Helping the Healthy

Here are some insightful observations regarding the Prodigal Son and his Elder Brother. You know the story, right?

The Prodigal goes off and wastes his inheritance in wild living, then returns home repentant to be embraced and forgiven by his father. Meanwhile, the older brother, who has served his father faithfully the whole time, is angered by the injustice.

As in many of Jesus' stories, the point is about grace and a loving father. The point of Christianity is not to obey all the rules, but to love the Father.

Christian leaders need to look at those around us not as people needing to serve God harder, but in desperate need of his loving embrace - maybe especially the most responsible ones.

"Those who have not broken the rules may be farther from the Father's arms than those who've broken most all of them. Sin is anything that separates us from God, and nothing does that quite like not feeling the need for mercy. Again, the point isn't to be good. The point is to get into those arms, and grace is the only way there.

This means preachers are called to peel back the veneer of spiritual health in the elder brothers, and help them to see that beneath all of those years of careful living lies a soul that is as dangerously parched as that of the prodigals. Their right answers, dedicated volunteerism, beautiful families, and well-marked study Bibles can keep them away from the love of the Father just as much as the prodigals' wantonness."