Church Fathers Commentary Luke 15:25-32

"Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called to him one of the servants, and inquired what these things might be. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. But he was angry, and would not go in: and his father came out, and entreated him. 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: but when this thy son came, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou killedst for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine. But it was meet to make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive [again]; and [was] lost, and is found." — Luke 15:25-32 (ASV)

The Venerable Bede: While the Scribes and Pharisees were murmuring that He received sinners, our Savior told them three successive parables. In the first two, He hints at the joy He and the angels have in the salvation of penitents. But in the third, He not only declares His own joy and that of His angels, but He also rebukes the murmuring of those who were envious. For He says, Now his elder son was in the field.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The elder son is the people of Israel. Though he had not gone into a distant country, he was nevertheless not in the house but in the field. This signifies that he was occupied with the paternal inheritance of the Law and the Prophets, but chose to labor for earthly things. But coming from the field, he began to draw near to the house; this means that after the toil of his servile works was condemned by those same Scriptures, he began to contemplate the liberty of the Church.

From this it follows: And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. This represents people filled with the Holy Spirit, preaching the Gospel with harmonious voices. It follows: And he called one of the servants... This means he takes one of the prophets to read. As he searches the text, he is, in a sense, asking why these feasts—at which he finds himself present—are being celebrated in the Church.

The prophet, his Father’s servant, answers him. For it follows: And he said to him, Your brother has come... It is as if the prophet said, "Your brother was in the farthest parts of the earth, and for this reason, the rejoicing of those who sing a new song is all the greater, because His praise is from the ends of the earth. For the sake of him who was far off, the Man who knows how to bear our infirmities was slain, for those who had not been told of Him have now seen Him."

St. Ambrose of Milan: But the younger son, representing the Gentile people, is envied by Israel, the elder brother, for the privilege of his father’s blessing. The Jews did this because Christ sat down to eat with the Gentiles, as it follows: And he was angry, and would not go in...

St. Augustine of Hippo: He is angry even now, and is still unwilling to enter. Then, when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, his Father will go out at the proper time so that all Israel may also be saved, as it follows: Therefore his father came out and entreated him. For at some point, there will be an open calling of the Jews to the salvation of the Gospel. He calls this manifestation of their calling the "going out of the father" to entreat the elder son.

The elder son's answer involves two questions, for he says to his father: Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time. Regarding the commandment he claims not to have transgressed, it is clear this does not refer to every command, but to the most essential one: that he was never seen to worship any god other than the one true God, the Creator of all. This son should not be understood to represent all Israelites, but only those who never turned from God to idols. For although he might desire earthly things, he sought them from God alone, even if he did so alongside sinners. Hence it is said, I was like a beast before you, yet I am always with you.

But what is this kid that he never received to celebrate with? For it follows: You never gave me a kid... The name "kid" may signify the sinner.

St. Ambrose of Milan: The Jew demands a kid, while the Christian desires a lamb; therefore, Barabbas is released to them, but for us, a lamb is sacrificed. This is also reflected in the kid, because the Jews have lost the ancient rite of sacrifice. Alternatively, those who seek a kid are waiting for the Antichrist.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But I do not see the point of this interpretation. It is very absurd to think that the one to whom it is later said, You are always with me, would have wished for this from his father—that is, to believe in the Antichrist. Nor can we rightly understand that son to represent any of the Jews who are to believe in the Antichrist.

And how could he feast on that "kid"—who is the Antichrist—if he did not believe in him? But if "to feast upon the slain kid" means to rejoice at the destruction of the Antichrist, how can the son say this was never given to him, since all the sons will rejoice at his destruction? His complaint, then, is that the Lord Himself was denied to him as a feast, because he considers Him a sinner. For since Christ is a "kid" to that nation which views Him as a violator and profaner of the Sabbath, it was not fitting that they should celebrate at His banquet. His words, "with my friends," are understood in terms of the relationship between the leaders and the people, or between the people of Jerusalem and the other nations of Judea.

St. Jerome: Or, he says, You never gave me a kid, meaning that no blood of a prophet or priest has delivered us from Roman power.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Now the shameless son is like the Pharisee who justifies himself. Because he had kept the law in the letter, he wickedly accused his brother of having wasted his father’s substance with harlots. For it follows: But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood...

St. Augustine of Hippo: The "harlots" represent the superstitions of the Gentiles. With them, he wastes his substance, who, having left the true marriage of the one true God, goes whoring after evil spirits out of foul desire.

St. Jerome: Now in what he says, You have killed the fatted calf for him, he confesses that Christ has come, but his envy prevents him from wishing to be saved.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But the father does not rebuke him as a liar. Instead, commending his steadfastness, he invites him to the perfection of a better and happier rejoicing. Hence it follows: But he said to him, "Son, you are always with me."

