The Prodigal Son
Let's read the three parables in Luke 15, including the story of Prodigal Son, and then ask some questions.
This text is taken from the Easy-to-Read version of the Bible.
Jesus tells parables
Many tax collectors and sinners came to listen to Jesus.
Then the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to complain, “Look, this man welcomes sinners and even eats with them!”
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18885583
Parable of the Sheep
Then Jesus told them this story:
“Suppose one of you has 100 sheep, but one of them gets lost. What will you do? You will leave the other 99 sheep there in the field and go out and look for the lost sheep. You will continue to search for it until you find it.
And when you find it, you will be very happy. You will carry it home, go to your friends and neighbors and say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep!’
In the same way, I tell you, heaven is a happy place when one sinner decides to change. There is more joy for that one sinner than for 99 good people who don’t need to change.
Who is Jesus telling this story to? Jesus is criticized for associating with people who are social outcasts and perhaps even untrustworthy. Why would Jesus hang out with them? Is this story explaining that?
Let's think about the relationship between shepherds and sheep. What is the shepherd's responsibility to the sheep? Is the shepherd have a responsibility to find the lost sheep? How do sheep do on their own in a desert climate?
How are we like sheep? Who is our shepherd?
Parable of the Coin
"Suppose a woman has ten silver coins, but she loses one of them. She will take a light and clean the house. She will look carefully for the coin until she finds it.
And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I have found the coin that I lost!’
In the same way, it’s a happy time for the angels of God when one sinner decides to change.”
Ancientcointraders, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
How is this story similar to the sheep story?
Both stories talk about an object of value. In one case, a living sheep, and now, a silver coin. If we're like the lost sheep or lost coin, what is Jesus saying about our value? Are we valuable to God?
Father and Two Sons
Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons.
The younger son said to his father, ‘Give me now the part of your property that I am supposed to receive someday.’
So the father divided his wealth between his two sons.
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18887669
Feeding Pigs
After he spent everything he had, there was a terrible famine throughout the country. He was hungry and needed money.
So he went and got a job with one of the people who lived there. The man sent him into the fields to feed pigs.
He was so hungry that he wanted to eat the food the pigs were eating. But no one gave him anything.
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18887674
Waking Up
“The son realized that he had been very foolish.
He thought, ‘All my father’s hired workers have plenty of food. But here I am, almost dead because I have nothing to eat. I will leave and go to my father. I will say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But let me be like one of your hired workers.’
So he left and went to his father.
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18887676
Returning to the Father
“While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him coming and felt sorry for him.
So he ran to him and hugged and kissed him.
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18887676
The Son's Guilt
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18887679
The Father's Welcome
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and good sandals on his feet. And bring our best calf and kill it so that we can celebrate with plenty to eat.
My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’
So they began to have a party.
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18887681
The Older Son
“The older son had been out in the field. When he came near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing.
So he called to one of the servant boys and asked, ‘What does all this mean?’
The boy said, ‘Your brother has come back, and your father killed the best calf to eat. He is happy because he has his son back safe and sound.’
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18887684
The Son's Anger
“The older son was angry and would not go in to the party. So his father went out and begged him to come in.
But he said to his father, ‘Look, for all these years I have worked like a slave for you.
I have always done what you told me to do, and you never gave me even a young goat for a party with my friends.
But then this son of yours comes home after wasting your money on prostitutes, and you kill the best calf for him!’
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18887686
The Father's Comfort
“His father said to him, ‘Oh, my son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.
But this was a day to be happy and celebrate.
Your brother was dead, but now he is alive. He was lost, but now he is found.’”
The text is taken from the HOLY BIBLE: EASY-TO-READ VERSION © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center, Inc. and used by permission.
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18887688
What do you think the father meant when he said his younger son was dead? He was never literally dead. What did he mean by that? What has changed that now makes him alive?
Do you ever feel like everything around you is going wrong? Have you ever needed help and gone to the wrong place to find it? Where should we go to get help when we need it?
What good qualities does the father express? If we think about the father in the story being God, then what must God be like?
If we think about the sons being like us, what are some parts of our own nature or character that we need to be watchful of?
When did the son have a change of heart? Why? Would he have had a change of heart without finding himself in such a bad situation? Is it harder to change when we think we're happy?
Was the older son justified in his anger? Why does he describe his relationship with the father as slavery? What does this tell us about the older son's character?
Remember that these stories are being told to the religious leaders who were critical of Jesus helping sinners and tax collectors. Do you think the religious leaders are like the older son? Do you think the people Jesus is helping are like the younger son? What is the main point of all these stories Jesus tells?