself he realized he was a sinner and received Christ in his heart. The prodigals charcteristics change to humbleness. When the son comes home the father rejoices, but his elder brother is angry.
I know I would be angry too if my sister wasted her inheritance and came home to a bunch of gifts, but I would rejoice with my father if she came home saved. I think there is more about the elder brother then what we see. A person who is saved would more and likely rejoice when their brother/sister returned home, especially if he/she was spiritually changed. He/she wouldn't act childish and refuse to congratulate his/her younger brother. All of these are characteristics of the elder brother. Colossians 12: 12-13 says "Put on therefore...bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind....forebearing one another, and forgiving one another." The elder brother does not show any of these qualities by his actions.
The elder brother was also very jealous of his brother. He shows this when he says 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." Maybe if he was saved he would have got the fatted calf.
"The Parable of the Prodigal Son" is nonetheless a story about forgiveness and salvation. But the characteristics and reason the elder son never received a fatted calf point to a lost man.
Luke. "The Parable of the Prodigal Son." Literature: An Introducation to Reading and Writing Ninth Edition (2009): 399-400. Print.
I agree! This story is about forgiveness, and that is just what God does. He forgives you for your sins. Thats why god is symbolized by the father in this story, and the younger brother symbolizes the everyday sinner.
ReplyDeleteI agree also. And I never really thought about looking at the older brother's response like that. It makes a lot of sense to realize that someone who is truly saved should rejoice when a family comes home saved. It really does make me wonder if the brother is truly saved in the story,because in my opinion, he should be celebrating along with the father. It makes me realize how prominent jealousy is.
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