Chapter Summary: Both brothers begin in a state of being lost. The elder brother shows his lostness by getting angry when things do not go the way he wants. People like this tend to blame God if they think they have been good enough, and they tend to blame themselves if they think they have fallen short. They either hate God or hate themselves when their life doesn’t turn out the way they want. Since life never works out perfectly, elder brothers are eaten up with anger. They also use their works-righteousness to feel superior to others. They compare themselves with others and are especially hostile to those who do not have the exact religious views that they hold. This sense of merited superiority makes the heart hard and produces an unforgiving and harsh spirit. Since the elder brother’s worth is based on rule keeping, he is joyless and fearful. Everyone is called to obedience and duty, but for
the elder brother it is only duty — in fact, he tells his father that he has “slaved away” for him. This “slavery” was not in the service of love.
At the heart of the matter, elder brothers are serving themselves. They are trying to earn blessings and rewards (if they are religious) or they are trying to earn a good reputation (with others or just in their own eyes). Even charitable acts can be generated by self-centeredness: we can give money to the poor because we are trying to buy moral capital for ourselves. An elder brother is never sure that the father loves them: they never know if they have done enough to measure up. Many elder brothers do not pray at all unless things are going badly in their lives. Their prayers are goal- oriented: they want God to accomplish their goals more than they want a healthy, joyful relationship with him. Many people in our society have rejected the church because it is full of elder brothers. It is important that they see that Jesus speaks against the elder brother and condemns moralistic self-righteousness. The attitude of elder brothers in the church can drive some people into the open rebellion of a younger brother. Even after conversion we can have relapses and gravitate towards the peculiar vices of the elder or younger brother.
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