Luke 15:25-32

Luke 15:25-32

Self-Righteous Son

I. A self-righteous heart disqualifies itself from truly enjoying God; so we must not focus on what we think we deserve or what we think others don’t deserve (Vv. 25-30)

a. As the whole house celebrates return, repentance, and redemption of the younger brother, the older brother is completely unaware, working diligently in the field. But as gets closer to the house on his return, he detects the celebration. Maybe there was a hope deep inside that the party was for him, because he was so faithful and hardworking. But he discovers that the party is for his no-good, worthless brother. The older brother is enraged, he can’t believe it, he won’t even go in the house. But his gracious father comes out to him, perhaps thinking the older son will come in when he realizes the joy of the occasion. But the older son just blows up on his father. He accuses the father of neglecting him, and never celebrating him, even though he’s always been there working for the father. He won’t even call the younger son his brother, but refers to him as, “this son of yours”, who’s never done anything but eat up all the wealth on loose living, but gets a party for coming home because he had absolutely no place else to go? (Vv. 25-30)

b. Jesus is using the older brother to serve as mirror for the Pharisees and Scribes to see their reflection. When we look from the outside in, we tend to sympathize with the older brother. But just as we can all identify ourselves with the younger brother, we can also identify with the self-righteous older brother. The older brother was so fixated on all that he deserved and wasn’t getting, and all that his younger brother didn’t deserve and was getting, that he could only see the value of all he felt he was missing out on, and not the value of all the father had given him, and what that meant for the value of who he is. The older brother had become so inwardly focused that he found himself on the outside of the house, unable to celebrate the miraculous work God had done. The younger brother was perhaps even more inwardly focused initially, but God had changed his heart and he had now been moved from the outside, back inside, where he enjoyed God’s grace. He celebrated in God’s love which never stopped valuing him; God’s mercy, which didn’t execute the judgment he deserved for his sinful rebellion; and God’s grace, which poured out on him through the father’s underserved favor and reconciliation. If we only consider what we think we earn and deserve in life, we’ll grow calloused towards the world when we don’t receive it, and we’ll grow judgmental towards all we feel get more than they deserve. If God isn’t our first love, we’ll miss out on His infinite grace and mercy, through which He continually values us and blesses us, even when we stumble and fall. (1 Sam. 16:7; Jer. 17:9-10; Matt. 7:1-5, 21-23; 12:33-35; 15:18-19; 23:13; 1 Cor. 10:12; Rev. 2:1-5)

II. A self-righteous heart disqualifies itself from truly enjoying God; so we must focus continually on the amazing and undeserved blessings of God in our lives (Vv. 31-32)

a. The father reminds the older son that he’s never been apart from him and that all he has is his. Both of the sons are precious to the father for who they are. Both sons had what they had because of the mercy, grace, and love of the father. The father doesn’t condemn the older brother, but he calls him to reconsider his thoughts and heart attitude towards his younger brother, and celebrate his return and new life. The older brother had more than just a party and dancing, he was the promised heir of the whole farm, but he was so bitter that he couldn’t see it. He couldn’t appreciate the value of the farm that was promised to him and which he already possessed, because he was so busy working on it out of duty and not love and devotion for the father who’d given to him. His calloused heart couldn’t appreciate the redemption of his little brother, because either his heart had never known forgiveness and redemption, or he had stopped meditating on it, stopped serving in love, and his heart had grown cold. He took all the gifts of the father for granted because he didn’t consider them daily for what they were. If we’re to thank rightfully, we must think rightfully! (Vv. 31-32; Jer. 17:5-10; Ezek. 36:26-27; Acts 16:23-25; 17:24-25; Eph. 2:8-10; Phil. 4:4-7)

b. We must submit ourselves to be recharged daily by the reality of the mercy, grace, and love of God operating in our lives, so that we’ll always be looking to apply what we’ve received from God towards others. We’ll see all people differently, reminded daily that their value comes from the image of God in them. Those who seem closed off and distant from life’s wounds, those who act out desperately for the grace, mercy, love, value, and purpose which is absent in their lives. Peace in life is found in repentant faith and obedience to Christ, as we glorify Him and enjoy Him daily, and grow to see ourselves and others as He sees us. (Matt. 7:12; 22:36-40; 2 Cor. 5:14-21; Gal. 2:20)