The Older Brother

There is a parable found in Luke 15 – I’m sure many of you have heard it before – that Jesus told the Pharisees about a man who had two sons. When his youngest requested his share of the estate, the man divided it between them. Now, instead of being wise with what he had been given, the younger son decided to travel to a different country, squander his money, and live out what he thought would be his best life.

But when a famine hit and he realized he had run out of money, he despaired. He became so desperate that he took a job feeding someone’s pigs, all the while wishing for their slop. The younger son was so unhappy and upset with where he had gotten himself that he decided to travel back to his father’s house and offer his service as a slave. 

So, the younger son travelled back to the land where his father was staying, and as he approached, his father saw him coming in the distance. At this point, we’re all thinking that the father was going to be angry with his son for living so recklessly and ultimately agree to make him a slave. But to everyone’s surprise, the father ran up to him, hugged him, and kissed him. He was so overjoyed to see his son returned that he threw a huge celebration to commemorate his homecoming. 

This was not the case for the older son. The older son became angry with his father. He believed his father favored his younger brother over him, who had done the right thing. He felt so betrayed and unappreciated in that moment that he didn’t even want to participate in his brother’s celebration.

I think we can often find ourselves in the older brother’s shoes. We can get so caught up in our own self-righteousness that we deprive ourselves of joy for the people around us. As leaders, too, it can be easy to feel unappreciated in your role when it seems like no one is grateful for what you accomplish.

But I love how the father responds to the older son.

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Luke 15:31

We have to remember that the purpose of serving isn’t to bring ourselves glory. The reason why we serve is to ultimately bring God glory and be a light in this dark world so that others can encounter the love of Jesus. We need to let go of our self-righteousness and learn to celebrate others in order to be a humble servant of God!

Josh Jones

Josh has been a strong leader on the worship team since the start of this year. He is now serving in the role of Worship Intern, enthusiastically leading the Port City family on Sundays and Tuesday nights. Alongside his excellent voice, Josh brings a great sense of humor and humility with him in all he does. - The Learning Together Team.