Don’t Be the Older Son

Scripture: Luke 15: 1-32 (cf. Luke 16: 14)

Viewing from the Perspective of “Loss”

　　If one day after you had left home, you found that your mobile phone was nowhere to be found, how would you react? Oops! You would certainly search everywhere for it even at the expense of being late for an appointment! The book desk? The computer desk? You would go into the bedroom, and kitchen and finally you would dial your mobile phone number from your home telephone. If you heard your mobile phone ringing somewhere in the house, you would be relieved. If all was silent, then you would probably be in trouble!

　　A moment ago, we read Luke 15, which tells about someone who loses something: a shepherd has a hundred sheep and loses one of them (vv.3-7); a woman has ten silver coins and loses one (vv.8-10); a father has two sons and loses his younger son (v.11ff). Very often, we only remember the parable of the lost son but if we read the whole chapter carefully, we will discover that it centers on one theme: losing something. Since this is a parable of about something being “lost,” we will look at the whole chapter from the perspective of “loss.”

　　First of all, how many of the parables did Jesus talk about here? Someone loses his sheep, a woman loses a silver coin, and a father loses his son when he runs away. Does it talk about three parables? Two or just one? One is correct. It talks about only one parable, not three. The Bible translation clearly states: “So he told them this parable …” (v.3, NRSV). Note that “this” stands for one and “parable” is singular. There is just one parable here.

　　You will discover that, although the first and second stories are relatively shorter, the content, plot, and outcome are similar. The listener will discover that they follow the same format of something being lost. In the first story, “a person loses a sheep and he goes looking for it. Having found it, he calls his friends and neighbors and they rejoice together.” In the second story, “a woman loses a coin and she goes looking for it. Having found it, she calls her friends and neighbors and they rejoice together.” In the third story, there are obvious differences: “A father loses a son.” What would come next? “To find, and having found the son”? But this father does not go looking for his son but rather the son repents and returns to his father. Does the story ends with “friends and neighbors being invited home to rejoice together with the father”? The ending is a bit similar to what we expect. When the younger son returns home, the father is exceedingly happy. He gives him many things and restores his son’s honored status. The father also kills a fattened calf and rejoices together with the family. At this point in the story, there emerges another character, the older brother. He does not feel happy and refuses to go in to join the family to celebrate. This makes the ending of the story look rather odd and incompatible with the first two stories of the parable.

What the Father Has Lost Is the Older Son

　　How can it be? This strange ending is in fact the most fascinating part of the parable! Usually, when we read the third story, we focus on the younger son because this section of the parable is the longest and the change in his life is most touching. But if we look at the story from the perspective of “loss,” there emerges a more important character. can you guess who he is? … It is the older son! This is simple. From the first and second stories, the definition of “lost” is: what the owner seeks is the thing that is “lost.” The person who loses a sheep will go looking for that sheep; a woman who loses a coin will go looking for the coin. But when the younger son has gone, does the father go to look for him? Since he does not, the younger son is not the “lost one.” Who does the father look for? It is the older son. “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out to find him and pleaded with him.” (v. 28) It becomes clear that in the third story, the older son is the one that is really “lost” and thus the central figure of the whole parable. The description of the younger son is longer in order to prepare us to see why the older son is the one the father considers lost. In the first and second stories, the lost sheep and the lost coin need no elaboration. But to have lost a person is something quite different. How can a person be lost? It needs to be accounted for. If the father does not go out to “look for him” and to “plead with him,” then the older son would soon be lost. Here, the word “lost” refers to “having lost the intimate relationship.”

Which Is More Important: Money or Relationship?

　　There is a possibility that the older son may be lost because he does not understand his father’s mind. The way he sees the homecoming of the younger son is different from how his father sees it. He takes a judgmental view that it is wrong not to hold the younger brother accountable for his wrongdoing, feeling the father treat his brother better than him. After all, he has contributed the best he can for the father but the father has never given him any reward. His father has never killed a calf or even a lamb to express his appreciation. But when we listen to the older brother, we discover that he does not treasure his relationship with his younger brother. It is clear that he measures everything in terms of money: the younger son has devoured almost all of the father’s family property; the father has never killed a calf or a lamb for his sake! In his mind, money is more important than relationship. What about the father? The father stands in vivid contrast to the older son. The father does not care about money. He values relationship more than money!

