The Offended Brother
The gall of my brother! Who does he think he is? He has wasted Dad’s money, and now he’s come back for more. If he thinks I am happy with him coming back, he has another thing coming!
The brother of the prodigal son resented his brother's return.
We all love this story of the prodigal son. The boy who was lost has now been found. It’s a story with a happy ending. Just think of it. The father openly welcomed his lost son home. He’s safe and well, and now there will be a party. This is a story that warms our hearts and reminds us that everything will be okay.
But let’s pause for a minute to realise that there was a second son in this story. He had stayed home. He had faithfully served and honoured his father. He was a good boy. But the story tells us that when the prodigal returned home, this brother was not happy. He stayed away and refused to be part of the celebrations. We can understand his feelings. He had done what was right, and now this undeserving rebel was being celebrated. He felt unappreciated and overlooked. But when we read this story, somehow this boy’s feelings don’t matter all that much to us. We really don’t care that he stayed away and sulked. The good news is that the prodigal has come home and has been accepted by the father, and we find ourselves relieved and warmed by this happy ending.
Just for a moment, let’s imagine a different version of this story. What if we were to change this story so that when the prodigal son came home, it was not the father who ran to welcome him but his brother? And what if, in this imaginary version, the father had stayed inside sulking? Rejecting this son.
Think about this for a moment. How do you feel about this non-biblical version of the story? Somehow, this version doesn't have a happy ending. In this version, just like the authentic version, one family member accepts the boy home, and one stays away and sulks. The numbers are the same, but somehow it's no longer a happy story. Why is this? I believe this second version is not a happy story because something inside us understands that it's not OK until it's OK with dad. It would be wonderful to be accepted by the brother, but what really matters is being accepted by Dad.
Sadly for many, it's not been OK with our earthly fathers. In fact, it's been anything but OK, and this has caused indescribable pain and heartache. I wish I could rewrite your story, but sadly, I can't. My point for raising this fact is not to confront you with the pain of your past. Rather, to say that no matter how good or otherwise your earthly father has been, the truth is, it’s OK with your Father in heaven. It’s OK with the One who really matters. He is the Father who does not reject us. He does not stay away and sulk when we return home. He passionately runs to embrace and kiss us and tells us it’s OK.
Sometimes I think we can be like this as Christians. We understand the love and acceptance of Jesus. The Bible even calls Him our brother. We love our brother Jesus and know how much He loves us, but we can mistakenly think that He saved us from the judgment of an angry Father. This is understandable but totally untrue. Our Father in heaven is just like the father in our story. He is passionately excited that we have returned home. And I would suggest that it is a whole new insight to understand that it's not just OK with Jesus, it is also OK with the Father.
Truly, it’s OK with Dad.
Regardless of your experience with your earthly father, your story, too, has a happy ending. It truly is OK with your Father in heaven. He loves you more than you can imagine, and He is committed to doing you good.
Further reading: Lk 15:25-32
This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.