A Grandstand Affair

Luke 15:29

29But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.

I love how God does not waiver when He says there's a message. The brother was jealous of the wonderful treatment his younger brother received. Understand that anger may be the first emotion but there was something else there. Jesus gave the parable of the Lost Son or Prodigal Son. Jesus was also talking about the older brother's anger as a metaphor to the anger the Pharisees had. They "obeyed" the laws of Moses but were not receiving the same welcome Jesus was receiving or at least no longer receiving it. God does not like "grandstanding." A couple of weeks ago God had me watch an episode of the Justice League cartoon. The episode was called  Chaos at Earth's Core. One superhero was jealous of Supergirl's popularity and gifts while they were in Japan fighting an enemy. So instead of working together, the superhero decided to "show off" what she had. Yes, the enemy was defeated but the Justice League members were not working together as a team. She later commented to Green Lantern, much like the older son, why Supergirl had all the fans, people wanting her autograph, etc. Instead of looking at what gifts she was given, she focused in on Supergirl's status and why she didn't receive the same favor.

God gives what He decides to give and when He decides to give it. He is sovereign. He can do what He wants to do. To focus in on why you are not where someone else is gives exactly the same level of contempt the Pharisees had for Jesus and what the superhero had for Supergirl. The Pharisees' jealousy turned to plotting what they thought was Jesus' demise. The superhero taking delight in watching Supergirl suffer. Same spirit. The spirit is jealousy. It's the same spirit the older brother had toward the prodigal son. There is no place for a grandstand affair in the kingdom of God and neither is it of God. Just like Green Lantern pointed out to the other superhero, it actually takes energy away from fighting the real enemy.

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