　　When will an object be most valuable? When it is newly bought? Why is it that a puppy which originally costs two hundred dollars and then its value has increased a hundred times in just two years? I have a former colleague who bought a puppy for two hundred dollars. Two years later, the puppy was lost. Both the husband and the wife missed the puppy very much and so they put up notices in search for the puppy with a reward of twenty thousand dollars. After all, an object is most valuable when it is lost. Perhaps it is only when an object is lost that you will then find how much it is worth to you. Why is a dog of two hundred dollars worth twenty thousand dollars? What makes it increase nineteen thousand and eight hundred dollars in value? It is relationship!

　　If a man-dog relationship can be worth nineteen thousand and eight hundred dollars, then it is so hard to evaluate the worth of a person-person “relationship.” Having lost a mobile phone, we can just buy another one but nothing can repair a broken family relationship or an inter-personal relationship. When one of our relatives dies after a sudden illness, even if we have lots of money, it is useless. Likewise, when a marriage breaks down, money can do nothing to restore it. A relationship is to be treasured; it may be too late to do any remedy after it has been broken. The father in the story values relationship more than money, and therefore he is filled with compassion and welcomes his son home. The father is also filled with compassion towards his older son. He knows that his son is angry and so he goes out looking for him and pleads with him. “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours . . . .” The father expects his older son to know that he in fact has not only his father but also the money. That is sufficient. In comparison, what does his younger brother have? He has neither the father nor the money. Does the older son think that calves and lambs are more important than his brother? Which is more important: money or relationship? If the older brother cannot see things properly, he is not able to understand his father’s mind.

The Pharisees Crave for Money

　　We want to ask: why did Jesus tell such a story? To whom did Jesus speak? Luke 15:1-2 records, “The tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” The Pharisees and the scribes complained that Jesus should not receive such a group of poor people and even ate with them. They saw tax collectors and sinners as those who should not be forgiven. Jesus was not like the older brother who felt that since the younger brother was bad enough and has squandered his share of the father’s property, his father should not accept him. The Pharisees also minded that Jesus ate with sinners. Yes, a scene of eating again. Was Jesus eating with sinners here like the father holding a feast for the return of the younger son? The Pharisees and scribes were reluctant to eat with sinners. This is exactly the same as the older brother who refused to go into the house to feast and celebrate the return of his younger brother!

　　Apparently, this parable is Jesus’ response to what he had heard the Pharisees and the scribes say. The role of the older brother is the Pharisees. What the father said to the older brother is exactly what Jesus wanted to say to this group of men: “Relationship is most important.” God focuses on His relationship with human persons. He loves all who belong to Him, including sinners in man’s eyes. This is exactly how the father loves his younger son.

　　Did the Pharisees understand what Jesus said? We need to understand a bit more about their behavior. In Luke 16:14 we read, “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.” They were sneered at Jesus. It can be clearly seen that they did not understand what Jesus means to say. There is a special description: The Pharisees loved money. We usually know that the Pharisees were religious leaders who clung to the law and attacked Jesus. Actually they also loved money. The writer deliberately wrote this sentence just to point out that they did not focus on relationship because they loved money. For a person who focuses on money, his heart gets stuck by money and so he cannot see family affection. There have been news reports that some sons and daughters do not want to support their parents. Such children take their elderly father or mother to stay in the homes for the elderly and they never return to visit their parent. Time and again we read in the newspaper that members of a big, wealthy family go into court in a bitter fight for the family property. Actually money is sufficient to harden a person’s heart.

