Who's the good guy?

I’m sure that most everyone has heard the story of the prodigal son. He demanded his share of inheritance before his father died, his father went ahead and gave it to him and then he went off and blew it all. Then of course came back and his father forgave him and welcomed him back, while the older brother kept his nose to the grindstone. So who is the bad guy in this story? For years and years I always sided with the older brother. I identified with him after all I too had kept my nose to the grindstone and by the world’s standard was a good person. I always thought that the older brother was the good guy in the story. But look at verses 28-30 of Luke 15.

²⁸ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, ²⁹ but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. ³⁰ Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

 Finding the good guy in the story may be harder than you think. Is the older brother the good guy in this story? Because in the end the younger brother repents and reconciles with the father and the older brother does not and is at odds with the father. The older brother demands that he be loved because of the things that he has done. He tried to earn his father’s love. The older brother became religious and the younger brother became repentant.  Which brother are you most like? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The Bible is not about good guys and bad guys. It’s about bad guys and Jesus. Jesus is the only good guy in the entire book.