The Other Prodigal Son

Do you remember the Prodigal Son parable that Jesus taught? If you need a refresher, read Luke 15:11-24. Here is a synopsis. A father’s younger son asks for his share of the inheritance early. His father gives it to him.

The son leaves home, spends all the money, loses all his friends, and ends up feeding pigs for a job and sharing the pigs’ food for dinner. Upon reflecting on the fact that his father’s hired hands are better off than he is, he decides to head home and ask to be a hired hand.

The father sees his son coming home, runs to him, and embraces him. Instead of a hired hand status, the son is restored to his status as a son because of the father’s grace and mercy. It is truly a heartwarming story of forgiveness and restoration.

But, not everyone is happy. The father of the story has not one, but two prodigal sons. The older son was also away from the father, even though he never left home. When his younger brother returns, the older brother is angry and unforgiving. He is angry at his brother for leaving and angry at his father for welcoming him home. To see this part of the story, you need to read Luke 15:25-32.

What do we learn from this other prodigal son?

First, we learn that people can be near the father geographically but far from the father relationally. Or, for application purposes, people can be near the things of God practically but far from God spiritually. Going to church every week does not always indicate that someone is walking close to the heavenly Father.

Second, we learn that when people are far from the Father in their heart, even though they may be close to the things of the Father, they miss out on the party to celebrate the grace of the Father. The hero of the more famous prodigal son story is not the son who left and returned home. Sons leave home all the time. Sons go to a far off land often. Sometimes, they even come home.

The shock of the story of the younger son is not that he left, or even that he came home. The shock is that the father forgave him and restored him. The father is the hero of the story.

And so it is with us. The Father, God, is the hero of our story. That we would leave is no surprise. It’s called sin. That we would want to come home is not even a shocker, it’s called regret and repentance. But, that we are welcomed and restored is amazing. It’s called grace. The younger son experienced it. The older son resented it. Which son was actually farther away from the father?

When we resent the fact that someone is restored, we act just like that older son. Which son repented and was forgiven? Which son resented? Which son are you more like?