How many of you have brothers or sisters?
Nǐmen yǒu duōshǎo rén yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi?
During his time on Earth, Jesus told many stories to teach important lessons about God.
Zài tā zài dìqiú shàng de shíjiān lǐ, yēsū jiǎngle hěnduō guānyú shàngdì de zhòngyào kèchéng.
Today we are going to hear a story that Jesus told about two brothers and their father.
Jīntiān wǒmen jiāng tīng dào yēsū jiǎngshù liǎng xiōngdì hé tāmen fùqīn de gùshì.
The Prodigal Son - Luke 15:11-32
This story is in the Bible in the book of Luke. Is Luke in the Old Testament or the New Testament? What book comes before Luke?
Zhège gùshì zài lù jiā fúyīnshū de shèngjīng zhōng. Lù jiā shì jiù yuē háishì xīn yuē? Lú kè zhīqián yǒu shé me shū?
There were two brothers, a younger brother and an older brother.
Yǒu liǎng gè xiōngdì, yīgè dìdì hé yīgè gēgē.
The word prodigal means wasteful and the younger brother is the prodigal son in this story.
Làngzǐ zhège cí yìwèizhe làngfèi, dìdì shì zhège gùshì zhōng de làngzǐ.
How many of you have little brothers or sisters who don’t listen to your parents? I have a little sister too just like that!
Nǐmen dāngzhōng yǒu duōshǎo xiōngdì jiěmèi bù tīng fùmǔ dehuà? Wǒ yěyǒu yīgè xiǎo mèimei!
Splitting the Inheritance
The younger brother asked the dad for half of his dad’s money.
dìdì wèn tā bàba yībàn de qián.
Usually when the father died, half of his money would go to his older son and half of his money would go to his younger son. This money that is passed to his sons is called an inheritance.
Tōngcháng dāng fùqīn qùshì shí, tā de yībàn qián jiāng juān gěi tā de dà érzi, tā de yībàn qián jiāng juān gěi tā de xiǎo érzi. Chuán gěi tā érzi de zhè bǐ qián bèi chēng wéi yíchǎn.
By asking for half of the money, the younger son is basically telling his dad: “Dad, why can’t you die already so that I can have your money.”
Tōngguò yāoqiú yībàn de qián, xiǎo érzi jīběn shi zài gàosù tā de fùqīn:“Bàba, wèishéme nǐ bùnéng zao sǐ, suǒyǐ wǒ kěyǐ ná nǐ de qián.”
Can you imagine saying that to your parents? “Mom and Dad, could you die already so that I can have all your money?” Please don’t try this at home or you might get a spanking from your parents!
Nǐ néng xiǎngxiàng duì nǐ de fùmǔ zhème shuō ma? “Māmā hé bàba, nǐ néng bùnéng sǐ, zhèyàng wǒ cáinéng ná dào nǐ suǒyǒu de qián?” Qǐng bùyào zài jiālǐ chángshì zhège, fǒuzé nǐ kěnéng huì dédào fùmǔ de dǎ pìgu!
But this father went ahead and split his money and gave half to the younger son. The father in this story represents God and God loves us as his children so much.
Dànshì zhè wèi fùqīn jìxù fēnshǒu ta de caican, bǎ yiban gei xiǎo érzi. Zhège gùshì zhōng de fùqīn dàibiǎo shàngdì, shàngdì ài wǒmen jiù xiàng tā de háizi yīyàng.
Giving His Inheritance
The younger son sold his land and then took his money from his dad and left home.
xiǎo érzi mai ta de fùqīn gei ta de cai can ran hou nà zǒule zuan dao de qián, líkāile jiā.
What would you do if you had a lot of money? Would you buy video games or snacks or share it with your friends?
Rúguǒ nǐ yǒu hěnduō qián, nǐ huì zuò se me? Nín huì gòumǎi shìpín yóuxì huò xiǎochī huò yǔ péngyǒu fēnxiǎng ma?
Let’s see what he does with his money.
Ràng wǒmen kàn kàn tā yòng tā de qián zuòle shénme.
Partying with Friends
What are they doing here? The younger son is spending money with his friends partying and drinking very expensive juice. You can tell it is expensive because the cups are gold.
tāmen zài zhè zuò shénme ne? Xiǎo érzi zhèngzài gen tā de péngyǒumen gòngdù qiáncái, hēzhe fēicháng ángguì de guǒzhī. Nǐ kěyǐ zhi dao ze guozhi hěn guì, yīnwèi bēizi shì jīnsè de.
