Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Lost and Found, Part 41 of 78
TEXT: Luke 15
IDEA: The elder brother is not an afterthought in Jesus’ parable but a major reason for telling the story.
PURPOSE: To help the listener understand how a parable works to teach a lesson.
Do you know people who don’t know how to tell a story or a joke?
What do they do to destroy them?
Have you ever disfigured a story because you mangled the “punch line” or the end of the story?
What is an anti-climax?
Jesus had a reputation as a splendid storyteller, but in the story of the prodigal son, He seems to have created an anti-climax.
Look at how the story of the prodigal son ends: music and dancing. They “began to celebrate.” How do you feel at this point in the story?
Then Jesus goes on when we are prepared to stop: “Meanwhile, the older brother was in the field . . .” (Luke 15:25-28).
Jesus doesn’t know when to quit.
That’s why we seldom preach on the older brother. He is an anti-climax. He is the bad end of a good story.
Some literary critics think this part of the story was added on at a later time.
Do you think that is probable?
The opening verses show that Jesus anticipated the elder brother early in the story:
“He divided his property between them” (Luke 15:12). The older brother is not an afterthought.
The opening verses of the chapter tell us that Jesus was talking to two kinds of listeners: tax collectors and sinners AND Pharisees and teachers of the law (Luke 15:1-2). They accused Jesus of pandering to the worst people in society by welcoming them and eating with them.
Actually, the parable is made up of three stories. The first two set up the third:
A shepherd seeking a lost sheep – 1 in a 100. Wilderness. Pity for the sheep.
A woman searching for a lost coin – 1 in 10. Home – value of the coin.
A father waiting for one lost son – or two? Where lost?
The boy in the far country speaks to the need of the tax collectors and sinners.
The boy who stayed home speaks to the need of the Pharisees and teachers of the law.
The elder brother is included for a purpose.
In the light of this overview, let’s listen to the whole story again as it is read for us by Max McLean.
As you listen, ask, “What was Jesus driving at?”
Is the elder brother simply added on at the end?
