1There were some men that used to get tax money from the people and give it to the Roman government, and everyone reckoned they were bad men. And there were other people too that everyone reckoned were real bad people. Those people often came to listen to Jesus.
2So the law men called Pharisees, and Jewish law teachers, complained about Jesus. They said, “He is a friend of bad people. He even eats food with them.”
3So Jesus told the people this picture story. He said,
4“Suppose there is a man that has 100 sheep, but one of them wanders away and gets lost. What do you think that man will do? He will leave all the sheep and go out into the bush and look for the one that got lost. He will keep on looking for it until he finds it.
5Then, after he finds it, he will pick it up and carry it back home on his shoulders. He will be really happy.
6After he gets home he will call out to all his friends. He will say, ‘Hey, I’ve found my lost sheep. We can all be happy together now.’
7Well, it is like that in heaven, too. Whenever one bad person turns around and leaves the bad way, and lives God’s way, everyone in heaven is really happy. They are more happy about that person than they are about the big mob of other people that never went wrong.”
8Jesus told them another picture story. He said, “Suppose a woman has 10 coins, but then she loses one of them in her house. What do you think she will do? She will get a torch and look carefully everywhere in the house. She will even sweep all the floors, and she will keep looking for her money until she finds it.
9Then, after she finds it, she will call out to all her friends, she will say, ‘Hey, I’ve found my lost coin. We can all be happy together now.’
10Well, it is like that in heaven, too. Whenever one bad person turns around and leaves the bad way, and lives God’s way, God’s angel messengers in heaven are really happy.”
11Jesus told the people this picture story. He said, “There was a man who had 2 sons.
12One day his youngest son said to him, ‘Dad, I want you to give me my share of all the things you own. I can’t wait to get it after you die. No, I want it all now.’ So his father split up everything he had and gave one part to his youngest son, and he kept the other part for his oldest son.
13A few days later that youngest son sold all those things that his father gave him, then he took the money and went away to another country. In that country he soon spent all his money. He just wasted it on all kinds of things that made him feel good.
14After a while he had no money left. At that time they got short of food in that place, and soon that boy had nothing to eat.
15So he got a job with a man in that place. He had to look after that man’s pigs.
16That boy was so hungry he wanted to eat the garbage that the pigs ate, but nobody gave him anything to eat.
17At last he started to think properly. He thought, ‘Those men who work for my dad in his garden back home, they always get enough to eat. But I am getting so hungry that I reckon I will die in this place.
18So I will get up now and go back home to my dad, and I will say to him, “Dad, I’m sorry, I went wrong. I did wrong to God, and I did wrong to you.
19So now I’m not good enough for you to call me your son, but just let me have a job in your garden. I will work for you, and you can just call me your working man.” ’
20So he got up and started to go back to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming, walking up the road. His father felt real sorry for him. He got up and ran to his son and hugged him and kissed him.
21Then the boy said, ‘Dad, I’m sorry, I went wrong. I did wrong to God, and I did wrong to you. So now I’m not good enough for you to call me your son.’
22But his father said to his working men there, ‘Go and get some really good clothes and put them on him. And be quick. And get him a ring for his finger, and get some shoes for his feet.
23And get a fat young bullock, and kill it, and cook the meat, so we can all have a big party.
24You see, my son got himself lost, but now I have found him. I thought he was gone for ever, like he was dead, but now he came back to me, and it is like he came alive again.’ So those working men did what he told them to do, and they had a big party.
25While all that was happening, the oldest son was working out in the garden, and he didn’t know what was going on. Then later, he knocked off work, and he started walking home. He came near to the house, and then he heard a lot of music, and he heard people dancing and having a good time.
26So he asked one of the workers, ‘What’s going on?’
27The worker said, ‘Your brother just came back home, and your dad is having a party for him. We just killed a young bullock and cooked its meat. Your brother is alive and well, so your dad is really happy.’
28Then the oldest son got angry, and he said, ‘I’m not happy. I’m not going into the house to join in that party. No way.’ So his father came out and said, ‘Don’t be angry. Come on in, and have a good time with us.’ And the father kept on asking him to come in.
29But the oldest son said, ‘No. It’s not fair. Look, I worked for you for years and years, and I always did everything you told me to do. But you never gave me a party. You didn’t even give me a goat for me to have a good time with my friends.
30But this other son of yours, he took your money away and he wasted it. He even paid women to sleep with him, like a woman does with her husband. And now he has come back, and you are good to him. You even killed a young bullock and gave him a party. That’s not right.’
31His father said, ‘Listen, you are my own dear son. You have always stayed with me, and now you own everything that I have. After I die you will get all of it.
32But your brother was gone for ever, like he was dead, and now he came back. It is like he was dead, and now he came alive again. So we have to have a party and be happy together.’”
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