We All Make Mistakes
Acknowledging our mistakes
by Brian Radcliffe
Suitable for Key Stage 4/5
Aims
To explore our understanding of acknowledging mistakes and mending them.
Preparation and materials
- You will need three students to read the Bible passage Luke 15.11-32, available at: https://tinyurl.com/34wdut33
The suggested split for the passage is as follows:
- Student 1: Luke 15.11-20a
- Student 2: Luke 15.20b-24
- Student 3: Luke 15.25-32
Assembly
- Jesus loved telling stories. Why? Possibly because a story is easily remembered, especially if it carries a hidden meaning. We call this kind of story a parable. Here’s a good example.
Invite the three students to read the Bible passage Luke 15.11-32. - Do you ever make mistakes? We all probably have to admit that we do, quite often. The story that we just heard has three main characters; each of them makes a significant mistake.
The first person to make a mistake is the father. It is hard to understand why he divides up his property - this is the inheritance that his sons should benefit from after he’s died. Maybe he’s not a very good judge of his son’s character; after all, the young man converts his share of the property into cash, and then goes away on a gap year. I’m sure that the father is left regretting what he’s done. That’s the first mistake. - The second mistake is obvious. The younger son has no idea how to manage his finances. What constitutes ‘wild living’ isn’t clear, but we get the idea. It’s a common mistake for naive people to make - get hold of some money and blow the whole lot without any thought for the future.
- Let’s skip to nearer the end of the story for the third mistake. It involves the older brother and is more subtle. We might even sympathize with his reaction to his young brother’s return.
Rather than swan off on a long holiday, the older brother has stayed at home, worked with his father and fulfilled his family duties. When his younger brother returns, even though he seems sorry, it seems quite natural for the older son to feel a little self-righteous, annoyed at the welcome that his father gives him.
We can understand why he feels indignant about receiving no credit for never having taken advantage of his father’s generosity. We can also see why he might be jealous of aspects of the life that his younger brother has been living. His mistake is that he gets his set of values wrong. He’s more concerned about wasted resources and rubbing his brother’s nose in it than in recognizing that someone who was apparently lost has now been found. Emotionally, he’s full of anger and resentment. That’s his mistake.
Time for reflection
So, how does the father address his mistake? He could have demanded that his young son pay back the inheritance. When his son returned, he could have turned his son round and said something like, ‘You’ve made your bed; now lie in it.’ Instead, he writes off the financial loss and welcomes back his son because, to him, people matter more than money. He shows pity for the situation in which his son has found himself. He mends the consequences of the mistake that he himself made.
What about the younger son? First, he admits his mistake, which is never an easy thing to do. Next, he renounces any claim to be treated in a special way. Finally, he trusts in his father’s love for him. He suffers humiliation to mend the mistakes that he has made.
And the elder son? We don’t know what the future holds because the story doesn’t tell us! Does he end up bitter, resenting his brother? Does he dominate his younger brother at every opportunity, rubbing in the consequences of his mistake? Or does he follow his father in welcome?
What would our own response be?
Pause to allow time for thought.
We all make mistakes.
- How do we mend our own mistakes and cope with those of others?
- Do people matter more than things or can the cost be too high?
- Do we feel pity for those who are less fortunate or are we tempted to take advantage of their situation?
- Can we admit our mistakes or do we always have a ready response?
- Can we take the humiliation of being discovered?
The Bible is clear that God wants us to forgive people.
Ephesians 4.32 says, ‘Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.’
Challenge the students to consider whether there are people whom they might need to forgive.
Song/music
‘If I could turn back time’ by Cher, available at: https://youtu.be/CaCyaFSSSKY (4.01 minutes long)
Extension activities
- Discuss the parable of the lost son in a group. If you were the older brother, how would you respond to your brother’s return:
- in the first 24 hours
- in the first month
- for the rest of your life
