
Luke 15.25-31.
There are three natural parts to the Prodigal Son Story:
The son leaving and squandering his inheritance. The son returning and his father rejoicing. - The elder son objecting to the celebration out of jealous bitterness.
By consensus Christians have always interpreted this story to be about
And by consensus Christians have always interpreted ourselves as the elder son. And… we kinda don’t like comparing ourselves with this irritated man. So we insist he’s typical of other Christians.
’Cause we know better, right? We know Christianity is all about proclaiming
So to be like this elder brother, and say, “Oh, those dirty sinners coming to Jesus to save them—those people can’t be saved. Those people aren’t worthy of salvation”—that’s just nuts. Were we unsavable, or worthy of salvation, when we came to Jesus? Of course not,
Hence every single Christian reads the Prodigal Son Story, reads about the elder son’s bad attitude, and reacts pretty much the same way: “What a dick. Doesn’t he get it? His brother repented! He’s come to Jesus! Shouldn’t we rejoice if our wayward family members repent and come to Jesus? Rejoice!”
Here, watch him be a dick:
Luke 15.25-31 KWL - 25 “At this time, the elder son is in the field,
- and as he comes near the house,
- he hears music and dancing.
- 26 Calling one of the boys,
- he’s asking himself, ‘Whatever ought this be?’
- 27 The boy tells him this:
- ‘Your brother is come!
- Your father sacrificed the well-fed calf,
- because he he got him back safe and sound.’
- 28 The elder son is enraged
- and doesn’t want to enter the feast.
- His father comes out to comfort him.
- 29 In reply the elder son tells the father, ‘Look!
- I slaved for you so many years!
- I never pushed against your commands,
- and you never gave me a goat
- so I might celebrate with my friends.
- 30 While this son of yours,
- who devours your life’s work with loose women,
- you sacrifice the well-fed calf for him!’
- 31 “The father tells him, ‘Child,
- you’re always with me,
- and everything of mine is yours.
- 32 We have to celebrate and rejoice,
- because this brother of yours is dead and lives,
- and having been lost, is found.’ ”
Okay. Now here’s how the rest of us Christians have missed the whole point of this story, and missed how we actually are like the elder son. The younger son, who left his father and family and frittered away the father’s “life’s work with loose women”?
Jesus is talking about
And what does your average Christian teach about fellow Christians who quit Jesus? That they’re going
Some will even cut off all communication with them, lest they get all their apostasy-cooties all over ’em.