LUKE CHAPTER 15, COMMENTARY
CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS
A.Luke 14:25-35 sets the stage that many in the crowd, on hearing the cost of
discipleship, ceased to follow Jesus. Luke 15 shows that the religious and social
outcasts continued to come to Him.
B.These three parables have four foci:
1.The lostness of man
2.God's active love for all men (cf. 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9)
3.The Savior's mission of seeking and saving (cf. Mark 10:45)
4.The self-righteous reaction of the religious leaders (cf. Luke 15:2, typified in the older brother, 25-32)
C.Notice the main characters in the parables were people who were looked down on by
the religious authorities: shepherds, women, and rebellious children.
D.Three parables, which are unique to Luke (Matt. 18:12-14 uses the "lost sheep," but
in a context referring to disciples, not Pharisees), disclose Jesus' understanding of
God's seeking and saving character and purpose (the restoration of all fallen, sinful
humanity to full fellowship with Himself, cf. John 4:23; Luke 19:10).
E.Luke 15 & 16 have a series of five parables. Remember chapter divisions are not inspired.
F.There is one resource I have found especially helpful in the interpretation of the
parables in Luke: Kenneth E. Bailey, Poet and Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes,
Eerdmans, 1983. It is not so much the author's supposed chiasms as his knowledge of
Near Eastern society & customs that has brought such insight to this eastern genre.
PRINCIPLES FOR INTERPRETING PARABLES
(for a full discussion, see Introduction to Chapter 8)
A.Look to the context that precedes & follows to determine the purpose of the parable.
B.Determine the major theme (occasionally themes).
C.Do not press minor details into theological interpretations.
D.Avoid allegorizing and spiritualizing unless something in the text demands it.
Luke Ch. 15, Commentary Page 2
E.Do not build doctrine on parables.
WORD AND PHRASE STUDY NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 15:1-2
Vs 1 – “Now all the tax collectors & the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.
Vs 2 – “Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."
15:1 - "All" Luke often uses hyperbole (i.e., use of "all" in Luke 3:16; 4:15; 9:1) to accentuate the impact that Jesus had on the outcasts of Palestine. Surely not every outcast and sinner approached Jesus, but many did (cf. Luke 1:65, 66; 2:1, 38, 47; 3:15, 20; 4:5, 15; 6:26; 7:16, 17, 29; etc.).
■ "Tax collectors" These Jews worked for the Romans (or Herod) & their salary usually
came from over-taxing their countrymen. They were hated and ostracized by the
local people. Jesus even called one of them to be an Apostle, Levi ( cf. Matt.9:9-10).
■ "Sinners" This refers to either:
1.Openly immoral persons
2.Persons who were outcasts because of their occupation
3.Common villagers who did not completely follow the Oral Traditions
A. It was very difficult for common people to fully observe all the rabbinical rules.
These two groups characterized all those rejected by the religious elite of Jesus'
day (cf. Luke 5:30; Mark 2:16). The sects (Pharisees, Sadducees, zealots, Essenes)
of Judaism even excluded each other as acceptable to God. Religion had become a
status based on performance or exclusive party affiliation.
■ "Were coming near Him" This PERIPHRASTIC IMPERFECT implies this was a normal
occurrence. They found acceptance with Jesus, which they never found with the
other religious leaders. It is interesting that this same Greek VERB is used for
approaching God in Heb. 7:19 and James 4:8. These people were seeking God (cf. 2
Chr. 15:2); the Pharisees were claiming to seek Him, but in reality, they were
clinging to their traditions (cf. Isa. 29:13) and leading people away from God (cf.
Matt. 23:16,24; Rom. 2:19).
■ "To listen to Him" This is a present infinitive. These outcasts wanted to hear Jesus'
teachings.
Luke Ch. 15, Commentary Page 3
15:2 - "The Pharisees and the scribes" This is the same order as Luke 5:30; usually the order is reversed i.e., Luke 5:17, 21). They were probably part of an official delegation sent from Jerusalem to spy on Jesus. They were hoping to find something to officially charge Him with in court. In Jesus' day most scribes (Mosaic lawyers) were Pharisees.
■ "Began to grumble" This is an imperfect active indicative, which denotes repeated
action in past time (cf. Luke 5:30).
A. This is a compound (dia + gogguzō) used only here and in Luke 19:7. Both involve the
grumbling of the religious elite. In the Septuagint this compound was used of the
Israelites who grumbled at Moses and even YHWH during the Wilderness
Wandering period (cf. Exod. 15:24; 16:2,7,8; Num. 14:2).
■ "This man" This is often used in the Gospels in a derogatory sense as a way to not
use the person's name (cf. Mark 14:71).
■ "Receives sinners" This present middle (deponent) indicative means Jesus continuously
made the choice to include these people. He may have sponsored this meal and
specifically invited them. This same criticism is seen in Luke 5:27-32 (cf. Luke 7:34).
B. Jesus' reception of the outcast, needy, and sick is one of the OT Messianic signs
these religious leaders should have recognized (see note at Luke 14:13). The
surprising aspect of these three parables is not only the type of people addressed
(shepherds, women, rebellious children), but also the implication that Jesus
receives and forgives sinners. This is the unique domain of God (cf. Mark 2:1-12)!
This is a powerful evidence of Jesus' self-understanding (i.e., Incarnated Deity).
