In reply he said to his father, ‘Here it is so many years I have slaved for you and never once did I transgress your commandment, and yet to me you never once gave a kid for me to enjoy myself with my friends.

Luke 15:28-30.

⁸ With these words, the prodigal’s brother made it clear that he had missed the true meaning of sonship. He served his father much the way an employee serves his employer. As he told his father: “I have slaved for you.” True, this eldest son had never left home or transgressed his father’s commandment. But was his obedience motivated by love? Did he find real joy in serving his father, or had he instead drifted into smug complacency, believing himself to be a good son simply because he performed his duties “in the field”?

 9. Explain how the Jewish religious leaders resembled the older son.

⁹ The Jewish religious leaders resembled this older son. They believed that they were loyal to God because they strictly adhered to a code of laws. Granted, obedience is vital. (1 Samuel 15:22) But their overemphasis on works turned worship of God into a bookish routine, a mere shell of devotion with no true spirituality. Their minds were obsessed with traditions.