The Prodigal Son

This story is a little more involved than some of the other stories lessons. It’s a little longer and has a lot of vocabulary/ idioms. It’s best used with more advanced groups, but it could be cut down for lower levels.

Vocabulary: parable, prodigal, inheritance, estate, to squander, severe, famine, to sin, worthy, compassion, feast, to disobey

Idioms: “wild living,” “to be in need,” “came to his senses,” “food to spare,” “the fattened calf,” “safe and sound,”

Story:

There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, I want my inheritance now. Give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country, and there squandered his wealth in wild living.

After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the food that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare and here I am, starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son, make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father I have sinned against heaven and against you, I am no longer worthy to be called you son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son on mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So, he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So, his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so that I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and now his is found.’

Follow-up comprehension/discussion questions:

1. Who are the characters in the story?
2. Why do you think the son left home?
3. What happened while the son was away from home?
4. What happened when the son returned home?
5. What was the father’s reaction when he saw his son?
6. Why was the brother angry? Do you think the brother deserved to be angry?
7. Did the son deserve forgiveness from the father?
8. Why do you think the father accepted the son back?

This story is excellent for discussion of family and faith. We had great success with this lesson.