The older brother in the prodigal son parable told himself that he was superior to his younger brother who had squandered his inheritance. The older brother was, most likely also convinced that he was superior to his father who welcomed home a reckless youth. When we are able to convince ourselves that we are better than someone else, it becomes impossible to love him or her. We eventually will start to look down on them and be filled with bitterness and hostility. We will move to the place where we find ourselves resenting them, and maybe even enjoying our resentment.
There are three traits of an older brother: resentment, frequent complaining, and being judgmental.
