15 21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
25 "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
28 "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
31 "'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"
The tragic story was going to have a happy ending after all. The prodigal son returned home, repentant. A celebration was called for. Jesus says that a homecoming banquet was being arranged. It was a time for rejoicing in the life of a family whose wayward son had come home.
But then, just as the festivities were getting under way, the older brother of the prodigal son arrives to play the ignoble part of the wet blanket which is an image of being less than enthusiastic. The figure of speech comes from fire-fighting where a wet blanket effectively quells small fires. Unwilling to forgive his brother and jealous of the attention being showered on his sibling, this older brother feels he is owed some kind of payment for his ethical and moral stability and superiority.
To those listening to the story unfold, that happy ending now begins to turn sour.
There is a reason, of course, why Jesus includes the part of the older brother in the story of the prodigal son. He includes this wet blanket to do far more than add interest to the story. There is scarcely a fault more common than jealousy or the begrudging of good to those we deem less deserving than we think we are. It is entirely possible that the story of this elder brother is a mirror in which we will discover ourselves.
Among the many lessons to be learned from the story of the prodigal son is the one that it is not enough merely to have "stayed with the supplies" (a phrase from 1 Samuel 25:13 and 30:24). The attitude with which you did it counts as well. As always, Jesus is honing in on attitudes as much or more than actions.
When forgiveness is based on repentance, there just ought not to be any wet blankets in the church. We must be willing to accept as brothers all those who repent and receive God's forgiveness. And we must do so joyfully, unless we want to find ourselves in the place of the older brother.
That kind of acceptance doesn't always come easy. Sometimes those repentant sinners include prodigal sons who were once a part of the family. They left the family of God for the pleasures of the world and on their return we find ourselves being pushed into the shadows. We are the ones who stood by the stuff. What's all the excitement over them?
Somewhere in 50,000 miles of home assignment driving, I saw a bumper sticker proclaiming: "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven."
That's not a bad theme to use with the story of the prodigal son. Oh, we Wesleyan-Arminians might want to argue a bit with some possible theological overtones of this exact wording. But still, it does say something good about what we believe -- and ought -- to practice concerning forgiveness.
Those who expect God's forgiveness must themselves be willing to forgive. That's also part of what the Lord's prayer is saying to us. [ Thoughts on the Lord's prayer ]
The Palm Sunday / Easter Sunday season gives plenty of material for celebration; maybe this is even a time for celebrating some prodigals returned to the family. Let's have no elder brothers in our midst today. Such an unforgiving spirit will rob you of the joy that should be yours on this Lord's Day.
Let's not have any wet blankets today. Let's just shout hallelujah and rejoice together in God's great forgiving grace toward repentant sinners!
I wrote these devotional thoughts while Barbara and I were serving as missionaries in Italy. They originally appeared in Standard, a weekly Faith Connections take-home curriculum piece for adult Sunday school classes published by The Foundry.
*Note: The expression "wet blanket" started in the USA in the early 1800s. There were no fire extinguishers in homes and there was no 911 to call. When fires started in homes, people would frequently grab a blanket, plunge into an animal watering trough and throw it on a fire to put it out. The combination of wetness and the smothering effect would sometimes put out the fire. The expression came to mean someone who smothers excitement and "fire" in a gathering of people.
-- Howard Culbertson,
Other devotional
articles: Year-long series in
Standard Reflections with illustrations
from ham radio
Are you ready for Christmas?
Come Ye Apart Devotionals
about pastors
ebook: Rookie Notebook: Our first nine months
as missionaries in Italy 10/40 Window map and
explanation Seeking God's will?
African martyr's commitment
Mission trip fundraising
Ten ways to ruin your mission trips
Nazarene Missions International resources