Tuesday, March 29, 2016

The True Older Brother - David Wolff

Luke 15:11-31
Key Verses: 15:28-30 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 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. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

How was dinner? I hope you guys are enjoying the conference so far!

In this message, I will be covering who a real older brother is and what he does when this parable is played out in our lives today. This is the third part to Jesus’s parable of the Lost Son. First, Mary taught us how much God loves us, then David talked about how both of the sons were lost, and Me David is going to talk about the older brother. So what is and who is a true older brother? For anyone who has or is an older brother, think about qualities and relationship dynamic that an older brother has. Is an older brother just someone who is blood related and who happened to be born before you? Is he a bully or a role model? A regular old brother would probably treat his younger siblings with dominance, with a power struggle and competitiveness for the love of the father/mother. But a true older brother loves us unconditionally like our parents, seeking to help and guide us rather than compete. This true older brother is Jesus. While this isn’t surprising, Jesus is most often viewed as God incarnate who bore our sins on the cross acting as a mediator for us rather than as an older brother for us. But as God’s children, Jesus is our true older brother who we can look up to and ask for help and advice.

When I was preparing for this message, I didn’t know what a true older brother was as I have three strong and independent older sisters. My closest experience to being an older brother or even understanding how it felt to be one was probably with my family’s dog, Asher. My family adopted Asher when he was just two months old, and as a cute husky-lab puppy, he was the center of attention. As I was the youngest and only son in my family for 15 years, I wasn’t used to everyone not giving me attention or anything else I so desired, because it was all about Asher. It was and still is especially annoying whenever my sisters ‘accidentally’ mix-up my name with Asher’s. While I played with Asher and took care of him, I bullied him a bit, making sure he knew that I was Alpha Wolff. I imagine if I had an older brother, our relationship would be similar. He would teach my hard math, take me out on his motorcycle, and beat up anyone who messed with me, but he would also find me annoying sometimes and put me in my place.

Obviously, my experience and relationship with Asher doesn’t follow the same sibling dynamic a human older brother would have, so I decided to defer to my friend, the Urban Dictionary. When I searched “true older brother,” the top definition was: “A close friend that you consider a brother that won’t keep you hanging or dog you at any time or in any circumstance”. It came with an example of: You:get a detention at school. True brother: takes the blame. Surprisingly, this definition is accurate. Notice how an older brother isn’t necessarily blood related and can be anyone who has a bond as secure and lasting as a family member. Jesus is not necessarily blood related to us but he is someone who transcends above and beyond blood relation. Jesus is someone who we can consider as a brother, who won’t leave us hanging or dog us anytime, unlike us and how we let him hang on the cross. And the example provided by Urban Dictionary is perfect. Just as an older brother would take the blame if you got detention in school, Jesus bore the blame and our sins and served them as if in detention.

The older brother does not take happiness in the younger brother’s return. Lets read verse 28 together: “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him”. From the passage, it is clear that the older brother is disappointed that his brother returned to the father. He would’ve preferred for his younger brother to stay out in the open country and live as far as he can away. This may be because the younger brother took half of the estate, where as in that culture, younger sons in total get one third of the estate while the oldest gets two thirds. In a way, he was cheated of his inheritance from the father and his future. And the boy who cheated him is back in town, so wouldn’t be salty? This relates to us as well, where we may not be forgiving to people who did us wrong, even though they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Who here has ever worked hard but had someone else get the credit? Who here has ever felt cheated out of recognition or love? Although there are some that identify as the younger son, we all have some older brother in us. In response, our “father went out and pleaded with him (us)”.

Jesus on the other hand would not only attend the feast, but see his young sibling even before the father does. He is always on the lookout for the younger son to come home, being even more worried than the father. Just like how when a sinner repents, all of heaven rejoices, Jesus is the one who leads the toast and makes the best-man speech.

Jealousy is found in the Older Brother’s heart Let’s read verse 29 together: “But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders”. There are many instances in the bible where there is a brotherly relationship, there is jealousy which leads to hate which leads to some violent gesture. This may be due to insecurities when comparing themselves to their other brother/brothers in either the eyes of the world and/or the eyes of God. Just like how Yoda warned us, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Truth, it is. How Cain suffered after murdering his brother over God’s pleasure in gifts. He was punished by God and marked as an outcast. Or like how Joseph’s brothers couldn’t forgive themselves in the eyes of their father, Jacob and God. But this parable is different than what happens in the bible (mostly old testament), where both of the brothers are reinstated under the father’s wing and nobody was killed. Happy ending huh?