There were no video games back then but he still had friends and he spent money on them.
Dāngshí méiyǒu diànzǐ yóuxì, dàn tā réngrán yǒu péngyǒu, tā huāle qián.
What happens when you keep spending money without working?
Dāng nǐ bù gōngzuò ér jìxù huā qián shí huì fāshēng shénme?
Yep, you run out of money. Then when he had no money, he asked his friends for help but then since he had no money anymore, his friends all left him and said we have no money for you.
Shì de, nǐ méi qiánle. Ránhòu dāng tā méiyǒu qián de shíhòu, tā xiàng péngyǒumen xúnqiú bāngzhù, dàn yóuyú tā zài méiyǒu qián, tā de péngyǒumen dōu líkāile tā, shuō wǒmen méiyǒu qián gěi nǐ.
What should he do now? He’s far away from home and he ran out of money. And at the same time, the land he was in was going through a famine which means that almost all the food is gone maybe because there was no rain and all the plants died.
Tā xiànzài gāi zěnme bàn? Tā lí jiā hěn yuǎn, tā ye méi qiánle. Yǔ cǐ tóngshí, tā suǒzài de tǔdì jīnglìle yī chǎng jīhuang, zhè yìwèizhe jīhū suǒyǒu de shíwù dōu xiāoshīle, kěnéng shì yīnwèi méiyǒu xià yǔ, suǒyǒu de zhíwù dōu sǐle.
Feeding the Pigs
So he found a job feeding the pigs. Back in the Old Testament days, this was a very stinky job. It was the only job he could find so he had to do it to survive.
suǒyǐ tā zhǎodàole wèi yǎng zhū de gōngzuò. Huí dào jiù yuē shídài, zhè shì yīgè fēicháng chòu de gōngzuò. Zhè shì tā wéiyī néng zhǎodào de gōngzuò, suǒyǐ tā bìxū zhèyàng zuò cáinéng shēngcún.
Who would want to feed the pigs everyday and smell like pig everyday? Back then, pigs were very dirty animals since they didn’t have showers. How many people have smelled cow poop? Imagine everything smelling like that all the time.
Shéi yuànyì měitiān wèi zhū, měitiān wén dào zhū de wèidào? Nà shíhòu, zhū shì fēicháng zàng de dòngwù, yīnwèi tāmen méiyǒu línyù. Yǒu duōshǎo rén wén dào niú fèn? Xiǎngxiàng yīxià, yīqiè dōu wén qǐlái xiàng zhèyàng.
Since this job was very shameful and dirty to the people back then, the younger son was not making much money. He was so so hungry that he wanted to eat the pig food.
Yóuyú zhè xiàng gōngzuò duì dāngshí de rénmen fēicháng kěchǐ hé āng zāng, xiǎo érzi zhuàn de qián bù duō. Tā hǎo è, yǐ zhìyú tā xiǎng chī zhū liáng.
How many of you have felt hungry before? Think back to that time. Can you imagine being so hungry that you want to eat pig food?
Nǐmen zhōng yǒu duōshǎo rén yǐqián gǎndào jī’è? Huíxiǎng yīxià nàgè shíhòu. Nǐ néng xiǎngxiàng nǐ è dé xiǎng chī zhūròu ma?
Thinking and Regretting
He thought to himself, “I’m so so hungry! My father’s workers have good food to eat every day. If only I could be one of my father’s workers. I will go back to my father and tell him that I am sorry and that I would like to work for him as his servant and not as his son.”
tā xīn xiǎng,“wǒ tài èle! Wǒ fùqīn de gōngrén měitiān dū yǒu hào chī de shíwù. Rúguǒ wǒ néng chéngwéi wǒ fùqīn de gōngzuò rényuán zhī yī. Wǒ huì huí dào fùqīn miànqián gàosù tā wǒ hěn bàoqiàn wǒ xiǎng wèi tā de púrén ér bùshì tā de érzi gōngzuò.“
He is very sad and hungry. So he decided to go home.
Tā fēicháng shāngxīn hé jī’è. Suǒyǐ tā juédìng huí jiā.
