God is searching for you, out of his love. He sent his Son to look for you. That’s how much he loves you.
God is calling out to you. Repentance means you turn to God or return to him. Now is your time. Answer his call. Let him change you.
Before we begin the exegesis …..
Quick definition of a parable:
Literally, the word parable (parabolē in Greek) combines para– (pronounced pah-rah) and means “alongside” and bolē (pronounced boh-lay) which means “put” or even “throw”). Therefore, a parable puts two or more images or ideas alongside each other to produce a new truth. […] The Shorter Lexicon says that the Greek word parabolē can sometimes be translated as “symbol,” “type,” “figure,” and “illustration,” the latter term being virtually synonymous with parable.
For more information on what a parable is and its purposes, click on this link:
The translation is mine. If you would like to see other translations, click here:
If you don’t read Greek, ignore the left column.
I often quote scholars in print because I learn many things from them. They form a community of teachers I respect (1 Cor. 12:28), though I don’t agree with everything they write. But they do ensure I do not go astray. There is safety in numbers (for me at least).
Now let’s begin.
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Parables of One Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-8) |
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| 1 Ἦσαν δὲ αὐτῷ ἐγγίζοντες πάντες οἱ τελῶναι καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀκούειν αὐτοῦ. 2 καὶ διεγόγγυζον οἵ τε Φαρισαῖοι καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς λέγοντες ὅτι οὗτος ἁμαρτωλοὺς προσδέχεται καὶ συνεσθίει αὐτοῖς. 3 Εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην λέγων· 4 τίς ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ὑμῶν ἔχων ἑκατὸν πρόβατα καὶ ἀπολέσας ἐξ αὐτῶν ἓν οὐ καταλείπει τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ πορεύεται ἐπὶ τὸ ἀπολωλὸς ἕως εὕρῃ αὐτό; 5 καὶ εὑρὼν ἐπιτίθησιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὤμους αὐτοῦ χαίρων 6 καὶ ἐλθὼν εἰς τὸν οἶκον συγκαλεῖ τοὺς φίλους καὶ τοὺς γείτονας λέγων αὐτοῖς· συγχάρητέ μοι, ὅτι εὗρον τὸ πρόβατόν μου τὸ ἀπολωλός. 7 λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι οὕτως χαρὰ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἔσται ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι ἢ ἐπὶ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα δικαίοις οἵτινες οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν μετανοίας. 8 Ἢ τίς γυνὴ δραχμὰς ἔχουσα δέκα ἐὰν ἀπολέσῃ δραχμὴν μίαν, οὐχὶ ἅπτει λύχνον καὶ σαροῖ τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ ζητεῖ ἐπιμελῶς ἕως οὗ εὕρῃ; | 1 All the tax collectors and sinners were drawing close to him, to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and teachers of the law began to grumble, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!” 3 But he told them this parable, saying, 4 “Which man among you having a hundred sheep and after he lost one of them would not leave behind the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it? 5 And after he finds it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And going home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I found my sheep that was lost!’ 7 I tell you that in this manner there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous who have no need of repentance. |
I chose Luke’s version because of the context–his fifteenth chapter is magnificent. Please note that Jesus went from the parable of the lost sheep to the parable of the lost coin. But I separated them.
Here is Matthew’s version:
Matthew 18 (scroll down to vv. 10-14)
Let’s take it verse by verse.
1:
I love how the unacceptable were drawing close to him. He had a magnetic personality, true, but this drawing was done by the power of the Spirit. They liked his message of acceptance and redemption. The imperfect tense may indicate a habitual action, an emerging custom.
“tax collectors”: You can learn more about them here:
Quick Reference to Jewish Groups in Gospels and Acts
“sinners”: It is the adjective hamartōlos (pronounced hah-mahr-toh-loss and used 47 times and 18 times in Luke), and it means as I translated it. It is someone who does not observe the law, in this context: “unobservant or irreligious person … of one who is especially sinful.” BDAG, a thick Greek lexicon and considered by many to be the authoritative lexicon of the NT, defines the adjective hamartōlos (pronounced hah-mar-toh-loss and used 47 times) as follows, at the first link:
Bible Basics about Sin: Word Studies
Human Sin: Original and Our Committed Sin
Do you fail to conform to certain standards? Maybe you did break the demands of moral and religious law (a command in the NT). Pray and repent, and God will accept you. The good news: God promises us forgiveness when we repent.
2:
“Pharisees”:
“teachers of the law”: This term is often translated as “scribes.”
You can learn more about them here:
Quick Reference to Jewish Groups in Gospels and Acts
Both groups were the Watchdogs of Theology and Behavior (cf. Garland, p. 243). The problem which Jesus had with them can be summed up in Eccl. 7:16: “Be not overly righteous.” He did not quote that verse, but to him they were much too enamored with the finer points of the law, while neglecting its spirit (Luke 11:37-52; Matt. 23:1-36). Instead, he quoted this verse from Hos. 6:6: “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt. 9:13; 12:7, ESV). Overdoing righteousness damages one’s relationship with God and others.
“this man”: it could more literally read, “this one” for the word man is not in the Greek. The term shows the derogatory outlook about Jesus, because the accusers did not use his name. They stood aloof from this wandering itinerant preacher.
