Oil on Canvas 200cmx150cm. 2016
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THE OLDER SON(Luke 15:11-32)
Modderman’s painting shows the Father and the Older Son, not the Lost Son. And for a good reason. This parable is better know as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, but Jesus points at the Older Son at the end. He exposes the self-righteous attitude of the Pharisees and the teachers-of-the-law, by addressing them with three inter-connecting parables: The Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin and the Parable of the Older Son. |
The Story behind the Painting
Luke 15:1-2: Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathered around Jesus to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers-of-the-law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Then Jesus told them this parable.
In the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus says that there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one lost sinner who repents, than over 99 righteous persons. In their minds, the Pharisees and the teachers-of-the-law consider themselves part of the righteous ones.
Likewise, In the Parable of the Lost Coin, there is rejoicing in the presence of angels over the sinner who repents. Again, the self-righteous Pharisees and the teachers-of-the-law have scrupulously kept the law, they are not the sinner, there is no need for them to repent.
The third part is of the Parable of the Older Son. The father is exceedingly glad when his younger and repenting son returns home after a sinful journey. He is rejoicing and filled with compassion and instructs his servants to kill the fattened calf and have a feast and celebrate. “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again.”
At this point, the Pharisees and the teachers-of-the-law are trying to understand Jesus’ story. The sinful prodigal is certainly not them. If they are not the prodigal son, who then are they? They are not the compassionate father who rejoices over the return of his repenting son. Neither are they the servants.
Now the Older Son. After he was told that his younger brother had returned home, and that his father ordered the servants to kill the fattened calf to celebrate the return of his lost son, he became angry and refused to attend the party. His father entreated him to join the celebration but he answered his father, “Look, all these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never give me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home and you kill the fattened calf for him.”
By now, the Pharisees are getting the point; they are not nodding their heads any longer, because they see now the meaning of the parable. Remember that they muttered that Jesus was hanging out with the wrong kind of people; tax collectors and sinners. The wrong kind of people? Let me show you who YOU are!
Yes, the younger brother is a sinner, but he repents; his heart has changed. The older brother does not even realize that his heart is ruined. “I kept the rules and you owe me.” That son of yours did not keep the rules; how do you dare celebrate him and not celebrate me, because it is all about the one who keeps the rules. You OWE me, because I kept the rules. You OWE me, because I EARNED it. The Pharisees and the teachers-of-the-law are getting the message.
The younger son repented of his sins and was accepted by the Father; the older son rejected the Father’s mercy. He completely missed the gospel.
Luke 15:1-2: Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathered around Jesus to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers-of-the-law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Then Jesus told them this parable.
In the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus says that there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one lost sinner who repents, than over 99 righteous persons. In their minds, the Pharisees and the teachers-of-the-law consider themselves part of the righteous ones.
Likewise, In the Parable of the Lost Coin, there is rejoicing in the presence of angels over the sinner who repents. Again, the self-righteous Pharisees and the teachers-of-the-law have scrupulously kept the law, they are not the sinner, there is no need for them to repent.
The third part is of the Parable of the Older Son. The father is exceedingly glad when his younger and repenting son returns home after a sinful journey. He is rejoicing and filled with compassion and instructs his servants to kill the fattened calf and have a feast and celebrate. “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again.”
At this point, the Pharisees and the teachers-of-the-law are trying to understand Jesus’ story. The sinful prodigal is certainly not them. If they are not the prodigal son, who then are they? They are not the compassionate father who rejoices over the return of his repenting son. Neither are they the servants.
Now the Older Son. After he was told that his younger brother had returned home, and that his father ordered the servants to kill the fattened calf to celebrate the return of his lost son, he became angry and refused to attend the party. His father entreated him to join the celebration but he answered his father, “Look, all these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never give me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home and you kill the fattened calf for him.”
By now, the Pharisees are getting the point; they are not nodding their heads any longer, because they see now the meaning of the parable. Remember that they muttered that Jesus was hanging out with the wrong kind of people; tax collectors and sinners. The wrong kind of people? Let me show you who YOU are!
Yes, the younger brother is a sinner, but he repents; his heart has changed. The older brother does not even realize that his heart is ruined. “I kept the rules and you owe me.” That son of yours did not keep the rules; how do you dare celebrate him and not celebrate me, because it is all about the one who keeps the rules. You OWE me, because I kept the rules. You OWE me, because I EARNED it. The Pharisees and the teachers-of-the-law are getting the message.
The younger son repented of his sins and was accepted by the Father; the older son rejected the Father’s mercy. He completely missed the gospel.