A Recklessly Extravagant LoveSample

Jesus: The Great Storyteller

The Story Unpacked

Jesus loved to tell stories. In fact, much of His teaching was done in the form of stories called parables, used to illustrate a particular point or truth. Jesus’ parables used every day situations and circumstances to capture the attention and imagination of the audience, as well as teach them something important about God and themselves.

Jesus wanted to evoke a response from those who heard His parables. He wanted His listeners to identify with what God was saying to them through the story, however some people were left perplexed, astounded and even infuriated! In The Parable of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15:11-32, we can discover some very important things about ourselves, as well as an amazing truth that God is desperate for us to know.

Questions

1. What is a parable? Why do you think Jesus often used parables to teach people?
2. Read Luke 15:1-3. Who were the groups of people Jesus told this parable to? What is the attitude of each group towards Jesus?
3. Who are the main characters in the parable and who do you think they represent in the crowd Jesus was speaking to?
4. What do you think the parable is about?
5. What do you find most interesting, shocking, or comforting about the parable?