Charles Spurgeon Commentary Luke 15:29

"But he answered and said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, and I never transgressed a commandment of thine; and [yet] thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:" — Luke 15:29 (ASV)

And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

I know the brother. He says, "I have been a consistent Christian; I have been diligent in the service of God; I have abounded in prayer, and yet all day long I have been plagued and chastened every morning. I do not get much joy; I have such a sight and sense of temptation and sin that I am generally low-spirited. I seldom get a drop of full assurance. I never get a kid given me, that I might make merry with my friends."

Those who are under the law never make merry. You never yet knew a man who was trying to save himself by keeping the commandments of God who could dare to make merry.

No, they have to draw long faces, and they may well do so, for they have a long task before them; they put on a garb of sadness, having a sad countenance, as the hypocrites are.

Neither transgressed I at any time your commandment: and yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends.

Here have I been constant in the house of prayer, regular at my Sunday School class, and yet I get little or no joy of it. I go on just in the regular path of duty, but I have no music and dancing. I have a great many doubts and fears, very little exhilaration, very little delight.

And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

"I have had no banquets. I have kept at home, a patient worker, and have had no extraordinary joys." I know some Christian workers who are very much in this condition. They keep on and on and on in holy service, and they do well; but they seldom have great entertainments of high joy and unspeakable delight.

It is their own fault, and it is a thousand pities that they do not have them, for they might have them if they would. There is a tendency to grow so absorbed in service, like Martha, that we are cumbered by it; and we do not have the joy of Mary in communion at the Master's feet.

I am sure that this elder son was out of fellowship with his father, or else he would not have talked as he did. We are all apt to get into such a condition. See to it, you who work for Jesus, that it is not so with you.

Then the elder brother went on to say,

And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years I serve you, and I never at any time transgressed your commandment; and yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

A Christian of this type seems to say to the Lord, "I have been your child all these years, yet I am still full of doubts and fears. I have none of the high joys that I see these other people have. 'You never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends.' I am chastened every morning, and I go sighing all day long. I seem to get little comfort;

"yet here are these young people, who have not been saved a week, and they seem to be full of assurance, and they are as happy as ever they can be. Surely, they cannot belong to the tested family of God; how can they be sincere with all that music and dancing? I cannot endure it, for I never had such an experience."

And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee

You may read it "slave for you."