LUKE 15:11-21

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.

12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.

13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.

14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.

15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.

19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’

20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 

22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.

27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’

28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,

29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.

30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’

31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

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Mom always liked you best. Now there’s a quote that will take you back a few years.  It will take you all the way back to the late 1960’s and the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Did you ever watch show?  If you did then you know that Tommy Smothers used to pout and always said the same thing to his brother Dick. Mom always liked you best. For those of you who are too young to remember the Smothers Brothers this might be a better example of sibling rivalry for you.  Just think of Jan Brady and the emotional meltdown that she had when she shouted, “Marcia. Marcia. Marcia.”

 
That’s what happens when feel like you’re not getting the recognition or the respect that you deserve. You get angry and then you become bitter. That’s what happened when the prodigal son showed up after squandering his inheritance.  His father welcomed him home with open arms.  Actually, he did more than that.  The father threw him a great big party. 
That didn’t go over very well though with the prodigal son’s older brother.  When the older brother found out what was going on he gave his father an earful.  “Look,” he said, “these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’
 
Now that’s what I call being bitter.  I bet you can remember a time when you felt a little bitter yourself.  You probably felt the same way an eight year old boy felt when he didn’t get to play the leading role in his Sunday School’s Christmas pageant.  In of playing Joseph he got the role of the innkeeper. No one knew that he was bitter about that until the day of the pageant.  Everything was going as planned until Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem and went to see the innkeeper.  When they got there Joseph pleaded with the innkeeper.  “Please kind sir.  Have you a room for us?  As you can see my wife is great with child.”   At that point the innkeeper swung the door open and with a great big smiled said,  “Sure! Come on in.”   People in the audience didn’t know what to think..  The pageant director fainted but Joseph didn’t panic.  He just poked his head inside the door, then turned to the innkeeper and said, “I wouldn’t let my wife stay in a dump like this.  Come on Mary.  We’ll sleep in the stable.”
 
Now I’m sure that you can remember a time when you felt a little bitterness in your heart.  Maybe it was because you didn’t get a promotion at work or you got laid off after years of faithful service to the company.  Maybe your basketball coach made you sit on the bench when you knew that you deserved to be one of the starting players.  Maybe you felt that your mom really did like your sister or brother best. 
 
All those bitter memories are the reason why some people have a lot of sympathy for the prodigal son’s older brother.  He doesn’t get any sympathy from me though.  I don’t feel sorry for him at all.  What I feel for him is sadness. 
 
I feel sadness for the older brother because bitterness is a poison that will eventually ruin your life.  In the case of the older brother you can see that it’s already begun to poison his mind and his heart.  Look at how the older son refers to his younger brother when their father comes out to plead with him.  The older son says, “This son of yours.”  Notice that he doesn’t say, “This brother of mine.”  He says, “This son of yours.”  What does that mean?  It means that the older brother has already disowned his younger brother.  He’s already slammed the door on him and doesn’t want to have anything to do to him.
 
The older brother is convinced that his younger brother really isn’t sorry for what he did.  I’m guessing that he also thinks that his younger brother is trying to get his hands on the rest of the inheritance.  Maybe that’s why the older brother also throws some mud at his younger brother and accuses him of wasting his money on prostitutes. Here’s the thing though. The parable doesn’t say that that’s what the younger brother did.  It just says he wasted the money on “reckless” living.  So, the older brother is making an assumption here that may or may not be true.  That’s what happens when bitterness poisons your heart and mind.  You make assumptions and think the worst of everyone and everything.
Now here’s a question for you.  Who ends up getting hurt the most by the older brother’s bitterness?  The answer to that question is simple.  The person who ends up getting hurt the most by the older brother’s bitterness is the older brother himself.  There’s a great big party going on in the house. There’s singing and dancing and food and where is the older brother?  He’s out there in the field pouting.  Bitterness is a poison that destroys your ability to love and forgive.  It destroys your ability to see the good in the people around you and because of that people don’t want to be around you. It destroys your ability to see the blessings that God brings to you each and every day.
 
All of this is why the father went out into the field and pleaded with the older brother to just let it go.  The person who gets hurt the most when your mind and heart are filled with bitterness is yourself.  It’s like the man who went golfing one day.  The golf balls weren’t going where he wanted them to go though.  They went flying all over the golf course. By the time he got to the 13^th hole the man was totally frustrated and furious.  So, when he sent his first three tee shots into a nearby pond he lost it.  He flew into a rage and picked up his golf bag.  Then he spun around a couple of times like a discus thrower and hurled the golf bag into the pond.  Then he stormed off the golf course.  He wasn’t gone for long though.  A few minutes later he came back and waded into the pond.  The two men who had been playing behind him began to chuckle.  They watched as the man retrieved his dripping wet golf bag.  They watched as the man then unzipped a pocket on the side of the golf bag and pulled out his car keys.  They watched as the man then spun around again and threw the golf bag back into the pond. 
 
Bitterness is a poison that won’t do you or anyone else any good.  So, here’s what the parable is saying to the older brother.  It’s a simple message.  Just let it go.  Don’t hold on to the bitterness.  Just let it go.  Let it go so you can see the blessings that are all around you.  Let it go so you can see the love that is all around you.  Let it go so God can fill your heart and mind with the grace that heals and the love that passes all understanding.   Just let it go.
 
A couple of weeks ago there was a story that appeared in the Boston Globe about a young man who had every reason to be bitter.  Graham Gardner was a 22 year old young man who was confined to a wheelchair and weighed just 110 lbs.  That’s because Graham was born with cerebral palsy.  He couldn’t dress himself.  He couldn’t feed himself.  He couldn’t even communicate by using a keyboard.  Despite his disability Graham Gardner wasn’t bitter.  His father Dr. Stephen Gardner said that just the opposite was true for Graham. He brought joy into the lives of the people around him.  In the interview for the Globe Dr. Gardner said, “There was this sort of paradoxical gift. That is, Graham was incredibly needy and required help from other people, but those other people inevitably benefited in profound ways by being with him. That was his gift. This gift allowed others to be more loving and to spread that around. Once someone was affected that way, it became a ripple in a pond affecting those around that person.’’  Graham’s aunt said that people were drawn to him because he “didn’t have any of that extraneous baggage, the things that get in the way of our lives and the way we relate to the world around us. His was a pure, absolute, innocent love and response to his life and the people around him and the things that brought him joy.’’ His mother said, “We danced every Saturday morning. We lit candles every day for every meal, because every day is a celebration. There wasn’t a day when I didn’t thank God for his presence.’’  Well, Graham Gardner died two weeks ago and here’s a part of the story that might bring a tear to your eye.  When the family met with the funeral director he asked them, “What was Graham’s profession?”  Graham’s father said, “Well, I guess angel.”  The funeral director looked at them as if to say, “Are you serious?”  The family said, “Yes, we are; put that down.”  The next question on the form was employer and they said, “Well, God,” and the funeral director put it down too.  A few days later a death certificate arrived from the state and this isn’t a joke.  The document says, “Graham Hale Gardner, angel, in the service of God.”
 
That’s what happens when you let go of the bitterness.  You find a loving God waiting to bring you into the party.  I hope the older brother let go of his bitterness and went into the party.  If you’re holding any bitterness in your heart I hope that you’ll let go of it so you can join the party too.  Amen.
 
Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes
March 14, 2010