That is certainly true, Kolo, but it is also true that the parable advocates rewards for those who disobey and who repent when all else has been lost. Their disobedience is without consequences. Yet the older brother, who was driven to arrogance and envy out of sense of injustice, is the villain.
In some ways, our society does this too, namely reward the negative and suppress the positive. No wonder the negative wins. The younger brother had a good time and when everything dried up and he was starving he all of a sudden 'repented.' He had no choice, but to 'repenet' or die. When he returned to his father and asked to be taken as a servant, he didn't do that out of 'humility' but out of knowing that he squandered his fortune and dignity willingly and knowingly and had no right whatsoever to demand anything. The older brother felt like a fool.
This is one of those homilies that always leaves me with my head shaking.
"This is one of those homilies that always leaves me with my head shaking."
Does seem unfair, doesn't it?! But then again, "My ways are not your ways" etc.
In Orthodoxy, we call this parable "The Parable of The Two Sons". And you are very right about the Pharisees. What the older brother represents is a lack of love and mercy and compassion, but mostly a lack of love. He "did" everything right, played by all the rules, but condemned himself by his jealousy as one who had learned nothing except arrogance and a sense of entitlement which lead not to experiencing the love his father showed, not to becoming like his father, but rather the opposite, consumed with hatred.
That is certainly true, Kolo, but it is also true that the parable advocates rewards for those who disobey and who repent when all else has been lost. Their disobedience is without consequences. Yet the older brother, who was driven to arrogance and envy out of sense of injustice, is the villain.
In some ways, our society does this too, namely reward the negative and suppress the positive. No wonder the negative wins. The younger brother had a good time and when everything dried up and he was starving he all of a sudden 'repented.' He had no choice, but to 'repenet' or die. When he returned to his father and asked to be taken as a servant, he didn't do that out of 'humility' but out of knowing that he squandered his fortune and dignity willingly and knowingly and had no right whatsoever to demand anything. The older brother felt like a fool.
This is one of those homilies that always leaves me with my head shaking.
I believe that the message of the parable is this ... God's love, ... when received, ... triumphs over all.
Consider the fact that the older son's life ... was not negatively impacted by his brother's return ... or by his father's celebration of that fact.
In fact, ... if the older brother had any love for his younger brother, ... he should have been thrilled to have him return.
His brother's return should have been seen as a positive for all. Everyone's life should have been positively impacted ... unless love was lacking (which it was in the older brother's case).