Glory to Jesus! Christ! Glory forever!
In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son may very well be one of the best known of all Jesus’ parables. It is certainly the longest, offering a multi-faceted story whose themes are nearly inexhaustible to explore and contemplate. This story strikes a chord with just about anyone who has ever raised kids with the family dynamics at play here between the father and his two sons and, of course, between the two siblings themselves. We know the outcome of the lost and erring baby of the family, but what we don’t know – and aren’t told – is how it ends for the elder brother. Our Lord purposely leaves that open. Of course, it is the young prodigal boy who gets most all of the press, but not so much the elder son. Sometimes it’s almost as if he is treated as an appendage whose presence may not be necessary to the story, but adds a little something to it nonetheless. Because we know this parable so well (maybe too well for our own good?), I’m not going to re-set it by re-telling it. We just heard it, but rather I want us to turn our attention immediately to the oft neglected elder brother who, I would submit, is us. There’s no doubt in my mind that most all of us would fancy ourselves the prodigal younger brother because his story is all about redemption, mercy, forgiveness, and compassion. You know the theme: black sheep of the family returns home after a long absence, seemingly picking up where he had left off. This is definitely a Hallmark movie in the making, if there were one. The parable of the prodigal son is an inspiration to all who have ever “come to themselves” after straying far from their roots and lineage, whether it was a deliberate act of rebellion or a more subtle drifting away over time. It is a testament to enduring love.
But, what of the older brother? I would suggest that just about all of us who are veteran Christians, who have been practicing Christians for a very long time – we are the older brother who’s been serving his father, day in and day out. Remember, the Church has us hearing this parable – and others – leading up to the intense Fast of Great and Holy Lent, to get us ready for the spiritual work that we will and must necessarily do if we wish to be saved. I would remind us that, for Orthodoxy, salvation isn’t just about a one-time event after which I’m good to go. But rather, it is about being saved again and again and again and again. Sometimes like this elder brother, we may lose sight of that truth. There is a certain dedication and an admirable devotion of this elder brother who fails to “get” those lack of qualities in his younger sibling. He’s willing to pick up the slack created by his brother’s absence and he will bear the burden imposed by it. He will do his duty, and he will do so in silence.
But, what he doesn’t get is the foolishness of his father, at least as he sees it. He hears the merriment as he comes in from the fields, having borne the toil and labor of the day, and he is blindsided by his father’s largesse to the long-lost sibling whom he doesn’t even claim as a brother! As far as he was concerned, this no-account son of his father had abandoned ship, forfeiting whatever rights and privileges might have been his. Whatever he got, he deserved! But, what does he see? What does he hear? He sees his father rewarding bad behavior, impetuous actions, and most certainly an immoral life. At least, that was the conclusion the elder brother had come to. It was an assumption he made, a judgment on his part about his brother. What other conclusion could there be? In the Book of Sirach, he had read, “He that forsaketh his father is as a blasphemer, . . . .” (Sr. 3:16), but this isn’t how his father was treating him. He wasn’t teaching him a lesson. In fact, with all the years he had dutifully put in serving his father, what did it get him? If anything, it appears as though loyalty meant nothing to his father. Never once in all the years since his brother had abruptly left home did his father ever reward his faithfulness and sense of duty! And yet, as soon as this carouser returns, his father goes hog wild! Unbelievable! You can see him fuming, madder than a hornet.
Beloved, this is what envy does to us, just as it did to this elder brother. Envy is rooted in jealousy. The elder brother isn’t just jealous, he’s envious! Jealousy wants what another has. It may dream of it and the passion for the desired object will grow little by little until it becomes full-fledged envy. Envy doesn’t just want what another has, it begrudges the fact and takes action to get what the other has “by hook or by crook.” Envy is not thankful because it can’t be, it doesn’t know gratitude. It believes it is being denied what rightfully belongs to it, or should belong to it, since the one who possesses the envied object isn’t worthy or as worthy as I am. We can hear the contempt and disdain in the elder brother’s voice. “Look, father, I didn’t do what your youngest son has done, yet what has it gotten me? You’ve been so unfair! I’ve done everything – and more besides – ever asked of me, and yet have you ever offered to me what you have so foolishly given to this obviously unworthy child of yours?!” Envy cannot rejoice in the blessing or reward of another. “Envy is the sorrow caused by our neighbor’s prosperity” (St. Basil the Great). Envy is diabolical. It’s what drove the devil to undermine God’s good creation with death (WS 2:23-24). Envy is what caused Cain to rise up and kill his brother, Abel (St. Tikhon, True Christianity II, 83-88; Gn. 4:1-16). Envy poisons and corrupts the soul to such an extent that the soul is dead and doesn’t even know it! Envy prohibits the soul from entering the Kingdom of God (Mk. 7:20-23; Ga. 5:19-21).
What is absolutely sad here is that the elder brother had what he desired all this time, but never saw. He had the superior status of a son, but served his father in slave-like fashion. He did not relish the gift already his as a son. Instead, he served and labored under pretense. On the surface, he appeared faithful and diligent, but when the opportunity arose to reveal the glory of God, he caved and yielded to the spirit of envy which is nothing but rot and canker. Envy clouded his clear vision and right judgment of himself. For you see, beloved, he was as far from his father as his prodigal brother had been, and he didn’t realize it, that is, until his wayward sibling repented and returned home. He who fancied himself the measure of the “perfect” son was shown to be imperfect. How? By his disdain and envy. As much as the obedience of faith delights the heart of our heavenly Father, what God truly wants from us is repentance, mercy, and compassion. There will, in fact, be a time for judgment, but that judgment will be God’s and not ours. That time, however, is not today. Today, salvation is offered. Today, the lost is found. Today, the dead are raised up by repentance. Today, salvation is offered to all souls who, having come to their senses, return to the Father’s House. If the angels of God can dance on the head of a pin inebriated by God’s grace and made ecstatic over one sinner who repents (Lk. 15:1-10), should we not likewise who are sinners be so joyful for each other when the fallen are raised up by forgiveness, and the lost and erring find their way back home to God and His Church? As one of the Church Fathers suggests, the open doors of the Church are the arms of the Father spread forth to receive the penitent (St. Amphilochios of Iconium, Wisdom of the Divine Philosophers IV, 13).
As we make our way into the Fast of Great and Holy Lent when the light of Christ will more brilliantly illuminate our lives, let us rejoice that our Father provides us this opportunity to truly see ourselves in His light (Jn. 3:16-21). For “It is a spiritual gift from God for a man to perceive his sins” (St. Isaac the Syrian). How so? So that we can repent and be restored to the image of divine sonship.
I leave you with these spiritual words from St. Nikon of Optina:
Do not let the enemy, the devil, deceive us! If anyone sees that he is stuck fast in sin, that sin has gained great power over him – taking advantage of his forgetfulness and lack of understanding. Let him not despair that he has sailed off into the sea of sin, and that the way back to God is long and difficult. He only needs the sincere desire to return to God – Who is already waiting for us (Wisdom of the Divine Philosophers I, 104).
Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have
mercy on us and save us. Amen.
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
PROPERS:
1 Cr. 6:12-20
Lk. 15:11-32