The Elder Son Of Luke 15:25-32

It doesn’t seem to me the elder son of Luke 15:25-32 represents the hypocritical Pharisees as many Christians teach. Instead, I am thinking he represents one who has been faithful to God throughout, but misunderstands and therefore feels hurt when one who has been unfaithful to God is let back into God’s good graces upon repentance. It is true the elder brother is instructed by (God) the Father in verse 32 (“It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found”) and hopefully learns, but he is not rebuked for sin (any more than Ananias is rebuked for sin when he is instructed in Acts 9:13-16). Instead, the elder son is reassured. Isn’t that obvious from verse 31?

We miss the point of the elder son in the story if we don’t accept his assessment of himself in verse 29 (“Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment”), just like we miss the point of the rich young ruler story if we don’t accept his assessment of himself in Matt 19:20 – “All these things (commandments) have I kept from my youth up.” Both statements are accepted as factual in the flow of the two ongoing dialogues.

Keep in mind that Luke 15:7&10 (“Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth”) is Jesus’ point in all three of the chapter’s corresponding parables -the lost sheep (4-7), the lost coin (8-9), and the lost son (11-32). So that would mean Jesus is making the elder son parallel to the “ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” in verse 7. The elder son actually matches up with both the ninety and nine sheep and nine pieces of silver that were not lost. We are missing the point if we think this a parable about two lost sons. No, it is a story of one son deserting his family in the main, and secondarily a second son who remained faithful in contrast, but needed guidance.  Don’t we all?

There is no way the following sentence describes the hypocritical Pharisees (the lost) – “thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine” (verse 31). The point of the elder son part of this parable is that those who have remained faithful to God / the father (like the elder son did) will not lose anything because the unfaithful are allowed to come back to God. We should be very happy about such happenings.

Bottom line is the father instructed the elder son but did not rebuke him.  And neither should we.

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