Luke 15:32 - Printer Friendly

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.’ ”

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).

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.