Rev. Tatiana Cantarella

The return of the older son

Luke 15:11–32

Art and interpretations describing biblical themes have underlined a strong correlation between the parable of the prodigal son and the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector. At the center of Rembrandt's painting we do not only find the youngest son welcomed by the father, - they are located a bit to the left - the younger son not daring to raise his eyes to the Father and kneeling in repentance, as a symbol of all the tax collectors and sinners. To the right of them we see the figure of the eldest son, standing with folded arms and gazing mysteriously at his father - he is a symbol of all scribes and Pharisees. According to the parable the elder brother was not there when the younger son was met by his father but Rembrandt "not following the letter, but the very spirit of the scriptures" issues to each one of us a challenge to see ourselves in this picture and make our choice. This parable could be titled "the return of prodigal sons", for both were lost in a way; both were in need of forgiveness and healing, in need to return home into the arms of a loving father. Only for the eldest son, who never left his home it might be more difficult to return.

Were any of you the oldest child in the family? Very often it is the oldest child that is expected to fulfill all the expectations, to be very obedient and responsible and to please his parents. They are afraid to disappoint them. And often at an early age they hover the envy for the younger siblings who do not have to do as much to please their parents and therefore enjoy more freedom. How often are those who seemingly never left their paternal home are curious about the reckless life, which they themselves do not dare to lead like those around them. How often do we feel envious of wayward people somewhere deep down? Sometimes a life filled with obligations, which we are proud of and respect becomes an intolerable burden. And like the elder son we say: "so many years I have served thee, neither transgressed thy commandment: and yet thou never arranged a holiday for my friends and me" (Luke 15:29). And obligations and obedience become a burden, and serving becomes slavery...

The eldest son stands in the distance not wanting to participate in the welcome, which his father gives to the younger brother. What's going on in his mind and what would he do next? Will he decide to approach his brother and hug him like the father did or whether he would go away full of resentment and hostility? The father and eldest son are separated by some space, which makes this joyous scene of the youngest son's return a tense one. It's amazing how alike the eldest son is to his father: same beard, same wide red cloak on his shoulders, the light falls on both of their faces. But what a difference between them! The father bows down to embrace his youngest son, the elder son stands straight and tense, the arms of the father are open, the eldest son’s arms are clenched, their faces are lit, but if the father's face is lit with warm light, the face of the eldest son is cold, his body and hands remain in the shadow.

There was a warden at one part who was supposed to rake the old leaves and trash. He was surrounded by extraordinary beauty of flowers and trees, the sun shone through the foliage, but beneath his feet and in his head was just trash that he was raking into piles. One student wrote a few lines about him (sorry, it’s a re-translation, I don’t have the original English for it):

Not park but a pile of garbage! – Said he,

And sighed, never looking up.

He could see only the bad and was blind to beauty. The same applies to the older brother in the parable. What led the youngest son away from the true path is obvious but it's much more difficult for us to discern how the eldest son wandered away. He has always acted correctly. He was obedient, faithful and respected the law, worked hard, and was respected by people. Outwardly his behavior was impeccable... The elder son without even leaving home became a wayward son because while he apparently did all that he had to do as a good son but his heart was far away from home. He tells his father: "I have never transgressed your commandments..." but this sense of superiority is melting like snow under the warm rays of God's love. He was doing his duty, he worked hard but gradually lost his freedom and became increasingly unhappy, bunting grouse who is not able to see the joy of healed lives, changed both physically and spiritually, but only those whom he had always despised, and shied away from.

Many of us who have been in the church for a long time and never left may find ourselves in this older "exemplary" Son. We are diligently doing everything we should, we go to church, read the Bible, pray, help in the ministry, we go to camps, and our external behavior is perfect. However, just like the older son, at the sight of joy with which his father welcomed his younger brother, the hidden anger that was in him and grew over the years and dissatisfaction came out. Pride, spitefulness and egoism in the presence of someone else's joy become especially obvious... What is more evil - the wayward life or a hidden inner discontent, which is often revealed in people who consider themselves just and virtuous, consider themselves Christian. Why is it that those whom the Word of God calls saints are often lorded by bitterness, hatred, judgmental attitude and prejudice. In a heart that seeks to avoid "sin" often lurks poisonous anger and resentment ... If we’ve been believers and part of the church for long time, it is difficult to recognize our being lost because it is intimately connected in our heart with our desire to be good and faithful believers. But out of our good intentions we often lose our freedom, joy and gratitude, becoming strangers in the father's house, people standing on the sidelines and looking critically at everything.

The eldest son is guided by self-pity and chronic discontent that enslaved his heart and make him say: "Why, despite all my efforts, I do not get what the other is given so freely? Why am I not receiving such attention, while those carefree and frivolous people do?" It is our discontent that makes us like the eldest son - whining, dissatisfied being that continue to live in us despite our will poisoning our whole being. The more we think about our petty grievances the worse it gets, the more justified our discontent seems to us. That is why the eldest son was unable to share the joy of his father, when he came and heard music, saw the joy and happiness in the house he was overcome by apprehension and fear. "What is it?" – he asks his servant, and seeing that the young brother was not only accepted but was also celebrated, he wasn’t just unhappy but "was angry and would not go in" (15:28). Being convinced of his own rightness he displays a gross lack of respect for his father – reprimanding him before the guests and servants and refusing his invitation to enter the house.

