大儿子很生气！他当然会生气。他从小就在父亲的农场里工作，从来没有要求过任何赞誉。而当他一无是处的弟弟把他所得的遗产挥霍净尽，身无分文地回到家时，父亲不仅张开双臂迎接他，甚至还大摆宴席来庆祝。这太过分了。
不管父亲怎么劝他，大儿子还是拒绝加入庆祝。就像法利赛人出于责任来服事神，大儿子也觉得只是责任，而不是甘心乐意的服事父亲。法利赛人抱怨耶稣接纳罪人并和他们一起吃饭 (路 15:2) ，同样，大儿子也因为父亲接纳颓废的弟弟而牢骚满腹。
大儿子的反应迫使我们省察自己。我们是否欢欢喜喜地服事神呢？我们敬拜是因为爱主，还是出于责任呢？我们是高高兴兴地付出，还是觉得别人期待我们如此？我们是否像神我们的父那样乐意饶恕伤害我们的人？我们是否明白，尽管自己没有离家远去，却与小儿子一样需要赦免呢？
主，我们的神，求祢帮助我们察验自己的心，欢欢喜喜地服事祢，并且当罪人回转向祢时，我们心里有真实的喜乐。奉耶稣的名求，阿们。
路加福音 15:25-32
25那时，大儿子正在田里。他回来，离家不远，听见作乐跳舞的声音，
26便叫过一个仆人来，问是什么事。
27仆人说：‘你兄弟来了；你父亲因为得他无灾无病地回来，把肥牛犊宰了。’
28大儿子却生气，不肯进去；他父亲就出来劝他。
29他对父亲说：‘我服事你这多年，从来没有违背过你的命，你并没有给我一只山羊羔，叫我和朋友一同快乐。
30但你这个儿子和娼妓吞尽了你的产业，他一来了，你倒为他宰了肥牛犊。’
31父亲对他说：‘儿啊！你常和我同在，我一切所有的都是你的；
32只是你这个兄弟是死而复活、失而又得的，所以我们理当欢喜快乐。’”
"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. . . . He answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders.'" — Luke 15:28-29
The older brother was upset! Of course he was. Ever since he was young, he had worked on his father's farm, without ever asking for any kind of recognition. But when his good-for-nothing brother came home penniless after squandering his inheritance, his father not only welcomed him with open arms but even put on a banquet to celebrate. It was too much.
No matter how much the father pleaded with him, the older son refused to join the celebration. Like the Pharisees who served God out of a sense of duty, the older son had served his father— not out of devotion but because he felt he had to. The Pharisees had complained that Jesus welcomed sinners and ate with them (Luke 15:2). Similarly, the older son griped about his father's welcome of his decadent younger brother.
The response of the older son forces us to look at ourselves. Do we serve the Lord with gladness? Do we come to worship because we love the Lord, or out of a sense of duty? Do we give cheerfully or because it is expected of us? Are we willing, like God the Father, to forgive people in our lives who have hurt us? Do we understand that we are as much in need of forgiveness as the younger son, even though we may not have left for a distant country?
Lord, our God, help us to search our hearts, to serve you with gladness, and to truly rejoice when a sinner comes back to you— because of Jesus. Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
