LESSON FOR THE JUNIOR CLASSES
STUDY SCRIPTURE:
LUKE 15:11-24 ACTS 2:38-39
Key Verse
“For this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again: he was lost, and has been found”. And they began to celebrate”.
Luke 15:24
INTRODUCTION
Our Study is on two sons who did not have the right attitude to their father, their mother, or their family. But despite their actions and their attitude the parents were caring and kindly. The father had compassion for their sons who were behaving badly and instead of treating them harshly the father was forgiving.
One son, the younger one, did not like the restraints his parents had put on him when he was growing up. He wanted freedom to to what he wanted. But he had no money to live as he wanted so he approached his father and asked him to give him his inheritance right now. He could not wait for his father to die. This was regarded in that society as incredibly disrespect and hurting for it meant he considered his father had lived too long and so was really considered by him as dead already.
Instead of the father slapping this young boy the father, knowing fully well his son was headed for bad trouble, gave this younger son his inheritance and the son promptly went as far away from his family as he could go. He cut everybody off. He went and lived a party life. But soon the money ran out and when a famine came on the land where he was his make- believe friends scattered and he was left alone in his misery, broke and helpless. A man gave him a job looking after pigs and this young man was starving for he could not afford to look after himself on the meagre wages, and he could not eat thr pig food. He suffered a lot.
The he came to himself and remembered his father had food galore at the old home he was brought up in. He decided to walk back home hungry and dirty and starving and planned that when he saw his father he would apologize for sinning against God for his rude behaviour to his father for his behaviour had broken the commandment of God to honour your parents. He also apologized to his father for hurting him so badly.
But instead of his father rejecting him and chasing him away, the father , who had been waiting patiently for this son’s return home, ran and hugged this terrible son and cleaned him up and gave him new clothes and shoes and arranged a party to celebrate that his son’s return “from the dead”. Remember this boy would have died if he stayed in the far country away from his father.
The older son who stayed home was furious that the party was being held, and that his father was treating the younger son so well. He refused to go to the welcoming party and the father had to come out and plead with him to put away his anger and resentment and to welcome his brother who had come back from certain death. After all everything the father had now belonged to this older son so he did not have to be resentful.
This story tells us how God regards human beings as people who are lost. God considered it very important to find them and treat them well. God so loved us He sent His only Son to look after people and die to cover their sins and bear their sins. The lost people should be encouraged to come back to their home with God and be a part of the family of God.
So pray for the people who have left their position and their home with God. Celebrate when they repented of going to get into trouble brought by their desire for the sinful lifestyle.
People who want to live the party life do not understand the danger they are in. That life looks attractive but it has never turned out well. Those in that lifestyle always suffer. They might try to hide their suffering but it often comes out in the open.
So let us be careful and stay with God and the lifestyle He recommended.