Only one person was missing: the elder brother. - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Luke 15:23-24

In this parable told by the Lord Jesus, the father recognised with great joy that his son had not returned just for material reasons, but with all his heart. That was the reason for the great feast. Only one person was missing: the elder brother. He was working in the fields. When he came home and heard the joyful music, he inquired after the reason. When he heard why, he became angry.
In contrast to his brother, who was thirty for adventure, he had remained faithful to his father, carrying out all his orders. A feast had never been held for him. Now that his brother had returned after causing his father so much worry and wasting his money, they had celebrated. Wasn't that unjust?
The elder son refused to go to the feast. When his father pleaded with him to do so, he retorted, "You never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends." His attitude becomes clear: he would like to celebrate with his friends, apart from his father. On this score he was no different from his brother, the prodigal son.
Maybe someone thinks his morally upright life will satisfy God, who should then grant him a pleasant, easy life and later receive him in heaven. Such a self-righteous attitude never leads to true fellowship with God, neither on earth nor in heaven. No-one will be in heaven for endeavouring to earn himself a place by good works and his own righteousness. Only pardoned sinners will be there.
Today's reading: Ecclesiastes 6 & 7:1-6