Luke 15 is the chapter of three parables about things that were lost and found: a sheep, a coin and a son. This page gives you questions and leader’s notes for working through the whole chapter, whether you are leading a small group, teaching a Sunday class or studying on your own. Each set of questions moves from what the text says, to what it means, to how it shapes daily life.
Luke 15 at a Glance
The chapter opens with tax collectors and sinners drawing near to Jesus, and the Pharisees and scribes grumbling that he welcomes them and eats with them. Jesus answers with three stories in a row. The first two, about a shepherd who searches for one lost sheep and a woman who sweeps her house for one lost coin, end with rejoicing over what was found. The third and longest, the story of the two sons, follows a younger son who leaves home, squanders his inheritance and returns in humility to a father who runs to meet him, and then an elder son who stays outside in anger.
The chapter’s movement is a widening circle: a single sheep, a single coin, and finally two sons in one family. The questions below follow that same path, so a group can move through the parables in order.
Observation Questions
Use these questions at the start of a session to slow the group down and anchor everyone in the text before anyone offers an opinion. Ask the group to answer from the page, pointing to words and verses, before moving to interpretation.
Luke 15:7
I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
(WEB)
This verse states the chapter’s theme of joy in heaven over one repentant sinner. Reading it aloud early in the session helps the group hear that the whole chapter is about rejoicing.
Luke 15:10
Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.”
(WEB)
Reading this near the start of the parables reinforces the same joy, now spoken in terms of the angels of God. It helps the group see the celebration as heavenly, not only human.
Luke 15:18-19
18 I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. 19 I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’
(WEB)
These words give the younger son’s honest confession. Reading them aloud invites the group to hear repentance in its simplest and most sincere form.
Luke 15:20
“He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
(WEB)
This verse captures the father running to meet his son while he is still far off. Reading it slowly lets the group feel the surprise and tenderness of that moment.
Luke 15:31-32
31 “He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’”
(WEB)
The father’s final words to the elder son end the chapter with an invitation. Reading them last gives the group a clear picture of the celebration they are being asked to join.
Memory Verse for Luke 15
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you search for the lost and rejoice when they come home. Thank you that the shepherd, the woman and the father in these stories point to your own heart toward us. Forgive us for the times we have wandered, and for the times we have stood outside your celebration with resentment in our hearts. Give us eyes to see the people around us who need to be found, and the courage to go after them with patience and love. Help us to receive your welcome without fear and to share your joy with those who have come home. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
