JSH-Online has just made available my article “The Prodigal’s Brother” from The Christian Science Journal’s October 2013 edition at http://journal.christianscience.com/issues/2013/10/131-10/the-prodigal-s-brother
It approaches Jesus’ parable of “The Prodigal Son” from a different perspective. I hope you enjoy it!
Vistas 
Thank you so much, Ken. Very thought provoking and inspiring!!! Yes! Thinking, saying, and doing good should all be done in the name and spirit of discipleship, which I understand as Love being reflected in love (S&H 17:6), according to Jesus’ words and works.
Giving him the benefit of the doubt and beholding in the elder son the same perfect man we are beholding in the prodigal son and the father, I would state that the elder son’s motives were initially righteous and his acts were sincerely born from that righteousness. It’s when righteousness turns to self-righteousness that the elder son misses the mark. At times, we each miss the mark. Jesus always forgave his disciples and gave them room to grow.
Bad judgment. Rebelliousness. Self-righteousness. Each family member needed healing from human arrogance and needed to return humbly to Our Father. I would like to think that this (quite probably hidden sin of) self-righteousness, brought to his attention, is eventually accepted by the elder son as an opportunity for healing, which he gratefully accepts. It’s likely that until his heartfelt but limited sense of goodness seemed overlooked, he didn’t even realize how he felt. As the perfect man of God’s creating, he also returns to Our Father. Maybe even the night of the party for his brother!
Hi Nela,
Thanks so much for your comments and thoughts! And I’m glad that you enjoyed the article! 🙂
The interesting thing about the prodigal’s brother is that the Master gives no indication of any motives other than jealousy, resentment, and a feeling of being victimized, nor of his reformation upon his father talking with him after his younger sibling’s return. Of course, we’d hope that he would have learned a vital spiritual lesson in the process. But for me, the real questions are–as I said in the article–Are we identifying with the older brother by allowing victimization to enter and occupy our thinking and experience and as a result not progressing, OR are we willing to work out our own salvation which inherently means be willing to heal others while recognizing that we have the God-given dominion and imperative to do so?