36 The Angry Brother
Ulysses was sulking in his room. He was very angry at his younger brother Victor and refused to come out and join in on the welcome-home celebration for Victor, who had been gone for 5 years. Ulysses' father entered the room with a look of concern on his face.
"Son, please come out and greet your brother," begged Ulysses' father, "Please don't be angr..."
"Angry?! Angry?! Why are you worried about me angry, Dad?" retorted Ulysses. "You're the one who should be angry! My fool of a brother selfishly asked for his share of the inheritance 5 years ago and left us! You and I heard stories over the years how he went to Las Vegas and squandered all your money on gambling and showgirls! During that time when he was having fun, he never bothered to call us or see how we were doing! I called him several times over the years and he would never give me more than a minute of his time! I haven't even heard from him in the past two years and I wasn't even sure whether he was still alive or dead!"
"Son, you need to calm down," replied Ulysses' father.
"How can I calm down, Dad?" cried out Ulysses angrily. "When he finally ran out of money, he comes crawling back home, begging for work. I might have understood if you made him work for you like one of your ranch hands, but you decide to throw him a huge party! Dad, I stuck with you and faithfully continued working in the family business all these years. I never even asked you for money to buy pizza to have a party with my friends. Now, You're serving filet mignon and opening up bottles of champagne for this fool!"
Ulysses' father tenderly smiled at Ulysses and put his arm around him. "Son, you know that all I have is yours. But it is right for us to rejoice, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found."
Ulysses stared at his father's loving eyes and his own countenance softened. "I guess you're right, Dad. I'll come out and join the party with my brother."
The parable of the prodigal son is a story of God's everlasting love for all His children and the great rejoicing in heaven when someone who was once lost returns to the fold and is redeemed through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. It is also a reminder that we should not condemn those who have fallen away, but that we should pray they return to the fold and joyfully celebrate when they do return.
- Recommended reading: Luke 15:4-32