St. Jerome: Or, after noting, "This is boasting, not truth," the father does not agree with him but restrains him in another way, saying, "You are with me by the law under which you are bound." This is not to say he had not sinned, but that God continually drew him back through chastening. Nor is it surprising that one who hates his brother would lie to his father.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But the kind father still desired to save him, saying, You are always with me—either as a Jew in the law, or as a righteous person in communion with Him.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But what does he mean by adding, And all that I have is yours, as if these things were not his brother’s also? It is that perfect and immortal children view all things in this way: that what each one has is the possession of all, and what all have belongs to each one. For just as desire obtains nothing without a sense of lack, so charity possesses nothing with a sense of lack.

But how can he have "all things"? Are we to suppose that God has subjected even the angels to the possession of such a son? If you understand "possession" to mean that the possessor of a thing is its lord, then certainly not all things are his, for we shall not be the lords of angels, but their companions. Again, if this is how possession is understood, how can we rightly say that our souls "possess" truth? I see no reason why we may not truly and properly say so, for we do not speak in such a way as to call our souls the "mistresses" of truth.

Or if the term "possession" hinders us from this meaning, let it be set aside. For the father does not say, "You possess all things," but All that I have is yours—still, not in the sense that you are its lord. For that which is our property may be food for our families, an ornament, or something of that kind. And surely, if he can rightly call his father his own, I do not see why he cannot also rightly call his own what belongs to his father, just in different ways. For when we have obtained that blessedness, the higher things will be ours to contemplate, equal things will be ours to share in fellowship, and the lower things will be ours to rule. Let the elder brother, then, most safely join in the rejoicing.

St. Ambrose of Milan: For if he ceases to envy, he will feel that all things are his—either as the Jew, possessing the sacraments of the Old Testament, or as a baptized person, possessing those of the New Testament as well.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, to take a different approach, the character of the complaining son represents all those who are offended by the sudden spiritual progress and salvation of others, just as David introduces one who took offense at the peace of sinners.

Titus of Bostra: The elder son, then, as a farmer, was engaged in husbandry—digging not in the land, but in the field of the soul, and planting trees of salvation, which is to say, the virtues.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, he was in the field—that is, in the world—pampering his own flesh so that he might be filled with bread, and sowing in tears so that he might reap in joy. But when he discovered what was happening, he was unwilling to enter into the shared joy.

St. John Chrysostom: But it is asked whether one who grieves at the prosperity of others is afflicted by the passion of envy. We must answer that no saint grieves at such things; rather, he looks upon the good things of others as his own. Now, we must not take everything in the parable literally. Instead, we should draw out the meaning the author intended and search for nothing further. This parable, then, was written so that sinners would not despair of returning, knowing that they will obtain great things. Therefore, He introduces some who are so troubled by these good things that they are consumed with envy, while those who return are treated with such great honor that they themselves become an object of envy to others.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, by this parable our Lord reproves the attitude of the Pharisees, whom, for the sake of argument, He calls just. It is as if to say, "Let it be that you are truly just and have transgressed none of the commandments. Must we, for this reason, refuse to admit those who turn away from their iniquities?"

St. Jerome: Or, in another way, all human justice is injustice when compared to the justice of God. Therefore Paul says, Who will deliver me from this body of death? And for this reason, the Apostles were moved with anger at the request of the sons of Zebedee.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: We ourselves sometimes experience this. For while some live a most excellent and perfect life, another is often converted to God even in his old age, or perhaps washes away his guilt through God’s mercy just as he is about to die. But some people reject this mercy out of a restless timidity of mind, not taking into account the will of our Savior, who rejoices in the salvation of those who are perishing.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The son then says to the father, "For nothing I left a life of sorrow, constantly harassed by sinners who were my enemies, and you have never ordered a kid to be slain for my sake (that is, a sinner who persecuted me), so that I might enjoy myself for a little while." Such a "kid" was Ahab to Elijah, who said, Lord, they have killed your prophets.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Or else, this brother is described as coming from the farm—that is, engaged in worldly occupations—and so ignorant of the things of the Spirit of God that he ultimately complains that a kid was never slain for him. For the Lamb was sacrificed not for the sake of envy, but for the pardon of the world. The envious person seeks a kid, but the innocent one seeks a lamb to be sacrificed for him.

He is also called the "elder" because a person quickly grows old through envy. Therefore, he also stands outside, because his malice excludes him. For this reason, he could not hear the dancing and music—which is not the lustful fascination of the stage, but the harmonious song of a people, resounding with the sweet joy for a sinner who is saved.

For those who consider themselves righteous are angry when pardon is granted to one who confesses his sins. Who are you to speak against your Lord, arguing that He should not forgive a fault, when you yourselves pardon whomever you please? But we ought to favor the forgiveness of sin after repentance, lest while we begrudge pardon to another, we ourselves fail to obtain it from our Lord. Let us not envy those who return from a distant country, seeing that we ourselves were also once far off.