New
New
Year 1
The Parable of the Lost Son: hidden meanings
I can explain the deeper meanings of the Parable of the Lost Son.
New
New
Year 1
The Parable of the Lost Son: hidden meanings
I can explain the deeper meanings of the Parable of the Lost Son.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- For many Christians, the Parable of the Lost Son teaches them about what God is like.
- Many Christians interpret the parable as meaning that God welcomes everyone back, even when they have made mistakes.
- The parable also mentions an older brother who was envious of his younger brother.
- We can look for the hidden meanings in the Parable of the Lost Son so we can better understand Christian worldviews.
Keywords
Father - another word for 'dad'; Christians often speak of God as a 'father'
Equal - treating everyone the same
Envious - to feel cross with someone because they have something that you don't
Common misconception
The only point of the parable is welcoming home the lost son.
The parable is about the father’s love and forgiveness for both his sons.
Use 'hot seating' to explore the feelings of the father and the two sons.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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4 Questions
Q1.
In the Parable of the Good Shepherd, a gets lost.
Q2.
In the Parable of the Lost Son, what does the younger son do when he leaves home?
he spends his money well
he works on the farm
Q3.
Put the first part of the story in the Parable of the Lost Son in the correct order.
Q4.
Match the parables below to the characters that appear in them.
an injured man
a lost sheep
a father
Exit quiz
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4 Questions
Q1.
The Parable of the Lost Son is an important story for ...
Jews.
Muslims.
Q2.
In the Parable of the Lost Son, the __________ represents God.
younger son
older son
Q3.
Put the second part of the story in the Parable of the Lost Son in the correct order.
Q4.
Why was the older son envious of the younger son?
the younger son had to look after pigs