Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
- Luke 15:11-12

Last week we looked at the younger son’s radical and disrespectful request: “I want my inheritance and I want it now (even though you’re still alive!!!).” This request would have carried significant repercussions for the rest of the family.

In ancient Middle Eastern culture, the older son would have received two-thirds of the inheritance and the younger son would have received the rest. Dividing the property would have been a massive undertaking and would have consequences for the family that stayed behind. While the younger son was able to go off and play with his third of the estate, everyone else had to tighten their belts and live off the remainder.

The inheritance probably wouldn’t have been held in liquid assets, so passing it along would have involved selling land and property (which usually doesn’t sell for a premium price when the seller is in a hurry). Every day, the family that stayed behind would have had to see and interact with their neighbors who landed a great deal in the prodigal fire-sale.

The older son would have felt the greatest frustration and shame over the whole situation. He didn’t have any choice in the father’s decision to divide the property, but he had to suffer the consequences day-in and day-out.

Is it any wonder the older son headed down the pathway to uncomfortable self-righteousness?

There’s a story behind every self-righteous person’s arrogance. No one wants to be self-righteous. Few of us get there overnight. The path to self-righteousness is paved with thousands of small, formative, secretly-dangerous moments.

Take a moment today to consider if you’re heading down the pathway to self-righteousness. Take a moment too to ponder what it means for our relationships with uncomfortably self-righteous people if we accept that their behavior may have a back-story.