Jesus told a story about a lost son and his older brother.
We know it as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, but it’s really about the older brother.
The older brother was jealous. He worked hard, sacrificed, followed the rules, and now his slacker younger brother got a party.
His father’s a wealthy man, and this party means a lot to him. But the older brother chooses to disrespect his father and sit outside rather than joining the festivities.
The father, essentially, just wanted to build a bigger table and invite everyone.
The older brother wanted his younger brother excluded. Why?
A bigger table benefits everyone, right? Having his brother at the table costs him nothing.
Our culture has a “small table” mentality. I suppose there’s a kind of power that comes from limiting the size of the table and controlling who gets a seat.
You can make your own list of examples.
For me, I think Jesus invites us to build bigger tables.
I hope I’m the guy looking to get more people into the party.