I : i.e. I who know. John 1:51 . you . Murmuring Pharisees. This is the point of the parable. heaven. Singular. See notes on Matthew 6:9 , Matthew 6:10 . over . Greek. epi. App-104 . that repenteth = repenting. App-111 . just persons: i.e. the Pharisees. Compare Luke 15:2 ; Luke 16:15 ; Luke 18:9 . Greek. ou. App-105 . repentance. App-111 . Compare Matthew 3:2 . read more
Luke 15:7. Likewise joy shall be in heaven— Greater joy will be in heaven over one converted sinner, than over, &c. The design of this parable being to represent divine things by images taken from the manners of men, what is here said of God and of the angels, (see Luke 15:10.) must be understood suitably to the nature of human passions, which are much more sensibly affected with the obtaining of what they have long vehemently desired, or with the saving of that which was looked upon as... read more
7. ninety-nine just . . . needing no repentance—not angels, whose place in these parables is very different from this; but those represented by the prodigal's well-behaved brother, who have "served their Father" many years and not at any time transgressed His commandment (in the outrageous sense of the prodigal). (See on :-; Luke 15:1). In other words, such as have grown up from childhood in the fear of God and as the sheep of His pasture. Our Lord does not say "the Pharisees and scribes" were... read more
2. The parable of the lost sheep 15:3-7 (cf. Matthew 18:12-14)Matthew also recorded this parable as part of Jesus’ discipleship training. Jesus’ point was that God does not want any of His "sheep" to wander away from their Shepherd. He seeks them out and brings them home. It was a call to the disciples to exercise responsible pastoral leadership. Luke showed that Jesus used the parable to stress God’s joy when one of His lost "sheep" gets saved. It taught the Pharisees and lawyers how important... read more
The 99 righteous persons represent the self-righteous Pharisees and lawyers (Luke 15:2). Jesus was using the term "righteous" in irony. They were not really righteous, but they considered themselves righteous. The contrast then is between God’s joy over one sinner’s salvation compared to His sorrow over 99 self-righteous people’s lack of salvation. "In heaven" means in God’s presence (cf. Luke 15:10).Jesus revealed that even though sinners coming to Jesus made the Pharisees grumble, this... read more
Parables of the Lost Sheep, of them Lost Coin, of the Prodigal Son1-7. Parable of the Lost Sheep. See on Matthew 18:12-13. The first of a series of three parables for the encouragement of penitents. It shows the love of our Saviour for the outcast, the despised, and the criminal classes generally. It rebukes the Pharisees, who professed to be shepherds, for their neglect of that part of the flock that most needed their help, and lastly it indicates that the Pharisees are in many respects worse... read more
(7) Ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.—As regards the men and women among whom our Lord carried on His work, we cannot see in these words anything but a grave and indignant protest, veiled under the form of an apparent concession, against the self-righteousness of the Pharisees. His call to repent had been addressed to all. That all offended in many things; that for a man to say he had not sinned was a lying boast—this was the first postulate of every preacher of the... read more
The Approachableness of Christ Luke 15:1-2 This truth of the approachableness of Christ, the freeness with which He opened Himself to every needy and suffering soul, is not of subordinate importance, but of the very essence of His Gospel. It rests on the constitution of His Person. It is necessitated by the very fact of His being what He is, the man Christ Jesus, and by His having come to do what He declared to be the object of His mission. I. First of all, it rests upon the fact of His... read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Luke 15:1-32
102. Lost sheep; lost coin; lost son (Luke 15:1-32)Jesus told these three short stories to answer the scribes and Pharisees, who had complained that he mixed with tax collectors and other low class people. The more respectable Jews considered such people unworthy of God’s blessings. They were angry that Jesus showed interest in them and that many of them responded to his message (Luke 15:1-2).The stories of the lost sheep and the lost coin show that God does more than welcome sinners; he... read more