The Prodigal Son and Elder Brother, Part 1

There is a book titled The Prodigal God by Tim Keller, in which he discusses the parable of the prodigal son. You've all probably heard it, even if you're outside the church. For those who haven't, it goes something like this:

A man had two sons. One day, the younger son went to the father and asked for his share of the inheritance. The father gave him the money and the son went away, blowing the money on parties, prostitutes, and riotous living. Eventually, he runs out of money, just as a famine hits the land he's in. He hires himself out to a pig farmer and then finds himself jealous of the pigs because they're eating better than he is. He remembers that his father feeds his servants much better and decides to go home and ask the father to hire him, telling him he's no longer worthy to be called his son.

When he gets close to home, the father sees him and runs toward him. The son begins his "I'm not worthy" speech, but the father cuts him off, orders the servants to bring a robe, ring, and sandals, and then orders them to kill the fatted calf and prepare a feast. He welcomes the younger son back to the family with open arms.

For most people, this is where the story ends, but this is only half of it. The elder brother is furious when he hears his brother has been welcomed back. He won't go into the feast, shaming the father in front of what is probably the entire village. The father goes out to plead with him and the elder brother says he thinks he deserves more than he's gotten for how faithfully he's served the father. He demands to know why the younger brother is getting treated like royalty when his own service seems to go unnoticed. The father tells him that all the father owned was already the elder brother's. The story ends without a resolution. We never know if the elder brother relented and went into the feast.

In this post, I'm going to discuss the context of certain elements of the story. In the next, I'll discuss the younger brother. In the last one, I'll discuss the elder brother, who is the least understood and talked about character in this parable.

First, this parable is directed toward both sinners and the Pharisees. In Luke 15, it says Jesus' audience was tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, and scribes. The first two were outside the synagogue and the latter two were pillars of the synagogue, the unrighteous and the righteous. The younger brother represents the sinner and the elder represents the Pharisees.

Next, the father had a right to disown the younger son for his request. The younger son basically told his father that he wishes the father were dead so he could have his things. It was a horrible slap in the face, particularly in such a patriarchal society. Also, most wealth then was tied to the land and livestock. It wasn't easy to get at like today with stock markets and bank accounts. The father had to sell a third (the eldest son was entitled to a double share of the inheritance, so he got two thirds and the younger got one) of his property to meet the younger son's request.

When the younger son has to feed pigs, that was rock bottom for that culture. Pigs were unclean animals in Jewish society. The son had come to the end of himself and sunk as low as he could have fallen.

When the father runs toward him, that also would have shocked the listeners. Running was for women and children and sometimes for young men. Patriarchs did not run. But this father is so excited that he does. He calls for the best robe, which would have been an unmistakable public sign that he was in the family again; a ring, which was how they signed contracts back then, thus giving the son legal authority in the family again; and sandals, which is significant because only members of the household had sandals. Servants went barefoot.

The fatted calf was a prize possession, saved only for the greatest events. Meat was uncommon back then at meals because of how expensive it was. Killing the fatted calf meant the father couldn't have been happier about his son's return. It also meant a village feast, since the calf would have fed 75-100 people.

The elder son also could have been disowned for shaming his father. He was refusing to take part in what his father did and this was a very public humiliation.

Both sons deserved to be disowned. The father disowns neither of them, but invites them into the feast. Next time, we'll look at the younger brother, his descent, repentance, and restoration.