Luke 15:27Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Consequently, the elder brother was criticized for returning from the fields, indicative of worldly concerns, yet failing to understand the Spirit of God. He complained that even a goat was not offered for him. However, the Lamb was sacrificed not out of disdain for the world, but for its redemption. The envious brother asks for a goat, while the innocent longs for the Lamb's offering. The elder brother is identified as such because hatred ages the heart swiftly. He remains outside the house, as a heart filled with jealousy prevents him from joining in the celebration. Thus, he is unable to perceive the joyful sounds of singing and dancing—not those stimulating lust, nor the raucous music of pipers, but the harmonious and serene expression of joy from the redeemed.

Can you find one who considers himself righteous yet fails to notice the log in his own eye while attempting to remove a tiny speck from another's? How furious they get when someone who repents and pleads for forgiveness is granted mercy! Their hearts are closed to the spiritual joy of the congregational song! This harmony exists when the psalm is sung in the Church, blending voices across generations and virtues—like a chorus of varied instruments. The psalm is sung, responses are offered, and ‘Amen’ is proclaimed. This harmony is what Paul recognized, hence he declared, "I will sing with the spirit, I will also sing with the mind" (1 Cor. 14:15). This is the message we aimed to convey through the parable.

However, if anyone sees the two brothers as representing two nations, we shall not dispute this viewpoint. The younger brother symbolizes the Gentiles, while the elder, who envies the younger for receiving his father's blessing, represents Israel. This mirrors the Jews who grumbled about Christ dining with Gentiles (Luke 5:30), seeking instead the sacrifice of a goat, a sign of corrupt offerings. The Jew seeks a goat while the Christian seeks a Lamb, resulting in Barabbas being freed for the Jews (Luke 23:18), while we receive the sacrifice of the Lamb. Thus, they bear the burdens of their sins, while we find forgiveness that is sweet and hopeful. Anyone who calls for a goat looks to Antichrist, as Christ is the fragrant offering (Eph. 5:2).

The grievance about the goat may reveal that the Jews had lost the true essence of sacrifice, or that no offering could redeem them as effectively as the blood of Christ does for the Church, for the blood of the prophets did not save them. The elder brother acts shamelessly, akin to the Pharisee who boasted of his piety in prayer (Luke 18:11). He believed himself blameless and adhered strictly to the law, while angrily condemning his brother for wasting their father’s property on sinful living. He should recognize that such sinners were the very ones for whom it was declared, "Tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before you" (Matt. 21:31).

The elder son remains outside the house, not cast away but unwilling to enter due to his lack of understanding of God’s purpose in calling the Gentiles. He becomes enslaved rather than acting as a son, for a servant does not comprehend his master's will (John 15:15). As he learns, he is consumed by resentment towards the Church’s goodness and stands outside. From this position, Israel hears the harmonious praises of the Church, yet feels angered because the beautiful songs of thankfulness resonate within.

The elder son's anger was so intense that he could not even refer to the wayward son as his brother, but disdainfully claimed, “This son is yours.” He lacked any love for his brother, even one who had fallen and needed help; his love was solely for himself, willing to sacrifice his brother's well-being for the sake of his own pride. In his view, a son who had wasted his inheritance on sinful pleasures deserved to be shunned rather than embraced; his demise was a consequence of his own actions. We, too, often mirror this behavior when a sibling who has wronged us seeks our forgiveness in a spirit of repentance. We feel compelled to first highlight their wrongs, sometimes even exaggerating their severity to further wound them, and only after such emotional anguish do we grudgingly offer forgiveness. We justify our actions by claiming it is in the sinner's best interest, as if we are guiding them toward genuine repentance. However, one who sincerely seeks forgiveness and acknowledges, “I have sinned against heaven and before you,” is already aware of their transgressions and has repented. Thus, they do not require further admonishment. This is not the way a compassionate God operates.

It was fitting for us to celebrate, for your brother was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.” The Lord did not reveal how the unkind brother behaved further; instead, He invited the Pharisees listening to Him to reflect on their own attitudes toward sinners in despair, challenging them to recognize the moral truth of the parable that highlighted their own lack of compassion.

As this elder son approached the house and heard joyous singing, he inquired of one of the servants, "What does this mean?" The servant replied, "Your brother has returned, and your father has sacrificed a fatted calf to celebrate his safe return." The elder son became furious and refused to enter, prompting his father to come out and plead with him. In response, the son said, "I have labored for you for many years, never disobeyed your commands, and have never been given even a young goat to celebrate with my friends. Yet, when this son of yours returns after squandering your inheritance with reckless living, you kill a fatted calf for him." The father replied, "My child, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. We should celebrate and rejoice, for your brother was lost and is found; he was dead and is alive."

While we may not know exactly how this parable impacted those who heard it from the Lord, its connection to Christ's contemporaries offers a vivid representation of the divine love extended to repentant sinners throughout history and across all humanity. Similar to the son portrayed in the Gospel, the wayward sinner, blessed with God's goodness, succumbs to the allure of sin, discarding the protective bonds of divine law and straying further from God. As he sinks deeper into sin, utilizing the gifts of body and spirit bestowed upon him by God, it becomes a blessing for him to hear the call of the heavenly Father beckoning him toward repentance. If he resolves to forsake sin and return to the embrace of divine love, he approaches God with a profound awareness of his unworthiness and a genuine remorse for his transgressions. In doing so, he encounters the merciful heavenly Father who lovingly receives the lost son.