　　Hong Kong is a consumers’ society and people are anxious about money. Brothers and sisters, we need to be careful. If our hearts get stuffed by money, material desire, or the desire to possess a good many things, we will soon get lost. If we think the most important thing in life is to “make money” and enjoy life, then we will neglect our relationship with people around us and we cannot see God’s will clearly.

What about Our Love Toward Those Who Are Lost?

　　From this parable, we can see that the will of God in not only the relationship between father and son, brother and brother, but more importantly, in the relationship between God and man. In Luke 15: 7, “there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents.” Let us just take a moment to ponder: Are you sensitive to the heart of God who loves the world? We lead busy lives as our daily itinerary is filled up with homework assignments, work schedule, attending committee meetings, church ministry and appointments with brothers and sisters. It is easy for us to neglect our friends who have not yet come to Christ and fail to try hard to share with them the gospel of Christ. Many people do not have the opportunity to listen to the Christian gospel in their lives. A lot of people in backward regions lead a life of poverty and they lack clean water supply and sufficient food to eat. It seems that their lives are not as noble as a puppy that costs two hundred dollars. They simply do not know that there is a God who loves them, nor do they know that there is an eternal heavenly home to which to return. When you see a stray dog in the street, you will have pity on it and try to help it find its master. What about those people who do not know Jesus Christ our Lord? They are at a loss and lack direction in life. Will you sympathize with their spiritual condition and long to help these people find the Lord of life?

　　In Hong Kong, there have been auspicious cases of student abduction. If your son has been abducted and it takes a million dollars to pay the ransom, it is probable that you are willing to pay the money because you love your son. God loves the world. Do you know how big a price God is willing to sacrifice to redeem our lives? A million dollars? Ten million dollars? How much more than such a price? God has given us a priceless gift, not by pouring out money, but sending Jesus Christ as our ransom to redeem us back from the hand of the devil. God in His great love is ready to risk everything. He is willing to pay everything to save human souls. What about our love for the lost souls? Of course, we cannot be like Jesus in every way, but are we not selfish? Are we not giving without any reservation? Too often, don’t we care more about ourselves?

Our Life Story Has Not Come to an End

　　“There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.” These words point out that relationship is more important than money because such a relationship will continue throughout eternity. We have already been in Christ and we will come together in heaven because our relation with God will go on until eternity. But how about money? The value of money is confined to life on earth. But if we have learned to use money to help other people to know more about Jesus and enable them to have an eternal relationship with God, that will be the most valuable investment befitting God’s purpose.

　　There is a church in Hong Kong which takes up a special ministry. Some low socio-economic income families are invited to a free dinner in an Italian restaurant every month. The restaurant has some distinguishing features and there are rougly 20 seats. The dinner costs more than a hundred dollars per head. This is very much appealing to the families of low socio-economic income and so the quota is quickly filled. Actually the church does not have to pay the dinner fees. It is the proprietress of the restaurant who bears all the costs. The service and food are as good as always but she does not charge a penny. It is not easy to manage the restaurant business but the proprietress is willing to serve God in such a way that the low socio-economic income people can listen to the gospel of Christ. I feel that she is trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle. Every month she can reach 20 people of low socio-economic income, just like 20 pieces in a puzzle. In a year, there will be 240 pieces and 1,200 pieces in five years. A beautiful picture will soon emerge: Jesus and a band of people of low socio-economic income sit together for dinner and listen to the truths of the kingdom of heaven as they eat.

　　In the parable in Luke, will the father manage to find the older brother? If the older brother does not take in his father’s words and continues to stick to his own way of thinking, he will never know “an eternal relationship is more important than money.” Then, he will be lost. Our life stories have not yet come to an end. Will we end up painting a beautiful picture? The outcome depends on how we respond to God. I hope that we will “not be the older brother” but pray that God will enable us to see that there are many younger sons in the streets of the outside world. Some “squander their wealth in wild living” and some “come across a severe famine in that place and begin to be in need.” Looking around us in this world in which we live, we see that there are younger sons in every street corner. Pray that God will allow us to be “filled with compassion,” ready to give to help more younger sons and daughters to come back to the family of God.