“Lost, and is Found”
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of joy sweeps away every disturbing thought. “This thy brother was
dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”
Was the elder brother brought to see his own mean, ungrateful
spirit? Did he come to see that though his brother had done wickedly,
he was his brother still? Did the elder brother repent of his jealousy and
hardheartedness? Concerning this, Christ was silent. For the parable
was still enacting, and it rested with His hearers to determine what the
outcome should be.
By the elder son were represented the unrepenting Jews of Christ’s
day, and also the Pharisees in every age, who look with contempt
upon those whom they regard as publicans and sinners. Because they
themselves have not gone to great excesses in vice, they are filled
with self-righteousness. Christ met these cavilers on their own ground.
Like the elder son in the parable, they had enjoyed special privileges
from God. They claimed to be sons in God’s house, but they had the
spirit of the hireling. They were working, not from love, but from
hope of reward. In their eyes, God was an exacting taskmaster. They
saw Christ inviting publicans and sinners to receive freely the gift of
His grace—the gift which the rabbis hoped to secure only by toil and
penance—and they were offended. The prodigal’s return, which filled
the Father’s heart with joy, only stirred them to jealousy.
In the parable the father’s remonstrance with the elder son was
Heaven’s tender appeal to the Pharisees. “All that I have is thine”—not
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as wages, but as a gift. Like the prodigal, you can receive it only as
the unmerited bestowal of the Father’s love.
Self-righteousness not only leads men to misrepresent God, but
makes them coldhearted and critical toward their brethren. The elder
son, in his selfishness and jealousy, stood ready to watch his brother,
to criticize every action, and to accuse him for the least deficiency.
He would detect every mistake, and make the most of every wrong
act. Thus he would seek to justify his own unforgiving spirit. Many
today are doing the same thing. While the soul is making its very
first struggles against a flood of temptations, they stand by, stubborn,
self-willed, complaining, accusing. They may claim to be children of
God, but they are acting out the spirit of Satan. By their attitude toward
their brethren, these accusers place themselves where God cannot give
them the light of His countenance.