Luke 15:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’

NIV: and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’

NASB: And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost!’

CSB: and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’

NLT: When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’

KJV: And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

NKJV: And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’

The Pharisees have found Jesus associating with those who violate Mosaic law and others who betray their fellow Jews. Despite this being a common occurrence, the Pharisees still can't accept that Jesus' ministry is to call sinners to repent (Luke 5:27–32).

Many of the people Jesus meets with have made foolish choices. They're like the sheep of this parable: one who leaves the protection of his shepherd and wanders off. The sheep is either oblivious of danger or distracted by other urges. It's unaware that it could fall into a ravine, drown, or get eaten by a lion. By the time it realizes the danger it's in, it doesn't know how to get back home (Luke 15:3–5).

The Pharisees, so far as the parable is concerned, are like a shepherd who stands around lecturing the ninety-nine faithful sheep about how evil the lost one is. Jesus proposes a better way: go after the one who is lost. The ninety-nine will persevere long enough for the shepherd to make that effort. What benefit is there to staying with the ninety-nine if it means losing a chance to find and restore the lost sheep? That's what Jesus is doing. And if He finds that lost sinner and restores him to God, the Pharisees should celebrate. This is not a situation calling for judgment, but for joy.

To poke the Pharisees a little more, Jesus hints that they are the ninety-nine. And when one of these sinners and tax collectors repent, heaven will celebrate more than for those who don't have such an obvious need for repentance (Luke 15:7).

Luke 15:3–7 contains the parable of the lost sheep. This is Jesus' first response to the Pharisees who demand perfection and reject repentance (Luke 15:1–2). The story typifies sinners who abandon faithfulness to God the way a stupid sheep wanders into danger. When the shepherd finds the lost animal, he rejoices. Later parables refer to those who don't know they're lost (Luke 15:8–10) and those who are intentionally rebellious (Luke 15:11–32). Matthew includes a similar parable to the lost sheep in a slightly different context (Matthew 18:10–14).

To answer criticisms that He associates with sinners, Jesus tells three parables. A shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to rescue a single lost member. A woman searches diligently to locate a lost coin. A father eagerly forgives his wayward son when the young man returns in humility and repentance. All these lead to celebration. In the same way, Jesus teaches that God cares about restoring those who have fallen, and we should mirror His joy whenever that happens.

Luke 15 contains three parables with the theme of something "lost." The lost sheep, coin, and son represent sinners who leave God foolishly, unknowingly, or rebelliously. God seeks the foolish and the ignorant and waits patiently for the rebel to return to Him in humble repentance. Next is a collection of teachings on the differences between worldly and kingdom living (Luke 16:1—17:10). After two more groups of a miracle, teachings on the kingdom, and teachings on salvation (Luke 17:11—19:27), Jesus will enter Jerusalem and prepare for the crucifixion.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.