The Parable of the Lost Son: hidden meanings

Religious education

Stories and deeper meanings

The story of the Lost Son

Muslim stories: the Crying Camel

Muslim stories: The Ants

The story of the Starfish Thrower

In this unit pupils will explore the idea that stories in religious and non-religious traditions often have a deeper meaning beyond the simple narrative. They will examine stories from Christianity, Islam and Humanism and act as interpreters to find these hidden meanings.

Stories: how do different people find deeper meanings?

The Parable of the Lost Son is an important story for ...

In the Parable of the Lost Son, the __________ represents God.

The father has a party for the younger son.

The father goes out to talk to the older son.

Put the second part of the story in the Parable of the Lost Son in the correct order.

the father forgave the younger son and had a party

the older son had to work hard while the younger son had fun spending the money

Why was the older son envious of the younger son?

In the Parable of the Good Shepherd, a {{}} gets lost. 

In the Parable of the Lost Son, what does the younger son do when he leaves home?

He goes back home to ask for his father's forgiveness. 

Put the first part of the story in the Parable of the Lost Son in the correct order.

Match the parables below to the characters that appear in them.

The Parable of the Lost Son: hidden meanings

Lesson outcome