Prodigal God #6 - The Elder Brother

Today was our last sermon on the Prodigal God, so NOTE! Next week we return to our regular schedule - 8:15 Worship Service, 9:30 Sunday School for all ages, 10:30 Worship Service. I thought I got the message last week, about being narrow and refusing to accept the invitation because it didn't fit my definition. OK, that is all about being responsible for myself. But then, today, the pastor discussed the elder brother in the context of his responsibility to the family. Sounded like I was going to have some 'splaining to do.

One of the things I like about Bible study and discussion is that there is a leader who can supply the context, the societal cues that we no longer understand. Did you know that in Victorian times flowers had a meaning that was conveyed by senders to recipients through the combinations included in nosegays? In some cultures wearing a name tag on the left means you are in a relationship, taken, while wearing it on the right means you are available. There are so many subtle clues and communications unique to each culture and time. We may know our own very well, but those that came before us are usually lost.

So it is with the parables, and while it may be uncomfortable, I appreciated the point that was made this morning. The people listening to the parable of the prodigal son would have known immediately that it was the responsibility of the elder brother to go looking for the "lost son." It was his job to keep the family together, no matter the cost to him personally. That was the societal norm, expectation, standard, whatever you want to call it. But in the parable, not only does the elder brother not go looking for his brother, he pouts and refuses to celebrate when he returns. I think that would make him a bit of a pariah in the community, don't you?

If you associate God with the father in the parable, then clearly Jesus becomes the "good" elder brother, who not only went looking for all of us, but paid the ultimate price to keep us in relationship with the family. The more uncomfortable question for me is what to do depending on which brother I identify with personally? I think we have all been both at one time or another, but if I am honest with myself I know I feel more like the elder brother than the younger. Then the question becomes, would I be willing to take on that responsibility, to go looking for my lost brothers at any cost? It makes his pouting a little less offensive if I put myself in those shoes.

So what if those of us who are "churched" are the elder brothers? How do we go about looking for our lost brothers and bring them back into the fold? What is the current societal norm, and what is God's expectation? I thought today would tie things up with a nice bow for me, but it seems I am left with more questions, more uncomfortable questions, than at the beginning of the series. The one thing I do see more clearly is the prodigal nature of God, and for that I give thanks (and a sigh of relief).