Luke 15 Commentary

The people were coming to Jesus, especially the tax collectors and sinners who resonated with His inviting message of belonging and repentance. The overly legalistic Pharisees and scribes were slandering Jesus for mingling with these people whom they had rejected.

Jesus told three parables in response to the Pharisees and scribes grumbling at how He mingles with sinners. This first parable is called “The Parable of the Lost Sheep.” It is about a shepherd that leaves ninety-nine of his sheep in the pasture in search of the one that is lost, and the joy he feels upon finding it. Jesus then tells His adversaries that there is more joy in heaven when one sinner repents over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need to repent.

Jesus told three parables in response to the Pharisees and scribes grumbling at how He mingles with sinners. This second parable is called "The Parable of the Lost Coin." It is about a woman with ten coins who turned her house upside down in search of the one that was lost. She rejoiced over it when she found it. Jesus then concluded the parable with another declaration about the value of repentance: "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Jesus told three parables in response to the Pharisees and scribes grumbling at how He mingles with sinners. This third parable is often called "The Parable of the Prodigal Son." This is part one of the parable. It is about a father with two sons, neither of whom understand their Father’s perspective toward them, or what is actually in their best interest. The younger brother represents the attitude of sinners the Pharisees complained about, and the older brother represents the Pharisees. The first half of the parable tells how the younger son prematurely demanded his inheritance and left his father for a distant country where he squandered it all. After he became desperate, and believing himself to be unworthy as a son, he returned home hoping to be hired by his father. Instead, the father graciously reinstated him as a son and called for a major celebration because, in his words: "This son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found."

Jesus told three parables in response to the Pharisees and scribes grumbling at how He mingles with sinners. This third parable is often called "The Parable of the Prodigal Son." This is Part 2 of this parable.