Elder Brother Syndrome
Student loans backed by the government have been forgiven. Some of my friends are angry about it. Some of my friends are pleased. Me? I am with my friends.
All our four children left college with student debt. For two of them, their debts were small; and they quickly disposed of them when they got jobs. For two of them, the debt was more challenging. I finished college and seminary prior to the government’s student loan system. Still, I had accumulated a debt which I had to moonlight to pay. I tell you all this to say I have some “fish-to-fry” in this discussion.
Regarding the forgiving of the student loans, someone on television said, “Forgiving these loans is a slap in the face for those who have paid their loans.” What? There is something in human nature that makes us jealous when others receive blessings and breaks we do not. This human foible is demonstrated early in the Bible in the account of Cain and Able.
I call this kind of littleness “elder brother syndrome.” We witness it in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. In that parable everyone is happy when the wayward boy returns home---everyone except the elder brother. This brother could not rejoice with his parents when his presumed dead brother was found to be alive. “You never gave me a party,” he pouted. One would hope Christians could be above that pettiness. The Bible bids us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice.” ( Romans 12:15-16)
The issue here is what the Bible calls grace. Grace is when one receives undeserved blessings. We don’t mind being the recipient of grace; but we often question it for others. On the interstate highway I was driving 69 mph when a car whizzed by me like I was sitting still. I told my wife, “The Highway Patrol needs to apprehend him.” “Why?” she asked smirking. “Because he is speeding.” I replied. “And so are you,” she responded. I wanted justice for him and grace for me.
All of us receive grace often. We would not like to live in a world where we always got what we deserved. God’s gift to us is life, both now and eternally. We don’t deserve either; they are gifts from God made possible by the Father and His Son Jesus. It is grace.
