Chapter
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Verse
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Luke 15:32
ESV It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’"
NIV But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ "
NASB But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’?'
CSB But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’"
NLT We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’'
KJV 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.
NKJV It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”

What does Luke 15:32 mean?

The father of the prodigal son is explaining to his older son why he is celebrating the return of a rebellious, disrespectful brother (Luke 15:11–31). In parallel, Jesus is explaining to a group of Pharisees and experts in the law why He chooses to dine with sinners and tax collectors (Luke 15:1–2). God's response to us when we repent isn't just forgiveness and an accountant-like reconciliation of the debts of our sin. It's joy and celebration and acceptance and an enthusiastic welcome back into the family (Luke 15:7, 10).

Those who stayed faithful to God are invited to celebrate the return of the lost, but they must realize an important truth: it's not about them. Their loyalty has nothing to do with God's choice to forgive and reconcile with the repentant sinner. God's forgiveness does not cheapen the steady service of a religious leader, and that steady service has no bearing on the forgiveness of a rebel. As Jesus explains in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, God is free to bless His people as He sees fit (Matthew 20:1–16). The gift of salvation is so far out of human reach that there is no eternal difference between a "good" person and a "bad" person; all have sinned and deserve death (Romans 3:23; 6:23). The difference is in the life lived. It is a blessing to live a life faithful to God and stay in fellowship with Him. We should celebrate when others get the chance to join us.

This ends the three parables tied to the idea of lost things. Next is another section on Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God covering both those who choose to live in it and those who don't (Luke 16:1—17:10). It begins with the parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16:1–9).
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