The following is not really part of the Bible Background. It is more like "tone."  It's also why I love working on these stories. ~ Neil

"The Older Brother is angry with God (his father)."

I've been thinking about that.

He/we/they are angry because of what many theologians and preachers call "cheap grace."

"Cheap Grace" comes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer and means "forgiveness without confession," "salvation without repentance." Essentially, the doctrine of "not really free" grace/salvation tries to bridge the theological divide between the absolute of God's unconditional love and people's fear that some people are getting off too easy.

We hear the phrase "faith saves us," and assume that it is talking about our faith rather than the Father's unconditional faithfulness.   It turns "confession" into magic saving words, an "act" rather than a life's response.

According to Bonhoeffer and Cheap Grace...

• The lost sheep had to confess its sins before the shepherd brings it home.
• The lost coin has to jump into the woman's hand.
• And the father wouldn't have run and tackled his lost son.

The problem is with US -- the sons and daughters of the Father who only look at "our cost" of following God -- and wanting it somehow "validated" by requiring other people to pay for their sins, rather than realizing that the "cost" of Grace is all on the Father to bear and has already been paid.

Like the seeking shepherd and sweeping woman, the running and tackling father is the one who looks senile and irresponsible.  Paul called it "the foolishness" and "the stumbling block."  And the Older Brother stumbles all over it.

As I was thinking about this, I came across a wonderful article by Dr. Eitan Bar, a Jewish-Christian author and theologian. It's a blog post that is an excerpt from his book about the parable of the prodigal son.

Bar says the older brother is angry because HE feels he is losing what he has EARNED - his position and property (i.e. his rightness, his salvation), and also his authority.

(And the Lord knows we disciples want our position and due. See Mark 10:35-45.)

Excerpt:

"Remember, the societal structure of first-century Judea places a high premium on familial respect and the hierarchies therein. The firstborn son, traditionally, was not just the heir but also the future patriarch of the family. Everyone respected the elder son because they knew how much power and authority he would soon have. His duty was to uphold the honor of the household and its traditions.

"The public celebration, thrown by the father for the younger son, would traditionally be seen as an event where the elder brother’s participation (at the party) was almost mandatory. His abstention from it, therefore, was not a mere personal choice but a significant and public statement- the father is willing to break all norms and traditions for the sake of sinners.

"The father’s celebration and acceptance of sinners is a new precedent and tradition the father set in place in his family’s legacy."

It strikes me that THIS is the image of God that the older brother believes in...

and not this one...

Or this one...

Food for thought!

What if the son hadn't returned?  According to Luke 15:4, the father probably would have gone out after him.

What if the older son didn't come around?  I suppose the father would have gone looking for him, too.

As they say, "love is patient..." and that's really good news!