The Stay-at-Home Son

"Now the elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.

(page 119)

And he called unto him, one of the servants and inquired what these things might be and he said, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

And he was angry and would not go in; therefore came his father out, and entreated him.
And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, -- and yet thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friends. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine."

How human the stay-at-home son was and what a theological attitude he took in regard to his younger brother. He had not entered himself and was not willing that anyone else should enter. His real attitude was that God should damn everything that he, himself, did not like or believe. He was puffed up with self-righteousness and personal conceit, filled with petty vanity and fuming with anger over his brother's welcome home. I expect that we meet him in ourselves nearly every day, in our personal experiences with other people, in our intolerant attitude and uncharitableness towards others who do not think as we think.

But God knows as little about self-righteousness as He knows about evil, for both are false; therefore, He said unto the elder son,

"Thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine."

This implies that the elder son had missed the mark as well as the younger, for he had been living in the midst of plenty and had not recognized it. He needed but to have asked and he would have received

(page 120)

all that the father had. Both sons were foolish but it is a question which was the more completely deluded.