THE PRODIGAL SON
Season 3: Jesus the Storyteller
Episode 4: “The Prodigal Son”
Today’s Bible Bite: Luke 15:11-32
Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJgROx4wFKM (Saddleback Kids)
“We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found’’ (Luke 15:23b-24).
Jesus wanted people to understand that no matter how badly someone behaved, if they became sorry and asked God to forgive them, then He would. In order to teach people this lesson, Jesus told the story of a son who treated his father really disrespectfully–the son told the father he wanted his share of the inheritance, which was the same as wishing his father was dead! The father agreed and the son left home, partied away his money and ended up in a really bad place–he had no money, no friends, no food and the only job he could get was to feed pigs.
Jesus said that after a while the son came to his senses. What was he doing? Even his father’s servants got better treatment then what he had. He headed for home, determined to ask his father to allow him to work for his as a servant; but, the father saw him coming and got so excited he ran out to meet him. The father immediately forgave him, replaced his clothes, gave him back his family ring and threw him a party. Jesus said that the father accepted back his son the same way that God will accept us back, when we decide to live for Him.
Think about it...
The son in this story wanted to live by his own rules. What did he demand that his father give to him?
The son left home and used up all his money. What happened next?
The son really messed up his life and realized that even the servants in his father’s house enjoyed a better life than he was. What did he decide?
When the father saw his son coming home, what did he do?
We sometimes do bad things too. What does this story tell us about what we should do?
Prayer: Thank you, God, that even though we mess up, you will forgive us when we ask you to. Help us to remember that life with you as our Father is so much better than trying to live by our own rules. We make mistakes and can never make things better without you.