April 24 2025

Thursday April 24

Luke 15:25-32 – The Proud Angry Older Brother

25 Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.' 28 But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.' 31 And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.' "

Welcome to Pastor's Chat. Today, we’re finishing Luke chapter 15. In this chapter, Jesus tells three parables in response to the Pharisees who criticized Him for being a friend to tax collectors and sinners. The theme running through all three parables is lost, found, and rejoicing. Keep that in mind.

At this point in the parable, the scribes and Pharisees felt confident that they had escaped our Lord's judgment, for He had centered His attention on the publicans and sinners, pictured by the prodigal son. But Jesus continued the story and introduced the elder brother, who is a clear illustration of the scribes and Pharisees. The publicans and sinners were guilty of the obvious sins of the flesh, but the Pharisees and scribes were guilty of sins of the spirit (2 Cor. 7:1). Their outward actions may have been blameless, but their inward attitudes were abominable (see Matt. 23:25-28).

We must admit that the elder brother had some virtues that are commendable. He worked hard and always obeyed his father. He never brought disgrace either to the home or to the village, and apparently he had enough friends so that he could have planned an enjoyable party (Luke 15:29). He seems like a good solid citizen and, compared to his younger brother, almost a saint.

However, important as obedience and diligence are, they are not the only tests of character. Jesus taught that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love others (Luke 10:25-28), but the elder brother broke both of these divine commandments. He did not love God (represented in the story by the father), and he did not love his brother. The elder brother would not forgive his brother who wasted the family inheritance and disgraced the family name. But neither would he forgive his father who had graciously forgiven the young man those very sins!

When you examine the sins of the elder brother, you can easily understand why he pictures the scribes and Pharisees. To begin with, he was self-righteous. He openly announced the sins of his brother, but he could not see his own sins (see Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisees defined sin primarily in terms of outward actions, not inward attitudes. They completely missed the message of the Sermon on the Mount and its emphasis on inward attitudes and holiness of heart (Matt. 5-7).

My friend, the heart of God is for lost sinners to be found, and when they are, there is rejoicing. Jesus rejoices, heaven rejoices, angels rejoice, friends rejoice. But do you know who wasn’t rejoicing? The Pharisees. They were sanctimonious, self-righteous, proud, angry, bitter religious people. Their religion was built on good works, and they thought they were better than everyone else. Jesus nails them with this story.

Jesus uses the story of the older brother to drive this home. My friend, we need to be aware of this. Our churches are full of people who work, work, work, serve, serve, serve, but it’s often to be seen, to be commended, to get a pat on the back. Like the Pharisees, they say, “I’m not like others. I tithe, I go to church, I do all these good things.” But they miss the point. When the publican bowed his head and prayed, “I’m a lost sinner, have mercy on me, O God,” Jesus said he went home justified, not the proud Pharisee.

Today, we don’t want to be like the Pharisees—critical, sanctimonious, self-righteous, proud, angry, or refusing to rejoice when a sinner comes home to the Lord. This is a powerful ending to the chapter. Let’s not forget the lost elder brother, who missed it all because his heart wasn’t right with God or his father.

I trust these three stories of lost, found, and rejoicing will resound in your soul. Keep an eye out for those around you who need to be found, so you can bring them to Jesus.

God bless!