Day 10 - The Parable of the Prodigal Son: Part 1 (Younger Son)

Reading Passage: Luke 15:11-32

Jesus was a masterful storyteller. No matter who He spoke to, His parables captured His listener’s imagination in a way that elicited a response. But there’s one parable that stands out, for Jesus’ audience was not only diverse, it was polarized. 

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus told a story of a father and his two sons. Through these characters, Jesus was able to powerfully relate to both the saint and the sinner who listened. This parable is unique in that Jesus communicated more than one message. 

In order to capture its entirety, we’ll spend the next two days at the feet of Jesus relating to each of the two sons in this parable and observing how the father (who illustrates God) responded to each son.

Up first is the story of the younger son, found in Luke 15:11-24. This story beautifully shows God’s heart for the lost and His joy over repentant sinners. If you’ve ever felt God couldn’t possibly love you because of past sin, this is a passage for you! 

As you read about the younger son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-24 what do you learn about God’s love for sinners?

Reminder: To understand the heart of Jesus’ parable here, read before and after the parable to identify the original audience Jesus was talking to and cultural reference points and characters they would have understood. Also observe the ending, which often had an unexpected twist that Jesus desired the audience to notice most.