Recently a friend and I were discussing the elder son from the parable of the prodigal son. So much of the time (as in this blog) we focus on the prodigal. Indeed this parable focuses on how God welcomes us home just like the father for we were dead and now we are born again. However, it is important that we do not forget the other sons. Oftentimes we focus on the lost to the point of forsaking those still in the fold. In the parable, the son was angered when his father celebrated the return of the prodigal. He was angry that his father had not recognized the years of labor that he had put in while his younger brother squandered half of his father's wealth away. He was so angry that he refused to take part in his celebration. When his father begged him to attend, the elder son responded with the following:
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. Luke 15:29-31
Now we see that the father is explaining to the elder son that he has the rights to everything that is left. Sometimes we wait for God to just hand out blessings that we are already in possession of. We need to remember that we are His children and that we are loved. We must remember to teach our children that we have a Heavenly Father that loves and cares for us. Also we need to remember to teach our children so that they do not become the prodigal. We must teach them about the ultimate power of Christ and His grace and forgiveness. We must teach them to be led by the spirit and not the flesh. The prodigal followed his fleshly desires until he was ultimately found in the pit of despair longing just to share the slop that he was feeding to the pigs.
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