Joshua 5:9-12, Psalm 34, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Luke 15:11-32
The Other Brother
A few days ago I did a reflection on the Gospel parable of the Prodigal Son. As is normal for me I focused on the image of God’s love shown in the figure of the Father who welcome his lost son home unreservedly, but a question arose; What about that other brother, where does he fit in? Doesn’t it seem a strange addition to tack on to the end of a parable about love and forgiveness? What point is Jesus trying to make?
It’s true that the elder brother does seem a difficult fit in this parable of love. As the Father and younger son reunite and the tears of joy begin to flow like the wine at the welcome home party this “other brother” is angry, not just at his sibling but also at his father. There seems to be a great deal of pent up resentment breaching the surface of his normally genial character.
To understand how this fits we must look at who the parable is meant to be heard by and this, I admit, is a bit ambiguous. We are told that tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen while at the same time the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling. We then hear that Jesus told “Them” a parable, who is “them”?
It seems that the tax collectors and sinners must have already heard the good news of that story. Jesus was already spending time with them, eating with them; sharing with them the news of God’s unconditional love. But, like the elder brother, it is the Pharisees who are the last one’s to hear, they are the one’s late for the party.
It seems that the whole parable is aimed at the Pharisees, or anyone for that matter who cannot understand why God would make His mercy available to the neediest of us all. With hardened hearts the Pharisees ask behind Jesus’ back, “Why is he celebrating and feasting with sinners?”
A telling point in the parable occurs when the elder brother remarks, “When this Son of yours came back you killed the fatted calf for him.” To which the father counters, “This brother of yours was dead and has come back to life.”
Are the least among us just children of God or do we also see them as our brother and sister. Jesus word to the Pharisees and to us seems to be that unless we realize that God’s mercy is meant for the reconciliation of the whole family, then in a sense we will be cutting ourselves off from it even though we believe that we have been living a good and righteous life. The forgiveness of the least of our brother or sister is good news for the whole of God’s family and we should be at the table of celebration instead of questioning God’s justice.
Do you sometimes find yourself resenting the success of others?
Take a moment to pray for someone that you find difficult to love.
