Jesus told a parable about a man with two sons. A parable is a simple story to help people understand something hard to understand – something that is important to understand.

In this parable, a man had two sons. The father knew that someday he would get very old and die. When he died, all his money, house, and farm would be given to his two sons. The money and property that children receive from someone who dies is called an “inheritance”.

The younger son was very impatient. He did not want to wait for his father to die to get his inheritance. He wanted his father’s money soon so he could go and spend it. He asked his father to divide the money and give him his part. The father wanted his son to be happy, so he did as his son asked. He divided the money and gave half to his youngest son.

The younger son took all the money and left home. He went to live in another country that was very far from his home. He bought everything that he wanted. He spent money on parties and wasteful things. People liked him because he had lots of money and bought things for them.

The problem was that soon the money ran out. He had no more money for parties, and his friends stopped liking him. It turns out that they weren’t real friends after all. They only liked him when he bought them things. Now that he had no money, they did not even want to be around him.

Soon, the younger son ran out of food and became very hungry. He had to think of a way to earn money, or he would starve!

The situation became even more serious because there was a famine in the country where the son lived. That meant that there was hardly any food for anyone to eat. Many other people were hungry. too

A farmer who owned pigs needed a helper, so the son began to work for the farmer. His job was to feed the pigs. The son was so hungry that even the pig food started to look good to him.

Finally, the son began to think about his bad choices. He thought about his father and brother. At home, people loved him. At home, there was plenty of food.

The son began to realize that he had made a terrible mistake. He should never have asked his father to give him the money early. He should have been patient. If only he could go back in time and be a good son.

“But it is too late now,” he thought. “I have done many bad things. I am not good enough to be a son now. My father would never forgive me and take me back.”

But the son had another idea. His father had many workers and many jobs to do. They worked hard but at least they had enough food. If he asked his father nicely, then maybe his father would allow him to be one of the workers. He could take care of the animals and work hard.

So, the son decided to return home.

The son thought the father would be angry, but as he got closer to his old home, he was shocked to see his father running to meet him.

When the father saw his son coming, he was filled with love for him. He was so happy to see his son that he threw his arms around him and gave him a big hug and a kiss. “My son has returned to me!” his father cried.

The son said, “I am sorry, but I have done terrible things. I do not deserve to be your son. I can just be one of your workers.”

But the father did not treat him like a servant at all. He welcomed him home as his son. He told the servants to cook a big dinner. He put a beautiful robe on his son. He put a ring on his finger and special sandals on his feet.

“I thought my son was dead, and I would never see him again. But my son has come back to me!” the father said. “He was lost, but now he is found.”

The father had a special meal prepared, and everyone in the household celebrated.

Almost everyone, that is. When the older son saw everyone celebrating, he became jealous and very unhappy. “This is not fair,” he thought. “I have been the good son all along, but I am not getting the attention. I never left home and spent all the money, but nobody is having a party for me.”

But the father went to the older son and told him he loved him too. He explained to the son why he was so happy. “Don’t you understand, son? I am so happy because I thought my son was dead, but now I know he is alive!”

“He came back to me. He was lost, but now he is found!” he continued, “Please, let’s celebrate together.”

Jesus told this parable so that people would understand something about God. Sometimes we are like the young son in the parable. We do wrong things. We start to feel very bad. We might think that God would never forgive us.

But God does forgive us! When we tell God we are sorry, he is so happy. He is happy because he loves us and always wants us to do the right thing.

Do you think God will love you and forgive you if you tell him you are sorry for something?

Scripture Reference: Luke 15:11-32