The Path of the Prodigal pt 8

"Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things might be." Luke 15:25-26

While the father was rejoicing over his found son, the older brother was still in the field. What intrigues me about this is that the father knew the son was coming from a long way off. This would suggest that the father knew the son was coming for a long time. Judging by the way the father told all the servants about his returning son, it would stand to reason that the eldest son was told about the return of his brother.

However, it is possible that he knew nothing about the situation. If one takes the interpretation that the elder knew the younger was coming, then it is interesting as to why the eldest son is still in the field. Without looking at the coming verses, one can still begin to see evidences of bad blood between the brothers.

In verse 26, the older brother asks why there is a party going on. The fact that the father still had numerous servants seems to suggest that he still had a great deal of wealth even after splitting up the inheritance.