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Luke 15

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Jesus Welcomes Sinners 1–3

1
Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. ​
2
And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. ​
3
And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

The Parable of the Lost Sheep 4–7

4
What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? ​
5
And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. ​

The Parable of the Lost Coin 8–10

8
Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? ​
9
And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
10
Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. ​

The Prodigal Son 11–32

11
And he said, A certain man had two sons: ​
12
And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. ​
13
And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. ​
14
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15
And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. ​
16
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17
And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! ​
18
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, ​
19
And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. ​
21
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: ​
23
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24
For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. ​
25
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26
And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27
And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28
And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. ​
29
And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: ​
30
But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. ​
31
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Luke 15

Verse 1

the publicans and sinners — Telones is a collector of taxes. They 'drew near' (eggizo) 'for to hear him', the company that sat at Levi's feast (Luke 5:29) and the reason Christ gave for his coming: 'I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance' (Luke 5:32). The three parables that follow answer the complaint of v.2.

Verse 2

This man receiveth sinners — 'Murmured' (diagonguzo) is used only here and in Luke 19:7, over a guest of Zacchaeus. 'Receiveth' is prosdechomai, to welcome; 'eateth with' is sunesthio, the table charge also laid against Peter in Acts 11:3. The three stories are 'this parable' (v.3, singular), one reply.

Verse 4

that which is lost — 'Lost' is apollumi, to perish, and the one verb runs through the chapter (vv.4, 6, 8, 9, 17, 24, 32). The LORD says of his scattered flock, 'I will seek that which was lost' (Ezek 34:16); 'the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost' (Luke 19:10).

Verse 7

just persons, which need no repentance — Dikaios, righteous. Christ states the principle in Luke 5:32, 'I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance', and a later parable is spoken to those who 'trusted in themselves that they were righteous' (Luke 18:9). 'Repenteth' is metanoeo, to change the mind; the joy is 'in heaven'.

Verse 8

ten pieces of silver — Drachme, a silver coin, occurs only in vv.8–9, and 'diligently' (epimelos) only here. The woman stands beside the man of v.4 in the same shape: loss, search, finding, and friends called in with 'Rejoice with me' (vv.6, 9). She lights a lamp and sweeps the house, so the lost coin is within it.

Verse 10

in the presence of the angels of God — 'Presence' is enopion, 'before': the angels are the witnesses of the joy named in v.7 as 'in heaven'. It answers the LORD's own word: 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live' (Ezek 33:11).

Verse 11

A certain man had two sons — The third illustration of 'this parable' (v.3). The proportion changes with each: one in a hundred (v.4), one in ten (v.8), one in two. A parable in Matt 21:28 opens with the same words. 'Sons' here is huios, the word of vv.13–30.

Verse 12

the portion of goods that falleth to me — 'Goods' is ousia, substance. Under the law the firstborn received 'a double portion' (Deut 21:17), so on that rule the younger son's share was the smaller; the parable gives no figures. 'Living' is bios, livelihood, the word of the widow's 'all her living' (Mark 12:44).

Verse 13

a far country — He 'gathered all together' (sunago) and then 'wasted' (diaskorpizo), a verb that means to scatter or squander. 'Riotous' is asotos, dissolutely. The harlots are named later, only by the elder brother (v.30); the narrative itself says 'riotous living'.

Verse 15

to feed swine — Kollao, 'joined himself', is to glue or cleave: he attached himself to a citizen of that country. The law said of swine, 'he is unclean to you' (Lev 11:7), so the work is among animals unclean to Israel. The citizen 'sent him', and no one gave him anything (v.16).

Verse 17

when he came to himself — Literally 'into himself'. 'Perish' is apollumi, the 'lost' of v.4: the son now stands where the sheep and the coin were. 'Hired servants' (misthios) occur only here and v.19; their 'bread enough and to spare' (perisseuo) is the first thing he considers.

Verse 18

I have sinned against heaven — 'Heaven' stands for God, as in the 'joy in heaven' of v.7; compare Ps 51:4, 'Against thee, thee only, have I sinned'. 'I will arise' (anistemi) is done in v.20, 'he arose'. When he speaks, v.21 gives the confession through 'no more worthy to be called thy son', and not the request 'make me as one of thy hired servants' (v.19).

Verse 20

had compassion — Splagchnizomai, to be moved in the inward parts, the verb of Christ at the widow's bier (Luke 7:13) and of the Samaritan (Luke 10:33). The father 'saw him' 'a great way off' and ran before the son's speech began. 'Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him' (Ps 103:13).

Verse 22

the best robe — 'Best' is protos, first, chief. Pharaoh clothed Joseph in fine linen and put his ring on his hand (Gen 41:42), and the king gave Mordecai his ring (Esth 8:2): robe and signet are marks of honour. The order goes to 'servants' (doulos); the son is to be dressed, not employed. 'The garments of salvation' (Isa 61:10).

Verse 24

was dead, and is alive again — Anazao, to live again, the verb of Christ who 'died, and rose, and revived' (Rom 14:9). The two pairs, dead and alive, lost and found, are repeated almost word for word in v.32. 'Found' (heurisko) completes the search of vv.6 and 9; 'merry' (euphraino) opens the feast and recurs in vv.29, 32.

Verse 28

he was angry — Orgizo. He stood outside the house where he heard 'musick and dancing' (v.25). The father 'came out' (exerchomai) to him, as he had run to the younger, and 'intreated' (parakaleo), called alongside. The parable ends without saying whether the elder son went in.

Verse 29

these many years do I serve thee — Douleuo is to serve as a bondservant, and 'transgressed' is parerchomai, literally 'passed by' the commandment. He sets his record against 'a kid' for 'my friends', as against the fatted calf of v.23. A Pharisee's prayer in Luke 18:11–12 also recites its own record.

Verse 30

this thy son — He does not say 'my brother'; the father replies 'this thy brother' (v.32). 'Devoured' (katesthio) is to eat up. The harlots are his own detail (v.13 says only 'riotous living'), though Prov 29:3 names the pattern: 'he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance'.

Verse 32

this thy brother — The father corrects 'this thy son' (v.30) to 'this thy brother', and gives v.24 again in the second person. 'Meet' is dei, it was necessary: the feast was not a choice. He had already said, 'Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine' (v.31). The elder brother is not shown answering.