Seeing Father From Far Away
As he saw his father far away, he was getting ready to tell him that he would work for him as his father’s servant and that he didn’t deserve to be his son.
dāng tā kàn dào tā de fùqīn hěn yuǎn shí, tā zhèng zhǔnbèi gàosù tā, tā jiāng wèi tā zuòwéi tā fùqīn de púrén gōngzuò, érqiě tā bùpèi zuòwéi tā de érzi.
But his father had been waiting for him and as soon as he heard that he was coming home and saw him far far away he ran to his son.
Dàn tā de fùqīn yīzhí zài děng tā, yī tīng dào tā huí jiā, kànjiàn tā yuǎn zài tā shēnbiān jiù pǎo qù zhǎo tā de érzi.
Embracing His Son
Before his son could talk, the father hugged his son. The son tried to apologize but his father had already forgiven him.
zài érzi shuōhuà zhīqián, fùqīn bàozhe tā de érzi. Érzi shìtú dàoqiàn, dàn tā de fùqīn yǐjīng yuánliàngle tā.
Our God is like this father. Even though we all sin and are separated from God as soon as we accept Jesus as our savior, our God will hug us because He always loved us even though we are all as bad as this younger brother.
Wǒmen de shàngdì jiù xiàng zhè wèi fùqīn. Jíshǐ wǒmen yīdàn jiēshòu yēsū wèi wǒmen de jiù zhǔ, wǒmen dōu fànle zuì bìngqiě yǔ shàngdì fēnlí, wǒmen de shàngdì huì yǒngbào wǒmen, yīnwèi tā zǒng shì ài wǒmen, jíshǐ wǒmen hé zhège dìdì yīyàng huài.
What did the father do next?
Fùqīn jiē xiàlái zuòle shénme?
Preparing Feast and Giving Ring
He told his workers to prepare a feast and get the best meat for his younger son had returned. He put a ring on his younger son’s hand and brought his best clothes. “Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found”
Fùqīn què fēnfù púrén shuō, bǎ nà shàng hǎo de páozi kuài ná chūlái gěi tā chuān. Bǎ jièzhǐ dài zài tā zhǐtou shàng. Bǎ xié chuān zài tā jiǎo shàng. Bǎ nà féi niúdú qiān lái zǎile, wǒmen kěyǐ chīhē kuàilè. Yīnwèi wǒ zhège érzi, shì sǐ ér fùhuó, shī ér yòu dé de. Tāmen jiù kuàilè qǐlái.
Meanwhile his older son was still in the field. How do you think his older son felt? How would you feel if your younger sibling wasted half of your toys and came back home and your parents gave him ice cream and a Ring Pop?
yǔ cǐ tóngshí, tā de dà ér zǐ huán zài wàidì. Nǐ juédé tā de dà érzi gǎnjué zěnme yàng? Rúguǒ nǐ de xiǎo dìdì làngfèile nǐ de yībàn wánjù bìng huí dào jiālǐ ér nǐ de fùmǔ gěile tā bīngqílín hé jièzhǐ liúxíng yīnyuè, nǐ huì yǒu shé me gǎnshòu?
Seeing His Brother and Being Jealous
So the older son came back from the field and asked the servants why there was music and dancing and they told him that his younger brother was back.
suǒyǐ dà érzi cóng tián lǐ huílái, wèn púrén wéi shénme yǒu yīnyuè hé wǔdǎo, tāmen gàosù tā, tā de dìdì huíláile.
The older brother was angry and didn’t want to go inside. Would you be angry if your brother or sister broke the rules and then got ice cream and dessert while you have to do homework and chores?
Gēgē hěn shēngqì, bùxiǎng jìnqù. Rúguǒ nǐ de xiōngdì huò jiěmèi wéifǎn guīdìng, ránhòu zài nǐ zuò jiātíng zuòyè hé jiāwù shí dédào bīngqílín hé tiándiǎn, nǐ huì shēngqì ma?
Explaining to His Older Son
The father went outside and tried to get him to come inside. The older brother complained.
fùqīn zǒu dào wàimiàn, shìtú ràng tā jìnlái. Gēgē bàoyuàn dào.
