Luke 15:11-32 - This parable of Jesus's is often known as "the parable of the prodigal son," but it could just as easily be thought of as "the parable of the gracious father" or even as "the parable of the religious older brother." Each of these three main characters unlocks a world of meaning within this parable. In this sermon, we focus especially closely on the older brother and what Jesus has to teach us through him about the dangers of legalism, entitlement, resentment, and bitterness toward God's grace for others. A sermon by Naseem Khalili. [Part 5 of our series "Imagining the Kingdom: Jesus's stories about the already and not yet reign of God"]
Questions for reflection: 1) When you read this parable, which character do you most relate to? 2) What motivates the older brother's frustration after seeing how the father treats the younger brother's return? Have you ever felt similarly? When? 3) Tim Keller coined the term "older brother lostness" to describe the sense of frustration and bitterness that comes from keeping the rules but not being rewarded how you want. How does the grace of God upend our expectations around these things? 4) What does this parable have to say about the character of our God as revealed in Jesus? 5) Naseem gave us a powerful question: Why do you love God? Or why do you follow Jesus? How does the story of the older brother press us for an answer?
