READ AGAIN: Luke 15:11-32

1. Looking back over the previous two parables that Jesus had just finished telling, (The Lost Sheep and The Lost Coin) why do you think He continued to make the overall quantity of objects smaller and smaller? ie: 100 sheep - 10 coins - 2 sons.
2. How do you think the father felt upon the younger son asking for his share of the inheritance?
3. How then do you think the father felt when the younger son gathered his things to leave and go off on his own?
4. The phrase “when he came to his senses” at the beginning of verse 17 seems to sum up the younger son’s actions up to this point. Why?
5. In verse 20 it mentions that the father saw his son even though he was still a long way off. What does this seem to suggest about the father?
6. Why does the father meet the younger son with joy and give him gifts he seems to be undeserving of?
7. Why do you think Jesus included the older son’s angered reaction to the exchange between the father and the younger son?
8. Where do you think we fit in the story?
9. What does this story tell us about the Kingdom of God and/or the character of God?
10. Like the undeserving younger son, we hopefully “come to our senses” someday and make our way back to God. What is it that you think the father wanted out of this exchange? What do you think it is that God wants?