Who is Lost?

 Read this from Luke 15:25-32:

“Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”

I'm reading Short Stories by Jesus written by Amy-Jill Levine.  The parables in Luke 15 -- The lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal and his brother -- is Chapter 1.  I highly recommend this book.  I'm not going to write a post explaining the entire first chapter (I have written a post or two already about it); you should get the book and read it yourself.

Have you ever noticed that when the older son comes in from the field, the celebration of his younger son's return is already happening? Think for a minute.  Imagine that one of your family members returns home after being gone - thought to be gone forever.  It's time to celebrate! What do you do? Before you gather the ingredients for the meal or set the table? You tell the rest of the family so that they can share in the joy.

Why hadn't anyone gone to the fields to tell the older brother that the younger one had returned? To share the joy and bring him back for the celebration?

Could it be that the lost brother is the one in the field? Who among us is lost? Who, right in front of us, is excluded? And what will we do about it?