Luke 15:25

“Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.”

But then a new figure comes into the picture. It is the elder brother. He had been at work, ‘in the field'. He was the quiet hard worker, the faithful son, who had worked hard all these years and had enjoyed few luxuries. And as he approached his home from his day of honest toil he was astonished to hear the sound of music and dancing. The fact that he had not already been immediately informed of the situation may well have been simply because no one knew precisely where he was. Or it may simply be because it is a necessity for the story. The music and the dancing would puzzle him. He would be able to think of no reason for it.