Luke 15:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

NIV: And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders

NASB: And when he has found it, he puts it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

CSB: When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders,

NLT: And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders.

KJV: And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

NKJV: And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

In the New Testament, tax collectors took money from fellow Jews on behalf of the Roman government. To pay their salary, they were allowed to take extra for themselves. Many were corrupt, and all were hated by their fellow Israelites. The "sinners" in these passages are those considered immoral or irreligious. Such persons have been flocking around Jesus. He welcomes them and willingly eats with them, showing a level of acceptance that the Pharisees find deplorable in someone who claims to teach God's truth (Luke 15:1–2).

In response, Jesus tells three parables about God's desire to forgive and reconcile with those who don't know Him or who have rejected Him. He starts with the parable of the lost sheep. Jesus challenges the Pharisees to imagine themselves as shepherds with a flock of a hundred animals. One of their sheep foolishly wanders off away from safety, food, and protection. How should they react (Luke 15:4)?

In the days surrounding the Babylonian captivity, religious leaders were like shepherds who abused and took advantage of the sheep in their care. The sheep "wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. [They] were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them" (Ezekiel 34:6). That is not God's heart for people who stray. He seeks out the lost. When He restores that one lost person, He rejoices.

This parable is reassurance for the lost. There is no place so dangerous, dark, or tough that God cannot reach in and save you. There is no decision so foolish that God is not willing to rescue you. God will rejoice over every returned soul, including yours.

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.