The Elder Son Syndrome

But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

Luke 15:30, KJV

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is probably the most famous parable Jesus Christ has ever taught on the earth. Who wouldn’t be deeply moved by a story that tells us of the unconditional love of a father? Who wouldn’t be comforted by the fact that there are fathers who are willing to welcome their children back to the house they carelessly abandoned?

One of the many youth camps I will never forget is the one held in Baguio City, Philippines. The camp evangelist, using the prodigal son as his illustration, preached about “coming home.” He effectively dramatized the significant details of the parable, and I would say that it caught everyone’s attention. After the sermon, I immediately bowed on my knees and gave myself back to Him, deciding that I would be in the place where I needed to be.

I was reading the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Luke today as I reminisced about that important day in my life. As I continued reading the parable, however, the elder son in the Father’s house caught my attention, this time like never before.

The elder son wasn’t too excited about his younger brother’s return. He was busy in the field while his father, expecting his other son’s homecoming, was probably waiting at the door or peeking through the window. The elder son was likely satisfied that there was an empty seat and an empty room at his father’s house.

One of the most striking things the elder son said was, “Thy son . . . which hath devoured thy living with harlots.” While the whole house celebrated the return of the prodigal son, the first things that came into his mind were the mistakes his brother had made. While his younger brother enjoyed the feeling of being back at their father’s house, all the older brother remembered were his brother’s failures.

I believe that the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son were just an introduction to the message that Jesus wanted to convey to the Pharisees who condemned Him because of the way He received the sinners and the publicans. Jesus came against the spirit of the elder son; He doesn’t want any spirit of condemnation at His house. He wants the doors of the Father’s house to be perpetually open for those who want to come home.

It is easy to condemn the Pharisees for their cold-heartedness. However, I want to make sure that I do not have the elder brother spirit in me. I want to be the one opening the door for a younger brother who is coming back home. I want to be the person who welcomes the sinners to the Father’s house and forgets about the mistakes they have committed.

Do we see other people as sinners? Do we see the backsliders as condemned people? Let’s remember that the younger son might have been a prodigal, but he was still his father’s son. In a world that longs to be back in the Father’s house, let’s choose not to have the elder son syndrome.

Further Reading: Luke 15; Romans 8:1; II Corinthians 5:18