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| Chapter 15 |
| Bible Text | Notes and Thoughts |
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1 ¶ Then drew near unto Him all the publicans and sinners to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, "This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them." 3 And He spoke this parable unto them, saying, 4 "What man of you, having a 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 neighbors, saying unto them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I say unto you that likewise more joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth, than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance. 8 "Or what woman, having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle and sweep the house and seek diligently until she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors 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." 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 estate. 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, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine ate, 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 music 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 entreated him. 29 And he answering said to his father, ’Lo, these many years have I served 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 who 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.’" |
This chapter shows just how much the religious leaders hated the life and teaching of Jesus. If Jesus was a true Rabbi He should only be teaching the good people in the synagogue. Jesus tells three parables in this chapter to show to these leaders the mind of God to the lost sinners. The first two are to show the feelings the religious leaders should have had for the lost and them receiving salvation. The third shows the love and mind of God for His lost children. The Publicans were the tax collectors for the Roman or for the customs of the country. This system was very open to mis-use by the Tax collectors, often demanding more than required and keeping the extra for themselves. The strict Jew would be very much against these people, they were considered unclean by the religious leaders. The title "sinners" was used by the religious leaders and was applied to the general people of the street because they had a poor knowledge of the Law, John 7:49. The Pharisees could not understand why Jesus wanted to have dealings with these people, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." The following three parables were especially spoken to this audience. v3-7 The Lost Sheep. Matt 18:12-14. It was normal for the shepherd to count the number of sheep into the sheepfold at the end of each day to make sure none had wandered off. If one was missing then the shepherd would naturally go and look for it straight away. v5,6 "Laying the sheep on his shoulders," The sheep may be injured or needed to be carried as they were lost and did not know the way back to the sheepfold. On return to home, because each sheep was so valuable, the shepherd rejoiced with his neighbour’s, just as God and heaven would rejoice when a sinner is returned to God. v7 Jesus now compares the sheep to people, He said that heaven, like the neighbour’s will rejoice as each lost sinner is returned back to the heavenly fold. Jesus then said that the rest of the sheep are like the "just persons who needed no repentance," the Pharisees, who felt they were far better than publicans and sinners. v8-10 The lost coin. Turning now to the woman’s life. "Having ten pieces of silver," she finds that she has lost one. These coins were very valuable, possibly her life savings covering many years, they could have been part of a marriage dowery payment. The woman now searches diligently, with great care. She "lights a candle," this would have been necessary as most Eastern houses would not have had windows. Often the Eastern house floors would be made of mud, it was therefore possible for the coin to be lost in the dirt, so she cleans and brushes out all the dirt. Again she calls in her neighbour’s to a party of joy when the coin is found. v10 Again the heavenly beings will have great joy over any sinner who turns back to God. v11-32 The Prodigal Son. A better title for this story would be the Two Lost Sons. The heir would normally get his share of the estate when the father died, but under Jewish custom it was possible for the an heir to claim his share during his father’s life time. See Deuteronomy 21:17. The eldest son would normally receive a double share and any others an equal share. If there were no sons then the inheritance would pass to any daughters. If no daughters then the fathers brothers and so on until next of kin. Numbers 27:8-11. The youngest son just could not wait, wanted his share that day. The younger son is given his share of the fathers estate, then goes off to a country some distance away. The young people in the time of Jesus often went to live in Rome or Antioch because of the carefree life available. The world is very attractive to people, but has nothing to give but sadness in the end. The young man has been spending his money and finds that it only lasts so long, the young man soon runs out of money and the so called friends he had found. When a widespread famine hits the area he has to take employment with a rich person, where his job is looking after and feeding the pigs. This would be a terrible humility for a Jew. v16 The situation of the man was so low that he was prepared to eat the food of the pigs, "husks," probably the pods of the carob tree or locust tree. v17 To become an hired servant would be worse than a slave, as a hired servant he could never guarantee his job, if he became a slave he would never lose his job, a slave would always have food and shelter. v18 The young man then decides to return home,"I will arise and go to my father," to admit that he was a failure, that he had done wrong to his father and to God. To make sure a Jew does not commit blaspheme they would often not use the name of God, instead he would use the word heaven, Matt 5:34; Matt 26:64,65. v19 What a change in attitude by the young man, when he left he was so full of pride, "I want," now he realized how wrong he was and was full of humility, willing to be lower than a slave. v20 It would appear that the father had been looking out for the return of his son since he had left. When the boy was a long way off the father saw him coming. This reminds us that God, though holy and pure, has great love and is always watching for a returning sinner. v21 The boy is not allowed to finish his prepared speach, as soon as he admits, confesses to have sinned his father takes over. All that a sinner has to do to return to God is confess their wrong, God does the rest. v22 The clothes of the boy are smelly from a life with the pigs, if he had any shoes they would have been well worn. The action of the father is to restore the son to a position of honour. The best robe would only have been given to a special guest, the ring indicated a restored position of son-ship, one he had rejected before. v23,24 A special animal was often kept just for that extra special occasion or visitor. Compare Genesis 18:7. This resulted in a party, a time of joy for the father, his lost son had returned from the dead. v25 The older son, who had remained working with the father, now comes in from the fields. On hearing the party he asks a servant "what’s going on," On hearing the reason for the party he is very angry and refuses to enter the house. The reaction of the older son was jealousy and outraged, he had served the father without fault and never received a reward. He was very angry for the way and the injustice that the father was treating his brother. The father comes out to the older son. The son response to the question of the father, "I’ve served you, like a slave, all these years without hurting you in anyway, yet you never offered me the chance to have a party." The words show that the older son was full of self-pity and self-righteousness, having no feelings for the love of the father or for the lost younger brother. The reference to a "kid" shows how much he felt sorry for himself, compared with the "fatted calf" the "kid" would have been of very small value. He was saying that the father had cheated him. All he had was contempt, "this your son." v31,32 The father did not approve of the younger son’s behaviour but was so full of love he was prepared to restore him to the position of son-ship, because he had returned in humility and confession of his wrong. The father was showing the attitude of God to the lost sinners. |
Easy English Translation
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