Read Luke 15

When William Penn designed Philadelphia, the “City of Brotherly Love,” he envisioned a more humane setting than the overcrowded streets of London. Penn wanted every family to have room for a garden, and he widened city thoroughfares and promoted religious freedom. No doubt he would be disappointed by the homicide rate, which is hardly evidence of “brotherly love”; in 2014, Philadelphia counted 248 murders.

The parable of the prodigal son depicts little brotherly love between the two sons, despite the gifts of a loving father and stable home. The younger brother demands a share in the family estate before his father’s death. The older brother labors for his father and yet resents that his hard work isn’t sufficiently repaid. The younger brother leaves the family estate for a “distant country,” where he squanders his inheritance (v. 13).

The older brother remains dutifully at home—although he is no less estranged from his father than his younger brother. He may not be corrupted by parties and prostitutes, but his sins of bitterness and self-righteousness are no less scandalous. He resents that his father would generously forgive his younger brother, whom he has regarded as unworthy (vv. 28–30).

Jesus told this parable in order to teach His listeners about the nature of God as our Father, who is amazingly generous, beyond comprehension, with each of us, giving us gifts we haven’t deserved. Jesus had often been accused of fraternizing with sinners (“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them,” v. 2), and this parable demonstrates God’s extravagant love for His sons and daughters who leave home. Of course Jesus would take special interest in the moral dregs of society. Those are exactly the people He has come to save.

APPLY THE WORD

The Pharisees were like the older brother—they believed their service merited notice from God. It’s easy to see our relationship with God in transactional terms. If we’re “good,” we feel deserving; if we’re “bad,” we feel unworthy. The gospel proclaims the scandal of grace: Christ got the wages of sin so that we could get His reward (see Rom. 6:23).

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