What do you think the parable of the Lost Son is about in Luke 15?

Answer 1

Simply stated, it is a story of how much God loves his children. The Father in the parable represents God. The elder son represents unrepentant Israel and all sinners who do not recognise the lordship of Jesus. The younger son is represents the repentant sinner - meek, humble, contrite and willing to accept the judgement of God.

Peace and every blessing!

Answer 2

If you actually read the parable of the prodigal son you get the only true representation of God in the whole bible. Still it is spun and misinterpreted to mean something that it was never intended to mean. It is billed as a story of forgiveness but if you actually read what it says there is no mention that the father ever judged the prodigal son in any way, This being the case there is nothing to forgive, and quite logically forgiveness is never mentioned at all.

This idea of forgiveness is added to the story as a subjective viewpoint by the one telling it. Try reading the actual words of the text minus any presumption or bias that you have been taught and you will see what it really says.

This is the true God that Jesus was trying to show us. Many think that this was the reason that he was killed. Apparently many people in Jesus' time had a great investment in a judgmental God. An important enough investment that they were willing to kill to protect it. Looks like not a lot has changed.

Love and blessings
don

Answer 3

I think this parable is about learning to forgive others and realizing that we all make mistakes. I think of the father in the parable as God. Either we are the lost son and we need to learn from the parable that no matter what mistakes we have made in life God wants us to come back to him and repent. He will always welcome us with open arms and love. Or we can be the brother to the lost son who was bitter when the father welcomed the lost son home. In that case we need to learn from the parable that we need to forgive others like we would like to be forgiven. I don't know but that is one interpretation.

Answer 4

The parable of the lost son is about us as sinners and how we take things for granted. We were given free will and with that we made choices,not always the right choices. We squandered and wasted and finally came back to God begging to be forgiven, even if it mean serving him as a slave. God instead treated us like royalty and made a big to do out of our returning to him. In fact the Bible does tell us each time a person is saved the Angels rejoice.

Answer 5

In the parable the father was God, the sons represented his children. Which could be me or you(After all it is a parable). As Gods children we are all precious to him, when we don't have a relationship with him he grieves because we are lost. But when we give our life to him and establish a relationship with him, he rejoices because we are found and can be brought into his kingdom(eternal kingdom). When we are lost we are outside the kingdom.

Thats what I believe it means! Only thing else I can tell you is to seek God in prayer!

Answer 6

It's about what God is like, and two different kinds of his children. One made a really stupid decision and strayed away from his father, but realized after he suffered the consequences that he could go back and at least eat as a slave. But God's heart is such that he was welcomed and forgiven and given a fresh start because God was so glad to be back in a relationship. The other son was the guy who always did the right thing, but begrudged his brother the welcome back -- like, why did he get to go live it up and you don't punish him? His heart was wrong even though he had been working faithfully for his father, he wasn't really delighting in his relationship with him and didn't understand him that well.

Answer 7

The father is symbolic of God. The son that left wanted to find out for himself what the real world was like. After experiencing the "best" things the world had to offer he realized there had to be something more than this shallow existence and even going home would be a big improvement. Notice the father did not go looking for him- but he did watch for his return. He returned with the proper attitude and did not want to be reinstated as a son but a servant. Son #2 had a worse problem- he stayed home but didn't learn proper attitude and experience the fathers love and attributes. The Fathers heart is intimacy with his own. He offers it through the blood of Jesus-come home wandering child.

Answer 8

This is very personal for me.
I have two children a Daughter 32 AND A SON 27.
my DAUGHTER HAS ALWAYS been steady, calm and in the wings waiting to help. She has a nice home and fine children.

MY SON...Well, he should be a licenced electrician, happily married, maybe with a home and kids by now.

He got into a vicious truck accident. It deformed his face.
His wife left him and he became SO ANGRY I could not talk to him. 4 years past, my son was gone, A angry hateful man with woman issues was left in his place ( I didn;t know the wife was cheating) The good child I raised was DEAD and my heart broke.
I spent SO MUCH MORE TIME on the hurt child trying to bring him around and home than I did on MY all ready good daughter that at times she became hurt.

But, MY daughter has always been with me every day, good and bad.
Every day I am thankful and rejoyce in her presence.

My son was gone(dead, if you will) and now with quiet coaxing he is back home and recovering.
I REJOYCE, I GATHER THE FAMILY, we will all surround him with love and help to draw him back into the family.

So, God never forgets his loyal faithful sons and daughters who never leave his side.

BUT, the return of one who had faithfully served him, was lost to Satan, and has remorsfully returned to GOD.
Well that one will be forgiven Joyfully, and returned to his or her posission in the Christian congregation to wait for the same reward that is promised to all Christians

What a wonderful day when the lost child returns home to a parents arms!!!!!!!!

Answer 9

It is the story of redemption. The son(sinners) left his father(God Almighty) and wnet into the world and indulged in the luxeries of life as long as he could afford them(temporary pleasures of sin). Then when he was worse off than the pigs he went back to his father to work as a servent. But the father welcomed him back and held a feast andwas jubliant at his son's return as God and His angels celebrate when a sinner turns away from his sin.

Answer 10

The OTHER son...

The meaning here is pretty simple. The other son is clearly the target of the teaching.

Luke 15:25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the calf we were fattening and has prepared a great feast. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve worked hard for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the finest calf we have.’
31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you and I are very close, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

The love of the father is here contrasted with the Pharisees' attitudes. While they wished to keep all but those THEY approoved away from God, the UNIVERSAL nature of the kingdom had been clear since the promise to Abram in Genesis 12, "ALL NATIONS BLESSED through you."