Question 1

What is the main message of the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son stories?

Accepted Answer

All three stories are told together to make one main point: God actively seeks lost people and deeply rejoices when they repent and come back to Him. The lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son each picture a sinner who has wandered far away. The shepherd, the woman, and the father show God’s care, effort, and compassion. Heaven is pictured as full of joy when even one sinner turns back. At the same time, the elder brother warns us not to be proud or resentful when God shows mercy to others.

Question 2

Why were the Pharisees upset that Jesus received sinners and ate with them?

Accepted Answer

The Pharisees and scribes thought God’s favor belonged mainly to people like them, who seemed outwardly righteous. When they saw Jesus welcoming tax collectors and other known sinners, even eating with them, they complained and looked down on His actions. They did not understand that the very purpose of His coming was to call sinners to repentance. By telling these parables, Jesus shows that God’s heart is not to keep His distance from the guilty, but to seek them, receive them, and rejoice when they turn back.

Question 3

What does it mean that there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repents?

Accepted Answer

When Jesus says there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, He is showing how much God values each person. Repentance here means waking up to our sin, turning away from it, and coming back to God in humble faith, like the younger son who said, “I have sinned” and returned to his father. Heaven’s joy is pictured as greater over that one rescued person than over many who think they have no need to repent. This teaches that God delights to forgive and that no one is too far gone to cause joy in His presence.

Question 4

Why does the father run to meet the prodigal son and treat him so kindly?

Accepted Answer

The father’s actions show God’s heart toward those who return to Him. When the son is still a long way off, the father sees him, feels compassion, runs, hugs, and kisses him. This happens before the son can even finish his planned speech. Instead of making him a hired servant, the father clothes him with the best robe, gives a ring and shoes, and prepares a feast. This pictures how God does not just barely accept repentant sinners, but fully restores them as His children, forgiving their past and welcoming them with joy.

Question 5

What does the younger son’s journey and return teach about repentance?

Accepted Answer

The younger son’s story pictures the path of many sinners. He asks for his share, leaves his father, wastes everything in wild living, and ends up starving and feeding pigs. When he “comes to himself,” he remembers his father’s goodness, admits his sin, and decides to return in humility. This shows that repentance begins when we see both our misery and God’s mercy. True repentance includes honest confession, a sense of unworthiness, and a turning back to the Father. The story also shows that when someone comes like this, God is ready to receive and restore.

Question 6

Why is the elder brother angry, and what warning does his reaction give us?

Accepted Answer

The elder brother is angry because he feels overlooked and unfairly treated. He has stayed home, worked hard, and sees himself as obedient, yet he never had such a feast. When his brother, who wasted their father’s money, comes back and is celebrated, he refuses to join the joy. His attitude pictures people who trust in their own goodness and resent God’s mercy toward obvious sinners. The father’s gentle answer shows that this spirit is wrong. It warns us not to be proud, jealous, or cold-hearted, but to share God’s joy when anyone is brought back.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about God’s character toward lost and sinful people?

Accepted Answer

These parables show God as a seeking shepherd, a careful woman, and a compassionate father. He does not wait in cold distance, but goes after the lost sheep, searches diligently for the lost coin, and runs to embrace the returning son. God cares for each individual and does not treat sinners as worthless. Instead, He invites them to repent and come home. When they do, He forgives freely and rejoices over them. This reveals God as gracious, patient, and eager to restore, not harsh or unwilling to receive those who truly turn back to Him.

Question 8

How can someone today apply the message of the prodigal son and the lost sheep?

Accepted Answer

If you feel far from God, these stories invite you to be honest about your sin and your need, and to come back to Him, trusting that He is more willing to receive you than you are to return. Like the younger son, you can confess your sin and throw yourself on God’s mercy. If you already follow Christ, you can ask whether you are more like the elder brother, holding grudges and looking down on others. The passage calls you to share God’s heart by seeking the lost and rejoicing when anyone turns back to Him.

Question 9

What was happening around Jesus when He told these parables about the lost?

Accepted Answer

Jesus was surrounded by tax collectors and other sinners who had gathered to listen to Him teach. At the same time, Pharisees and scribes were watching and complaining that He received such people and shared meals with them. Their complaint set the stage for these parables. Jesus is not speaking in the abstract; He is answering their grumbling. By telling of the shepherd, the woman, and the father, He explains why He spends time with the lost: because God cares deeply about them and heaven rejoices when they repent.

Luke 15:1

Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

The Parable of the Lost Coin

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

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Luke 15:1

Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.

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The Parable of the Lost Sheep

The Parable of the Lost Coin

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

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