The Lost Son (The Prodigy Son)

Luke:11-20 (GNT)

¹¹ Jesus went on to say, “There was once a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the property now.’ So the man divided his property between his two sons. ¹³ After a few days the younger son sold his part of the property and left home with the money. He went to a country far away, where he wasted his money in reckless living. ¹⁴ He spent everything he had. Then a severe famine spread over that country, and he was left without a thing. ¹⁵ So he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him out to his farm to take care of the pigs. ¹⁶ He wished he could fill himself with the bean pods the pigs ate, but no one gave him anything to eat. ¹⁷ At last he came to his senses and said, ‘All my father's hired workers have more than they can eat, and here I am about to starve! ¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against God and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer fit to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired workers.”’ ²⁰ So he got up and started back to his father."

The Lost Coin

Luke 15:8-10 (GNT) Jesus continues...

⁸ “Or suppose a woman who has ten silver coins loses one of them—what does she do? She lights a lamp, sweeps her house, and looks carefully everywhere until she finds it. ⁹ When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, and says to them, ‘I am so happy I found the coin I lost. Let us celebrate!’  

¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents.”

The Lost Sheep

Luke 15:1-7

Good News Translation (GNT)

15 One day when many tax collectors and other outcasts came to listen to Jesus, ² the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law started grumbling, “This man welcomes outcasts and even eats with them!” ³ So Jesus told them this parable:

⁴ “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them—what do you do? You leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the pasture and go looking for the one that got lost until you find it. ⁵ When you find it, you are so happy that you put it on your shoulders ⁶ and carry it back home. Then you call your friends and neighbors together and say to them, ‘I am so happy I found my lost sheep. Let us celebrate!’ 

  ⁷ In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine respectable people who do not need to repent."

Worthless Salt

Luke:14:34-35  (GNT) (Jesus said)

³⁴ “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, there is no way to make it salty again. ³⁵ It is no good for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown away. Listen, then, if you have ears!”

The Cost of Being a Disciple

Luke 14:25-33 (GNT) Once when large crowds of people were going along with Jesus, He turned and said to them, "Whoever comes to Me cannot be My disciple unless he loves Me more than he loves his father and his mother, his wife and his children, his brother and his sisters, and himself as well.  Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  If one of you is planning to build a tower, he sits down first and figures out what it will cost, to see if he has enough money to finish the job.  If he doesn't, he will not be able to finish the tower after laying the foundation; and all who see what happened will make fun of him.  'This man began to build but can't finish the job!' they will say.  If a king goes out with ten thousand men to fight another king who comes against him with twenty thousand men, he will sit down first and decide if he is strong enough to face that other king.   If he isn't, he will send messengers to meet the other king to ask for terms of peace while he is still a long way off.  In the same way," concluded Jesus, "none of you can be My disciple unless he gives up everything he has."

The Parable of the Great Feast (continued)

Luke 14:21-24 (GNT) (Jesus continues) "The servant went back and told all this to his master.  The master was furious and said to his servant, 'Hurry out to the streets and alleys of the town, and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.'  Soon the servant said, 'Your order has been carried out, sir, but there is room for more.'  So the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the country roads and lanes and make people come in, so that my house will be full.  I tell you all that none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner!' "

The Parable of the Great Feast

Luke 14:15-20 Good News Translation (GNT)

¹⁵ When one of the guests sitting at the table heard this, he said to Jesus, “How happy are those who will sit down at the feast in the Kingdom of God!”
 

¹⁶ Jesus said to him, “There was once a man who was giving a great feast to which he invited many people. ¹⁷ When it was time for the feast, he sent his servant to tell his guests, ‘Come, everything is ready!’ ¹⁸ But they all began, one after another, to make excuses. The first one told the servant, ‘I have bought a field and must go and look at it; please accept my apologies.’ ¹⁹ Another one said, ‘I have bought five pairs of oxen and am on my way to try them out; please accept my apologies.’ ²⁰ Another one said, ‘I have just gotten married, and for that reason I cannot come.’