In Luke 15, we read the famous story of the prodigal son. Almost every Christian, if not all, knows how the prodigal son disrespected his father, went away and squandered all the wealth he "inherited" while his father was still alive, and eventually returned to his home after realising the wrong he had done.
One thing that many Christians often fail to include in the story is the prodigal son's brother. In Luke 15:25-27, we read how he was introduced:
"Now his older son was in the field. As he came and drew near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. He said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him safe and sound.'"
Although the older brother was mentioned quite late in the story, he is not left out, signifying that he is worth noting and that we can learn from his example in the Bible.
Here are some things we can learn from the prodigal son's older brother.
1. You can be a Christian and yet harbour wrong thoughts and intentions about other Christians especially those who backslid
Verses 28-30 tells us how the older brother responded to the celebration his father threw for the son who returned:
"He was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and entreated him. But he answered his father, 'Look! These many years have I served you. Nor have I ever transgressed your commands, yet never have you given me a goat, so that I might be merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him.'"
2. You can be a Christian and still fail to maximise your relationship with the Father
Verse 31 tells us how the father responded to his son's complaining: "He said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours."
As children of God, we are blessed with all the spiritual blessings in Christ. Whether we enjoy them or not depends on our relationship with our heavenly Father.
3. You can be a child of God and still live like a slave
Let's look at verse 29: "But he answered his father, 'Look! These many years have I served you. Nor have I ever transgressed your commands, yet never have you given me a goat, so that I might be merry with my friends."
We might fail to notice this, but some of us could be living as slaves of God, not as His children. As His children, our motivation to serve Him is because we love Him. We don't seek rewards; We seek Him who wants to reward us. Our priority is His lordship over us and our loving relationship with Him as our Father.
