Reel Luke

Jesus Teaches About a Lost Son

Luke 15:11-31

Helpful Stuff to Know

❮

This parable is only found in the book of Luke.
Many of the father’s actions in this story would have been considered outrageous back in Jesus’ day. The younger son dishonored his father through his words and actions. The father had every right to disown the son. Instead, the father dishonored himself (in a way) by running wildly to meet his son and joyfully welcoming him home without any reprimand or punishment. Because of this, some Bible teachers have called this story The Prodigal Father.
Sandals were usually worn only by family members. A family ring was a sign of authority.

Be Sure Not to Miss

❮

The older son has his own storyline that’s important to read, too. Jesus probably intended for the older son to represent the religious leaders.
The younger son had to do more than just “come to his senses.” He had to actually turn away from his old life and go back to his father. This is a picture of repentance: turning away from a selfish sinful life and turning toward true life with God.
The father received his younger son just as he was, but did not let him stay that way.
The younger son wasn’t able to clean himself up and make himself new — the father did that when he embraced him, dressed him in a new robe, gave him sandals, and put a ring on his finger. The son’s job was to go home to his father. The father’s job was to make the son into a new person.
The younger son was lost, then found. In a sense, the older son was also lost (though he looked and acted found) and chose to stay lost. His actions, words, and attitudes reveal his true feelings and thoughts.
The father in this story represents all aspects of God’s character: the love of the Father who allows his children to walk away from him, the grace of the Son who wraps his arms around sinful humans while on the cross so that their sin is laid upon him, and the power of the Holy Spirit who makes us new people and gives us a new identity.

Be Careful About

❮

The son wasn’t restored to his father’s presence and family until he walked away from his old life and went back to God. Simply thinking about it or desiring it wasn’t enough. He had to actively repent and return.

Here's a few different ways you can read and recap the story with your group.

Read it through one time with people just listening to you. Then read it through a second time with people following along in their own Bibles.
Ask a few people to act out the story while you read it.
Ask one or two people to retell the story after hearing it.
Ask two people to retell the story in the first person, as though they were actually there. One person can do the play-by-play (tell the details of what happened), and the other can offer color commentary (add details about how they felt, what surprised them, what confused them, etc.). First-person retelling can make the story feel more real. It's also a blast.

Where did this story happen? What do you think it looked like? Smelled like? Sounded like?
Make a list of all the people in the story (including "crowd" if there is one), and give a one-word description of each e.g. impatient, desperate, funny, selfish, awkward, etc.
List everything that Jesus did and said in the story. What was your favorite scene or statement?

Why do you think the younger son left home in the first place? How do you think the father felt about that?
What do you think happened to make the younger son finally come to his senses and decide to return home? Why did you finally come to your senses and decide to go home to God?
Why do you think the father embraced his son while he was still in his dirty and ragged clothing, before he’d been cleaned up and reclothed in a new robe?
Why do you think the older son felt the way he did about his father and his younger brother?

Why do you think this story is included in the Bible? What do you think God wants us to learn from it?