Joy and frustration cannot coexist! Music and singing do not bring the older son happiness; only make his internal discontent worse. Did you ever have it when you are surrounded by fun but that only makes our heart sadder? Maybe some of you come to church and hear a joyful singing bur for some reason cannot share this joy, everything seems not right, unfair, everything goes on without you, you're don’t feel a part of what is going on... If you think that everything is wrong but for some reason people continue to rejoice while you're trying to do things right, but feel left out... if you lost the joy, then, perhaps, the frustration of the "eldest son" is poisoning your heart and you have forgotten the beauty of God's love. Hence, like the park tender, you no longer stop to smell the flowers and to see the sun through the trees, and not raising your eyes up you can only see the garbage...

If we find the older son living in us, we also need healing, repentance and the taming of our pride. But we cannot do this without the help of God, without His intervention. Rembrandt’s painting and the parable do not answer the question about what happened to the eldest son. Does he acknowledge himself as a sinner in need of forgiveness; would he confess that in his heart he was no better than his younger brother? Will he be persuaded by his father to come in and share their joy? Will he toe part in this celebration? Would he embrace his younger brother and welcome him? Will he sit there with them at the table and share their joy? We cannot answer these questions. But what will happen to us? Will we rejoice with the rest, will we stop looking at others with dissatisfaction, will we stop comparing ourselves to them and complaining about things that according to us are not done properly? I do not know what the answer will be for each one of us. But what remains absolutely undisputed it is the boundless mercy of the father.

Neither of the sons represents either good or evil, the true good here is their father. He loves them both and goes to meet both of them in order to embrace them. He wants both sons sitting with him at the table and sharing in his joy. The younger one accepts his embrace, the older one looks at his mercy from afar. Not being able to overcome his anger he does not allow his father to heal his heart. Will the eldest son be able to change? It’s a very important question for us because "good people", people who have always been "faithful" have in them so much of the scribes and Pharisees who so vehemently denounced Christ.

Think about it – Jesus says: "Blessed are the poor ... the hungry ... the mourning” – just a small part of us belongs to these people. Jesus prayed: "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent." But there are among us many of such - both intelligent and educated. Jesus gave preference to those who were rejected by society - the poor, the sick, hopeless sinners with whom most of us do not identify ourselves. Jesus condemns those who love to pray for a show in the synagogues and on the streets, showing of before people and proud of their righteousness. Most of us are more like the Pharisee who so wants to be "good" and the eldest son who never goes off sinning like others ... And the Father loves the older just like the younger one and says to him: "My son, you are always with me, and all I have is yours." Tough and full of bitterness words of the eldest son are not condemned by his father. The father does not try to explain himself; neither does he compare his children. He only tries to tell the elder one about his love: "my child, you are always with me." God's love is free from comparisons. It is we who compare each other and feel sorry for ourselves that we did not receive what is due to us. But our father is calling us to enter the house and to see there the true love that has no room for either competition, or enmity often shared by siblings, husbands and wives, friends and loved ones. For where there is resurrection, where life flourishes, one must rejoice and not grumble or be frustrating by comparing one’s share with the others.

And only abandoning complains, constant comparing of ourselves to others and self pity, we can find a place in the father's house, regain the ability to love and be loved, the ability to rejoice. I pray that all of us recognize in ourselves as soon as possible the nature of the eldest son and ask ourselves: "what should I do to return to my loving home"? The Lord is coming out to meet us, doing everything to make our return possible. But we should not remain inactive. It is necessary to understand our sense of being lost, the void that separates us from the father, the arms folded in frustration and not ready to embrace, the lack of joy that is stamped on our face. If we do not make an effort, we will remain on the outside. But when we DAILY express our faith and gratitude to the Lord (for he gave each of the sons their inheritance and met them at the house), we can be part of it again and experience the power of His Love that will bring us healing.

Returning home requires faith in that the father wants our return. And as long as there is any doubt about it we will remain on the sidelines. Faith must be accompanied by gratitude, which is the opposite of frustration and discontent. Gratitude and dissatisfaction do not go together, because dissatisfaction does not allow us to see life as a gift. Dissatisfaction arises when I feel that I do not get what I deserve. Gratitude goes beyond of what is "yours” and "mine” and believes that all of life is a gift of God. Gratitude is not just a feeling that arises spontaneously, it arises from our will and faith, it’s a conscious effort to treat everything that I have as a gift given to me by the loving God, it is the effort to accept this gift joyfully.

The return of the eldest son is also possible because in Jesus Christ we find the embodiment of true sonship. He came to reveal to me my father's love, set me free from sin, from the burden of resentment, frustration, pride, freed me for the joy of fellowship in father's house. God showed us his love in Christ, who being "the beloved, the only Son" gave His life for each of us no matter how far and for how long we wandered away from home or whether we tried to always live right but harbored a lot of discontent and unhappiness in our hearts... He loves us without distinction, his love does not wear out, his arms constantly outstretched to us, he is meets us at the door: "my beloved child, you are always with me, all I have is yours, share our joy and gladness, for he who was dead, now came to life, was lost but now is found. "