■ "And eats with them" This is a present active indicative. Often wealthy Jews fed
the poor of their community by giving alms to the local synagogue. However, they
never ate with them. To eat with someone in this culture showed full acceptance
and fellowship. Jesus loved/loves sinners and tried/tries to reach them for God,
which changes them from being sinners to guests and friends. In a sense these
eating events foreshadow the Messianic banquet. Some who think they will be there,
will not.
{This is the theological setting of all three parables in Luke 15. The parallel in Matt. 18:12-13 also shows the heart of God.}
Luke Ch. 15, Commentary Page 4
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 15:3-7
Vs 3 – “So He told them this parable, saying,
Vs 4 – “"What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
Vs 5 – “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Vs 6 – “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'
Vs 7 – “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."
15:4 - "What man among you" Jesus is referring to herdsmen. These were some of the vocations ostracized by the Pharisees because their jobs prevented them from observing all the rules and regulations of the Oral Traditions. Those rejected by the religious leaders were welcomed by Jesus. As a matter of fact, it was to shepherds that the first announcement of the birth of the Messiah was made (cf. Luke 2).
■ "Leave the ninety-nine" This is a very specific number. The shepherd would count
the sheep as he put them in an enclosure for the night. Every sheep was important
to the shepherd. A flock of one hundred sheep was considered a medium sized flock.
The ninety nine were not left alone, but with other shepherds or still in the
enclosure. The metaphor of God as Shepherd is common in the OT (cf. Psalm 23;
80:1; Isa. 40:10,11). It is also used of false leaders (cf. Ezek. 34:1ff; Isa. 56:9-12).
There is even a wounded Messianic shepherd in Zechariah 13. Jesus calls Himself
"the Good Shepherd" in John 10.
■ "In the open pasture" This term means uninhabited pasture land.
■ "The one which is lost" This may be an allusion to Isa. 53:6. Sinful Jews are
identified as lost sheep (cf. Jer. 50:6; Matt. 9:36; 10:6).
15:5 - "Lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing" One of the beautiful works of art depicting Jesus is of a shepherd with a lamb on His shoulders. This shows the loving care of the shepherd.
15:6 - "Rejoice with Me" This aorist passive (deponent) Imperative is repeated in Luke 15:9 and is paralleled in Luke 15:23 (literally as "be merry," aorist passive subjunctive). This command reflects the desire of God who wants to accept and
Luke Ch. 15, Commentary Page 4
rejoice over all who return to Him through a repentant faith response to His Messiah, His Son.
15:7 - "Repents" This is a present active participle denoting ongoing action. The Greek term metanoeō means "a change of mind." The matching Hebrew term means a "change of action." Both are involved in repentance. It is interesting that Matthew and Luke mention "repentance" so much more than Mark and John, who do not mention the word at all.
A. The gospel can be summarized as (1) repent and (2) believe/faith/trust (i.e., Mark
1:15; Acts 20:21). Luke mentions the need to repent often (cf. Luke 5:32; 10:13;
11:32; 13:3, 5; 15:7, 10; 16:30; also notice Acts 2:38; 3:19; 8:22; 17:30; 20:21; 24:47;
26:20).
■ "Joy in heaven over one sinner" This shows God's heart and the priority of people
being saved. In the three parables of this chapter the gospel's purpose is clearly
revealed (the restoration of the image of God in humanity, cf. Gen. 1:26-27, and
humanity's restored fellowship with God, cf. Gen. 3:8).
■ "Who need no repentance" This is irony, not doctrine, like Luke 5:31-32; Matt. 9:12-
13 and Mark 2:17. Those who knew they were in spiritual need readily came to Jesus,
but the religious elite felt no such need. Jesus eats, fellowships with, and forgives
those who came (and come) to Him in faith and repentance.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 15:8-10
Vs 8 – “"Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?
Vs 9 – “When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!'
Vs 10 – “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
15:8 - "If" This is a third class conditional sentence, which means potential action.
■ "Ten silver coins" This Greek word drachma, is used only here in the NT. It was a
day's wage for a soldier or laborer (similar to a dēnarius). These were this woman's
status symbol and possibly her dowry. Near Eastern custom informs us that this
may have been a headdress.
Luke Ch. 15, Commentary Page 6
■ "And search carefully until she finds it" This is not meant to denote a universalism
(in the end all will be saved). The details of a parable cannot be forced into
theological doctrine. As Rom. 5:18 must be interpreted in the context of Romans 1-
8, so too, small phrases cannot be used to teach truths that are clearly denied in
the immediate context (cf. "sinner who repents," Luke 15:7, 10). If all exercised
repentance and faith, all could be saved, but the mystery of evil is that even in the
presence of great light, many will not respond (i.e., the Pharisees). I believe that
Jesus' death covers all sin, but the gospel demands an initial and continuing faith
response.
■ "Light a lamp" The poorer homes of this time had no windows & thus no natural light.
15:9 - This repeats the theological emphasis of Luke 15:6-7.
15:10 - "The angels of God" This is a rabbinical way of referring to God (as is "joy in heaven" in Luke 15:7). Matthew has many of these phrases that refer to God without mentioning His name (circumlocutions).
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: LUKE 15:11-24
Vs 11 – “And He said, "A man had two sons.
Vs 12 – “The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So he divided his wealth between them.
Vs 13 – “And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.
Vs 14 – “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished.
Vs 15 – “So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
Vs 16 – “And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.
Vs 17 – “But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!