Luke 15:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

NIV: 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

NASB: And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.

CSB: " 'Son,' he said to him, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

NLT: His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.

KJV: And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

NKJV: “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.

The prodigal son (Luke 15:11–13) has returned in humble repentance (Luke 15:21). The father has forgiven him and restored his relationship. In celebration, the father has provided a grand feast with music and dancing (Luke 15:24). The older brother is livid. Why should this shameful son receive such a celebration when he has worked so faithfully—like a slave—for his father (Luke 15:25–30)?

He doesn't see that the celebration is not for the younger brother. It is for the father. The father is filled with joy and invites others into his joy. But the father also doesn't see a functional distinction between himself and the older brother. "All that is mine is yours." That certainly includes the estate; the younger brother has already wasted his part. All the work the older brother does will come back to him upon his father's death.

As the heir, all that belongs to the father is his. This includes the reclamation of the wayward brother and the restoration of the family. It should also include the joy that overflows into a desire to invite others to celebrate.

Jesus is speaking these words to devout religious leaders, experts in the Mosaic and rabbinic laws. They are heirs of the kingdom of God. They are the ones who strive to keep a good relationship with God through work and obedience. What they miss is the loving, gracious character of God. If they could adopt God's character as their own, they would celebrate the repentance of the tax collectors and sinners with Jesus (Luke 15:1–2).

Luke 15:11–32 records the famous parable of the prodigal son. To be "prodigal" is to be wastefully extravagant. Jesus is speaking to Pharisees who condemn His association with sinners. His point is that God seeks sinners so they can be saved (Luke 15:1–10). In this parable, Jesus presses others to join God's celebration over the return of repentant sinners. This is one of the most detailed and developed parables in the Bible, almost on the level of allegory, and is unique to Luke. Next, Jesus teaches how the lives of Christ-followers should differ from those in the world (Luke 16:1—17:10).

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.