The Older Son

April 14, 2026

The other day Ingrid and I were reading together some passages in the Gospel of Luke and we ended up focusing on the parable of the Prodigal Son. This is often used by preachers to show how ready God is to forgive sinners who repent. But the real point of the story comes at the end when Jesus describes the reaction of the older son to his father’s celebrating his younger brother’s return:

“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!’ 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 15:11-32)

Ingrid offers the following comments on this:

“I’ve heard this parable told again and again in church, and it’s always the same: about the Heavenly Father’s love for us. But the point Jesus is trying to make here to his audience — the Pharisees — is the behavior of the older brother. The older brother never went out looking for his brother to try and bring him back. He didn’t have a heart of compassion. And when his brother returned, he was jealous that his father had made a feast to celebrate his return.”

Ingrid really nails it here. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). And if that’s what Jesus did, then that’s what we’re supposed to do if we’re really followers of Jesus. Because being a follower of Jesus simply means doing what Jesus did. And that’s what our book Simple Kingdom: Discipleship is all about. Give it a read if you haven’t done so yet, it’s free to read online and is also available as a free PDF download.

Cheers,
Mitch and Ingrid

(Image: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, The Return of the Prodigal Son, c.1660, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland)

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