How many of you complain about your brothers or sisters? I used to complain about my sister all the time. She always ruined my toys. My mom usually told me that life wasn’t fair. But what did this father say:
Nǐmen yǒu duōshǎo rén bàoyuàn nǐmen de xiōngdì jiěmèi? Wǒ céngjīng yīzhí bàoyuàn wǒ de mèimei. Tā zǒng shì huǐle wǒ de wánjù. Wǒ māmā jīngcháng gàosù wǒ shēnghuó bù gōngpíng. Dàn zhè wèi fùqīn shuōle shén me:
“’My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Fùqīn duì tā shuō, er ā, nǐ cháng hé wǒ tóng zài, wǒ yīqiè suǒyǒu de, dōu shì nǐ de. Zhǐshì nǐ zhège xiōngdì shì sǐ ér fùhuó, shī ér yòu dé de, suǒyǐ wǒmen lǐdāng huānxǐ kuàilè.
God loves us – He is willing to accept us back even after we’ve sinned and went away from Him just like this father forgave and accept his prodigal son back.
Raise your hand if you have sinned before. Raise your hand if you have not sinned before. No one should be raising their hands because all of us have sinned.
Rúguǒ nǐ yǐqián fànguò zuì, qǐng jǔ shǒu. Rúguǒ nǐ yǐqián méiyǒu fànguò zuì, qǐng jǔ shǒu. Méiyǒu rén yīnggāi jǔ shǒu, yīnwèi wǒmen suǒyǒu rén dōu fànle zuì.
So we are all like this younger brother because we have all sinned. Even thinking mean thoughts counts as sinning. When I was your age I used to think evil thoughts about my sister all the time. I was so angry at her sometimes for messing up my toys. Every day I sin. For example, I was supposed to prepare to teach today earlier but I waited until the last minute to prepare.
Suǒyǐ wǒmen dōu xiàng zhège dìdì, yīnwèi wǒmen dōu fànle zuì. Jíshǐ shì sīkǎo yìwèizhe sīxiǎng yě huì bèi shì wéi fànzuì. Zài wǒ zhège niánjì de shíhòu, wǒ chángcháng yīzhí zài sīkǎo guānyú wǒ mèimei de xié’è xiǎngfǎ. Wǒ yǒushí yīnwèi gǎo nòng wǒ de wánjù ér duì tā hěn shēngqì. Wǒ měitiān dū fànzuì. Lìrú, wǒ běnlái yīnggāi zhǔnbèi jīntiān zǎo xiē shíhòu jiào, dàn wǒ děngdào zuìhòu yī fēnzhōng zhǔnbèi.
But even though we are not perfect, God still loves us and forgives us.
Dàn jíshǐ wǒmen bù wánměi, shàngdì réngrán ài wǒmen bìng kuānshù wǒmen.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Who can read this verse for us?
Shéi néng wéi wǒmen dú zhè jié jīng wén?
We just need to confess our sins to God and he will forgive us because Jesus already died on the cross for us to wash away our sin.
Wǒmen zhǐ xūyào xiàng shàngdì chéngrèn wǒmen de zuì, tā jiù huì yuánliàng wǒmen, yīnwèi yēsū yǐjīng zài shízìjià shàng sǐle, wǒmen yào xǐ qù wǒmen de zuì.
No one is perfect. We all get in trouble and even though we get in trouble, our teachers forgive us and Mommy and Daddy forgive us even though they might be angry for a while if you did something very bad.
Méiyǒu rén shì wánměi de. Wǒmen dōu xiànrù kùnjìng, jíshǐ yù dào máfan, wǒmen de lǎoshī yě yuánliàngle wǒmen, māmā hé bàba yuánliàng wǒmen, jíshǐ nǐ zuòle yī jiàn fēicháng zāogāo de shìqíng, tāmen kěnéng huì shēngqì yīduàn shíjiān.
But no matter how bad we are, God is all-powerful and He loves us. Even though we make bad choices like the younger son, our God will forgive us. And don’t be jealous like the older brother. Share in our Father’s joy when your friends learn about God and accept Jesus as their saviors. Remember that the next time you are mad or sad or upset.
Dàn wúlùn wǒmen duōme zāogāo, shàngdì dū shì wú suǒ bùnéng de, tā ài wǒmen. Jíshǐ wǒmen zuò chū xiàng xiǎo érzi zhèyàng zāogāo de xuǎnzé, wǒmen de shàngdì yě huì yuánliàng wǒmen. Bìngqiě bùyào xiàng gēgē nàyàng jídù. Dāng nǐ de péngyǒu liǎojiě shàngdì bìng jiēshòu yēsū wèi tāmen de jiùshìzhǔ shí, fēnxiǎng wǒmen fùqīn de xǐlè. Qǐng jì zhù, xià cì nǐ shēngqì, bēishāng huò bù’ān.
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