Easy English Stories
The Disgraceful Son
Jesus gave this
story to say how much God cares about bad people.
A man had two sons. The youngest son said, “Give me the
money that will be mine when you come to death.” This was a strange thing to
say. He did not have normal respect for his father.
His father gave him the money while he was still living.
The youngest son took the money. He went away from his
father’s home. He went far away. He went to a different country.
The youngest son did things to give his father shame. He
used the money on disgraceful things. He used all the money quickly. He was
foolish.
A time of trouble came to the far away country. The
youngest son had no money. He had desire for food. He needed to work. Work
was hard to get. A farmer gave him work. The work was giving food to pigs.
People in the youngest son’s home said pigs were bad. The work gave him
shame.
The payment for this work was not good. The youngest son
did not have enough food. He had desire for the food he gave to the pigs.
The youngest son had memory of his home. His father’s
servants had much food. He did not have food. He had desire to go home. Was
he able to go home? He had done wrong. He had not had respect for his
father.
The youngest son said, “I will go to my father. I will say
that I have done wrong. I will say I did wrong in front of God. I will say I
did wrong to my father. I will not say I have desire to be his son again. I
will say I have desire to be my father’s servant.”
The son walked away from the pigs. He went home.
The father looked up. He saw his youngest son. The
youngest son was still far away. The father went quickly to his son. He gave
him a kiss.
The youngest son said, “I have done wrong. I am not good
enough be your son. Please let me be your servant.”
The father did not give attention to these words. He said
for his servants to come. He said for them to get good things to dress his
son in. He said to make special food. The father gave his son a gold ring.
He made a party for the youngest son.
The father’s oldest son came to the house from his work.
He heard the party. He said, “What is the noise?”
A servant said, “Your brother came home. Your father sent
for his friends. They are having food. Everyone is happy.”
The oldest son was angry. He did not go in the house.
The father came out to the oldest son. He said, “What is
wrong?”
The oldest son said, “I have worked for you many years. I
have done what you said to do. You never gave me a party. Your evil son came
home. You gave him a party.”
The father said, “It is right to be happy. Everything I
still have will be yours when I come to death. You are always with me. Your
brother was lost. He is ours again. Your brother came to death. He came to
life again.”
Jesus said God’s
angels are happy when bad people change their lives. This change is being
sorry for our sins. This change is having faith in God and in Jesus. God
changes us when we are sorry and have faith. He comes to us. He gives us
life. God is happy when a person comes home to him.
Click here to see how to come home to God. Jesus and You
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