The Prodigal Son
The father was watching the road, and he ran.
Bible passage: Luke 15:11-32
Memory verse
“But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
Luke 15:20
Roman Urdu Woh abhi door hi tha ke us ke baap ne usay dekha aur tars khaya, aur daur kar us ke gale lag gaya aur usay chooma.
Teaching the lesson
-
What the younger son actually said
Asking for your inheritance early was as good as saying you wished your father were dead. Make sure the group understands the insult, or the ending is merely sentimental.
-
The bottom
A Jewish boy feeding pigs and envying their food. Jesus chose the most degrading picture his hearers could imagine. Do not rush past it u2014 some in your group are closer to it than you know.
-
He saw him a great way off
Which means the father had been watching the road. And he ran, which an older man of standing did not do in public. He humiliated himself to reach his son before the village did.
-
The other son
The elder brother never left and was furious. Jesus told this parable to religious people, and the story ends without telling us whether the elder brother came in. Ask the group which of the two sons they are more like. Most churchgoing young people are the elder.
Activity
Two letters. Half the group writes the letter the younger son rehearsed on the road home. The other half writes the elder brother's complaint. Read a few of each aloud, then read the father's two replies from the text. Discuss which reply is harder to accept.
Craft
A written page: each young person writes Luke 15:20 and underlines the verbs — saw, had compassion, ran, fell, kissed. Five actions, all the father's, none the son's.
Closing prayer
Father, thank You that You watch the road for me. Thank You that You run. Forgive me when I have gone far away, and forgive me when I have stayed home and grown proud. Bring me in. Amen.
This lesson is free to use
Print it, photocopy it, retype it or translate it into Punjabi, Sindhi or Pashto for your own class. You do not need permission and you do not need to tell us. The only thing asked in return is that it is never sold to a teacher who cannot afford it.
Lessons to teach next
The Good Samaritan
Your neighbour is whoever is in front of you needing help, especially if you were raised to dislike them.
Luke 10:37
Zacchaeus Climbs the Tree
Jesus knew his name and wanted to come to his house.
Luke 19:10
The Birth of Jesus
God came to us as a baby, and the first people told were the poorest.
Luke 2:11