The Older Brother

The story about the prodigal son is mostly about the older brother, isn’t it? It’s obvious that Jesus was making a point about grace and maybe how we undervalue it.  David made the comment at lunch (Chipotle inspires great thoughts)…that “life is mostly about recognizing and valuing the mercy and grace of the Father”.  We like to focus on our good actions, the right choices and hoping we benefit from them. What if we make the wrong decisions. What then? Consequences? Sure.  But whenever/wherever we come to the end of ourselves (sooner better than later), the Father is there. Waiting to restore; waiting to place the beautiful ring back on our hand; the one that symbolizes “all is well”. It really is about knowing how needy we are in this life. There is hope in humility, not in anything else.

I’m imagining the emotional state of both boys when they both talk to the Father that night.; the night the boy came home. You would imagine two sons feeling really great, maybe celebrating around the table together.  It’s a sad story. The older brother isn’t content with the Fathers love. He feels “jipped” compared to what the wandering brother lost and then found.  The younger brother knows exactly what he has now. He didn’t know before.  It’s obvious the older brother missed it. I guess that’s why it’s sad.

In this story it seems obvious that it took the journey for the younger brother to understand. Different paths bring people to the table of celebration. Recognizing that our whole life gains meaning at that place should make a difference in how we view this journey and the journey of those around us. Just sayin’