In fact, the story is more cohesive, and much nicer without the older brother in it. The synopsis goes like this: a man had a son, The son took his inheritance and squandered it, and when he had nothing left, came to the realization that he was being really stupid, and headed home, where his father, the kind merciful saint that he was, welcomed his son with open arms, and was so happy to have him back, he gave a party in his honor.

What a great story -
We could end it with those familiar words, "And they lived happily ever after."
It's such a nice story, and besides that it preaches the importance of repentance,
And in the Father is a symbol of the mercy of God.
It leaves smiles on the faces of those who have prodigal sons or daughters, because it leaves them with hope.
AND in this revisionist view of the story, it fits much better with the stories that precede it in Luke's Gospel. The Parable of the Prodigal follows directly on the heels of the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. In the first of those, the shepherd left all his sheep and went in search of the one that was lost. There's nothing in THAT story to suggest that the sheep he left behind had a problem with that.
And in the story of the lost coin, we rejoice when the woman finds the missing coin -
- We aren't worried with how the coins already in the bag feel about their owner's absence as she searched for their lost bag-mate.
It makes sense for the prodigal son to follow the same pattern.
Literary sense, theological sense.
Its neat, clean and makes the point.
That being said, let us rejoice that the prodigal is found, and get on with our day.
AMEN (Walk away. Come back)

Except that…when stories in the Bible seem simple, we're probably missing something.
And the fact is - most of us probably understand the older brother better than we do the prodigal. He is, after all, a character that is well known to us -
The stolid, dependable man or woman -
- Hard-working, loyal, fiscally responsible, working to support their family, going to church, giving to charity, doing what is right -
We know the type - to rephrase Pogo's famous line: we have met the older brother, and it is us.
Some New Testament scholars say that this is really the parable of the loving father, not the prodigal son.
Perhaps.
But for those who have watched prodigal siblings or co-workers walk off with what they believe they deserve, it's hard to find that love in the father's actions.
Many of us know what it was like living with a prodigal sibling - some of us were the prodigal; but I would guess that if we did a survey of this congregation, we would have a majority of older brother types to a few prodigals.
Most of us were, after all, raised in the midst of the protestant, really American, work ethic:
We learned our lesson fairly early: Work hard, be good, be responsible.
This is what it means to be a Christian.
This is what it means to be a worthy human being.
Meanwhile we watch a sibling waste his or her life away - we watch our parents fling huge amounts of energy toward that child, watch the drama from the sidelines, and try to be a faithful son or daughter in the midst of the chaos.
Or we as parents have experienced having one or both types in our own home.
Or perhaps we have been faithful in the business world, only to be outgunned by some bright young thing who comes along with the charisma of a saint, and we stand in the background, watching him or her rocket to the top on personality alone, ,while we do all the work. And so the reward of the older brother is often not paid off in attention, or promotion, or celebration; instead, the payoff comes in the form of stock that rarely goes down: resentment.
We see it manifest itself in the rage-filled outburst of the older brother at the end of the story:
I have been loyal. I have worked like a slave. I have stood by you all this time while that little upstart was wasting his life. And now you reward HIM?

And thus the parable of the prodigal moves from the sublime to the paradoxical. From the fairy tale to the reality show.. The happy ending is marred by real sentiments, real questions about justice and mercy.
But the story ultimately comes down to a question: the prodigal left; the prodigal returned; the party happened. What will the older brother do now?
And it is that question that brings the character of the Father into the center of the story. Fact is, neither brother is perfect. The situation isn't perfect. There is no way to make everything equal. But in the middle of the tension between the sons stands the father - standing with open arms, aware of the feelings on both sides. Eager to bring them to reconciliation with each other, and with themselves.
For ultimately, it is not the actions of either brother that saves them. It is their relationship with the Father. Whether they have worked like a slave, or squandered like a pirate, they will ultimately reap, not from their own actions, but from the Father's mercy.
Is it fair? Who said anything about fair?
Is it just? Only in God's sense of justice.
Is it merciful? Absolutely.
There is a bit of the older brother in all of us. And there is a bit of the prodigal there as well.
Our lives are lived out in tension between that which dares us to test the limits, and that which speaks the words of caution and wisdom. It is only as we are in relationship with God the Father that we are able to be reconciled within ourselves, and be made whole. Part of that wholeness means living within the tension of justice and mercy, and in the final analysis, it is God who stands between, just as the father stood between the younger and older brother.
Both the older and younger sons were made in God's image,
Both have made choices that have challenged their ability to walk in love and reconciliation with each other, and with their Father.
Like the father in the story, our God stands with open arms to both sons,
Aware of the feelings of both sides,
Loving equally, desiring reconciliation, and attentive to the needs of all. Sometimes the younger brother in us squanders the mercy of God. Sometimes the older brother in us fails to recognize that it is there.
But that doesn't change the reality of God's love - a love that continues to call us back to reconciliation within ourselves, our families, our communities for the sake of wholeness, so that we can, in turn, become reconcilers to this broken world.