Jesus does not look towards the Father’s belongings like the older brother did, but rather he anticipates and goes out to do the Father’s will. He does not do it out of command but, love for us and respect for the father.

The older brother worries more about physical property of the Father than the younger brother’s safety. Let’s read verse 30 together “But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” The older son does not rejoice with the Father at the return of his brother because of the psychology term called the just-world phenomenon. The Just-World phenomenon is that we have a tendency to believe that the world is just and fair as it is and that people get what they deserve. If something bad happens to you, then you probably deserve it. In this case, the older brother thinks that the younger brother deserves not be reinstated into the household, but rather kept out to yearn the pods the pigs were eating. He is self-righteous in that he considers himself and his ideas just. He values a fattened calf as his reward for working hard over his bond between his brother. But physical property can be regained and lost, and is trivial to what is important and eternal in God.

Jesus could care less about physical material if his younger brother is on the line. He puts away everything off to the side and puts his younger brother on top-priority. Spoiler ALERT for those who haven’t watched Slumdog Millionaire: In the movie, Jamal (the main character) lived his early life as an orphan. He then grew up with his older brother and little sister who isn’t blood-related. Eventually, they were separated never to see again. Jamal then aired on “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” and got every question right. At the last question which was worth 20 million rupees, he left the show to find his lost little sister. To Jamal, his little sister is worth more than anything money can amount to, even a Supreme Taco Party Pack from Taco Bell. To Jesus, you and I are worth more than anything the world has to offer, even his life.

Where this older brother basically did not care what happened to his younger brother, the true older brother would go out and retrieve the younger brother back to the father. Do you remember earlier how I thought my true older brother would teach me hard math, take me out on his rad motorcycle, and pop anyone’s noses who was mean to me? Unfortunately, Jesus doesn’t have the maddest baddest-raddest motorcycle in all heaven and earth and he isn’t a math teacher like Mr. Toh, but he has something greater.He has a compassionate heart that fights for us. He goes out to the open, lawless wilderness to get us when we stray from the father. Not out of obligation, but out of his own love and will. This is proven true when Jesus accepted the cup God offered when he fully could’ve rejected it. He brings us back to our father and into salvation and wins the war against the devil that Satan has waged on us through sin. For “Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” Hebrews 2:11

Jesus is not only the lamb of sacrifice, holy and almost untouchable in comparison to our sin as we learn about every worship service. But he is also our brother, who walks and talks with us. Just like how he was not the “king” of the 12 disciples, but more of an older brother. Jesus to me, is my true older brother that I never had physically on earth. I used to think I could do everything through my own power. Getting good grades, being able to keep relationships, and make it through life without thinking twice on relying on God or religion that at times I thought didn’t even exist. I have been denying the existence of my own God and savior just so that I could carry on my sin and try not to think twice. Recently, I have been trying to run away from my parents. Not literally, but in a way that I won’t have to see them for a long periods of time, especially when I advance college. That’s one of the reasons why I am dorming at NU. I have resented my parents most of my life because I don’t agree with many of their views and opinions. Arguments at home are a daily matter, only to be not resolved. Just like the younger brother, I wanted my superior gone so I can live my own life without being told what to do. All I cared about was what my parents can physically provide for me, instead of accepting their love. I wanted to go on to the next part of my life without looking back or rely again on my parents. As I go on to the next chapter of life, I know I will try to seek independence, but Jesus is always going to be with me whether I like it or not. He is the older brother that I never had that lives with me throughout my best and worst times. I know this because he paid the price of my sin as if he was the one yearning for the pods the pigs were eating. I know he brought me and will continue to bring me back at his own expense through his death. Moving forward, I pray that I can live my life knowing I have an older brother I had, Jesus. And to turn to him who is desperately trying to turn me back to my father in heaven.

A true older brother would go out to the country and bring us back, just like how Jesus came down from Heaven to earth to find us. He conceded more than just an inheritance and fattened calf, he gave up his own life and shed his own blood. We are so blessed to have such an awesome true older brother! I pray that as we prepare to hear the message of the cross by David Kim, we can see that Jesus is our true older brother. Let’s pray.

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