The "Good" Son

"Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.' But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, 'Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!'
(Luke 15:25-30)

I am not sure how many times I have read this parable and focused on the younger son. The one that was lost. I saw so much of him in my earlier life and was thankful to have a Father that had welcomed me back in spite of my failings. I am not proud of my time in a far off land but it is a part of my past.

As I grew in faith I wanted to be more like the Father in the parable. I wanted to demonstrate grace to others in my life even when they wished me dead. I wanted to be able to forgive no matter what they had done. I am afraid that I have fallen far short of the Father. It is not as easy to say all is forgiven as I had imagined. I pray when the time comes that I have the grace within me to say just that.

The “good” son is often overlooked in this parable. He comes across as ungrateful and I often associated him with people that I knew that looked down on others that were not as righteous as they were. He did not understand how the Father could forgive the “lost” son for the crimes that he had committed when he had been so faithful. He appears to believe that he has earned some part of his inheritance for his behavior.

When I look at this parable from a perspective of God’s grace I get a different picture than I used to. I now see that the “good” son was missing more than the gracious act of his father (toward the younger son). He was spending so much time and energy trying to earn the Father’s grace that he did not realize that he was walking in it all along.

It appears to me that I have become the “good” son of late and it breaks my heart that I have not appreciated the love the Father has for me. I have been stuck in a rut of self-righteousness where I have tried my best to justify why I deserve better than I have been getting. I am thankful for Godly advice from a great friend that has given me a time of refreshment.

And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"
(Luke 15:31-32)

There is great comfort in these words for me. Despite all my failings of late, the Father still has great love for me. What I love best about this parable is how I can so often find myself somewhere in it. Now that I have recognized my own issues with self-righteousness I find that I have wandered to the point where I need to return back to my Father. In becoming the older “good” son it seems that I have realized that I actually need to be more like the younger “lost” son and return to my Father’s house. I still strive to be like the Father. I want to be able to demonstrate grace in all seasons. There is far too much ungrace in this world for me to contribute to it. I ask forgiveness from any that I may have hurt and pray for healing. Pray with me.

Love and peace-
Bruce

P.S. So now these three things remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.