Search results
Feb 18, 2017 · Here are some things we can learn from the prodigal son's older brother. Although the older brother was mentioned quite late in the story, he is not left out, signifying that he is worth noting and that we can learn from his example in the Bible.
The elder brother who resents his father's forgiveness and celebration of the returned prodigal son, illustrates the resentment of the scribes and Pharisees towards the tax collectors and sinners who are repenting.
Luke 15:25-30. At this point, Jesus forces us to consider the story of the prodigal son's elder brother. The elder brother did not feel like joining his father's celebration. We can imagine that he was likely full of resentment that had built up over the years of his little brother's absence.
The older brother of the prodigal or lost son was on the outside an upstanding, respectful and obedient man. He stayed at home with the father and tended the farm as any man of that time should do before he married.
The younger one demands to be given his inheritance in advance, leaves home, and later returns to his father's warm and generous welcome. The older son is critical of his father's desire to celebrate his brother's homecoming and complains that his own obedience has never been rewarded.
The Prodigal Son - Then He said, “A certain man had two sons. The younger of them [inappropriately] said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me.’ So he divided the ...
Some can identify with the prodigal son returning—or needing to return—home to his father. Others can identify with the elder brother who is angry at his brother and jealous of their father’s extravagant welcome of the prodigal.
