The Prodigal’s Brother

Music and laughter filled the air, but Jamesh’s heart was filled with darkness. He jabbed the shovel into the ground, vigorously ripping up the soil. “He runs away for months,” Jamesh growled, “squandering his inheritance and acting like a pig, while I stay here and work. And when he comes home, Father throws a party!” He looked up at the house and glared. “Nobody ever threw a party for me.” Jamesh gritted his teeth and continued digging. In his rage, he never even heard the footsteps of his father approaching him. “The feast is about to start,” Father said gently. “I’m not going to celebrate the reckless acts of your irresponsible son,” Jamesh snapped. Father winced. “Jamesh, we’re not celebrating your brother’s foolishness.” Jamesh threw the shovel down and yelled, “Then tell me why you have killed the prize calf, given him the finest clothes, and sing songs and dance! I stayed here all these years, but not a single party was thrown in my honor!” “Oh, my son.” Father breathed. “This celebration is not one of merit, but of grace. We don’t celebrate his sin, but we celebrate because he came home! Your brother was as good as dead, but now he is alive!” “I would rather he had died than show his face again,” Jamesh snarled. Father’s face was pained. He started to walk back toward the house, then paused. “My love for you is not based on your work, but because you are my son.” Father walked away, and Jamesh continued hacking at the earth. He was glad the darkness hid the tears that ran down his face and soaked into the parched soil beneath his feet. • Lily Walsh • Today’s story is how one author imagines the older brother’s experience in Jesus’s parable in Luke 15:11-32. Have you ever felt like Jamesh? • We are all equally stained with sin, and God offers each one of us grace. Is there anybody in your life you’ve passed judgment on because of their sins? • What was the father’s invitation to his son? How might God be inviting you to come to Him? • If God’s love for us is not based on what we do, how might this change the way we live? He turned the parched ground into flowing springs. Psalm 107:35 (NIV)