Luke 15

15:1-32 Chapter 15 contains three related parables of things lost and found: a sheep (15:1-7), a coin (15:8-10), and a son (15:11-32). The loss of something loved causes deep sorrow, whereas finding it brings great joy. There is great rejoicing in heaven when lost sinners return to their heavenly Father.15:1 Tax collectors were despised because they worked for the hated Roman authorities and were notorious for their corruption.

15:2 In their self-righteous hard-heartedness, the Pharisees and teachers of religious law did not care about lost people. Jesus embodied the heart of God, who longs for his wayward children to return.

15:4 A flock of a hundred sheep was of average size for a shepherd of modest means. God’s people are often identified as the Lord’s flock (Ps 23; Isa 53:6; Jer 13:17; Ezek 34; Zech 10:3). • leave the ninety-nine others: Other shepherds could watch the ninety-nine, so those left behind were not in danger. The shepherd would do anything to find the one that was lost.

15:8 ten silver coins: These coins might have been part of the woman’s dowry. • light a lamp and sweep the entire house: Palestinian homes were poorly lit and normally had dirt or stone floors. Finding a small coin could be difficult.

15:11-32 Like the previous two parables (15:3-7, 8-10), the parable of the lost son demonstrates God’s love for the lost and the joy he experiences when they return. It also allegorizes Jesus’ ministry. The father represents God, the younger brother represents the tax collectors and sinners to whom Jesus ministered, and the older brother represents the religious leaders.

15:12 I want my share of your estate now: This appalling request essentially says, “To me, you are dead.” There could be no greater insult to a father.

15:13 he wasted all his money in wild living: Jews considered the loss of family property to Gentiles in a distant land to be particularly disgraceful and grounds for excommunication (see also Deut 21:18-21).

15:15 Pigs were unclean animals (Lev 11:7; Deut 14:8), making this the most degrading job imaginable for a Jew.

15:20 his father saw him coming: His father was apparently watching the road, longing for his son’s return. • he ran to his son: Running was considered undignified for the family patriarch, but the father was full of unbridled joy at his son’s return.

15:21 The son gave his rehearsed speech. Some manuscripts add Please take me on as a hired servant. The lack of this sentence in the better manuscripts suggests that his father didn’t give him a chance to finish.

15:22 The finest robe belonged to the father; it affirmed the son’s role as an heir and a cherished member of the household. • Get a ring for his finger: A ring was a symbol of authority. Like the robe, it indicated his status as son and heir.

15:23 The father would have been fattening a calf for a banquet. The son was welcomed as a visiting dignitary.

15:28 The older brother was angry that his father would forgive such a sinner when he, the faithful son, had worked hard to achieve his position. Like the religious leaders, he refused to rejoice when his brother was found.

15:30 this son of yours: He refused to acknowledge his own relationship to his brother.

15:31 you have always stayed by me: The parable is open-ended: it does not record the older brother’s response. The religious leaders still had a chance to respond to Jesus’ offer of the Kingdom.