“grumble”: it is the verb diagonguzō (pronounced dee-ah-gon-goo-zo), and it is used only here and in Luke 19:7. It is onomatopoeic (the sound of a word gives away the meaning, as in buzz). It means “grumble” or “complain.” The related verb is gonguzō (pronounced gon-goo-zoh), and it too is onomatopoeic. It means “grumble, mutter, complain” (Matt. 20:11; Luke 5:30; John 6:41, 43, 61; 1 Cor. 10:10) and also “secret talk, whisper” (John 7:32). These are the only verses where this verb appears, so it is comparatively rare. Apparently, adding the preposition dia as a prefix makes things a little more thorough.
“welcomes” it could be translated as “have a good will towards them.” In modern terms, he had positive feelings or a friendly outlook towards these undesirable classes of people.
“eats”: in this culture eating dinner was significant. Even Peter withdrew from eating with Gentile Christians when extra-strict Messianic Jews showed up from Jerusalem (Gal. 2:11-14). Eating together shows a close connection to the guests. Plus, some foods for Jews (even for Messianic Jews at this early time) were unkosher, so it was too risky to eat with Gentiles untrained in such matters.
“welcomes” and “eats” are in the present tense and indicates an ongoing pattern.
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night. (Ps. 1:1-2, NIV)
In this verse of Psalm 1, “stand in the way” could be translated as “stand in the path.” In any case, be careful of the company you keep.
“welcomes”: it could be translated as “welcomes towards himself.”
“sinners”: see v. 1 for more comments.
3-4:
“man”: it is the Greek noun anthrōpos (pronounced ahn-throw-poss), and even in the plural some interpreters say that it means “men.” However, throughout the Greek written before and during the NT, in the plural it means people in general, including womankind (except in some cases). In the singular it can mean “person.” So a “person” or “people” or “men and women” (and so on) is almost always the most accurate translation, despite what more conservative translations say. In this verse, however, the context clearly indicates a man, a male, because shepherds were usually men and the pronouns “he” and “him.”
“The sheep would have been counted as they entered into the gold and passed under the shepherd’s staff (Jer 33:13; Ezek 20:37)” (Garland, comment on 15:4). In the wilderness the shepherd counted the sheep and found on missing. One could object that the shepherd should not have left the ninety-nine unprotected, but shepherds often knew each other, but in the story the loss of one merely highlights the emotion of loss (Garland, on 15:4).
Bock is right (he usually is): “In the story he comes up one short. In all likelihood, if this was a typical search, he left the ninety-nine with someone to protect them and went out to look for the missing animal. The shepherd would look until he failed to find the, found its tattered remains, or located the animals. The point is that the lost sheep receives special attention over those that are safe and sound” (p. 1300). Bock says in footnote 12 that Luke and the other Gospel writers abbreviated the telling of the story. “Wilderness” could also be translated as an open field, a heath, where animals grazed. So the ninety-nine would not be neglected.
“lost”: it is the verb apollumi (pronounced ah-pol-loo-mee), and it means, depending on the context: (1) “to cause or experience destruction (active voice) ruin, destroy”; (middle voice) “perish, be ruined”; (2) “to fail to obtain what one expects or anticipates, lose out on, lose”; (3) “to lose something that one already has or be separated from a normal connection, lose, be lost” (BDAG). The Shorter Lexicon adds “die.” In this verse and in v. 6 it means the third definition.
It was a big risk to leave behind the ninety-nine sheep in the wilderness or desert to find just one sheep. What if a predator were to attack one of the ninety-nine? This shows the love and concern the shepherd has for one of his lost sheep. But as noted, culturally speaking, an under-shepherd or another shepherd watched over the ninety-nine.
Jesus also personalizes it for the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They considered shepherds to be low-grade, because they were not educated in the law. Now Jesus places these religious leaders in the shoes (or sandals) of the shepherds! This is a small part of the Great Reversal, announced in Luke 1:51-53, where Mary sang that Jesus and his kingdom would exalt the poor and humble, while the rich and powerful would be demoted. In Luke 2:34 Simeon prophesied that Jesus was appointed for the rising and falling of many. Here the lowly shepherd was going to show more concern for a sheep, while the religious leaders were not showing love for lost people. Are the religious leaders so confused about the law—are they so steeped in the ceremonial aspects of the law—that they could not love the lost, the last, and the least? They had lost their perspective and a sense of proportion, while the lowly shepherd had a better outlook.
“go after”: the shepherd is active in his search. He looks for the sheep. The Father is looking for lost sheep. Are you one of them? Or do you look for the lost one?
Jesus would cause the fall of the mighty and the rise of the needy, and the rich would be lowered, and the poor raised up. It is the down elevator (lift) and up elevator (lift). Those at the top will take the down elevator, and those at the bottom will take the up elevator.
5:
The shepherd placed it on his shoulders, by wrapping the two pairs of legs around either shoulder and holding it by its feet. Sheep could weigh about 70 pounds (31.7kgs) The Greco-Roman image of the boy carrying the sheep was transformed into the Good Shepherd image (google it). Wonderful image.
6:
Then the shepherd cared so deeply about his found sheep that when he returned home, he calls together his friends and neighbors. To be honest, I probably would not have done that because I’m not a shepherd, so I can’t relate. Come to think of it, I might have let the one sheep wander off and counted it as a business loss. But not so with Jesus (or the Father).
“rejoice with” could more literally be translated as “co-rejoice.” Since I’m not a shepherd, I might have said, “congrats!” and then moved on with my life. What’s the big deal about finding one sheep? But this shepherd lived in a community of agrarians who took agricultural matters seriously. More specifically, he lived among other shepherds. It was a big deal.
For more about “rejoice” and “joy,” see the next verse.
“lost” see v. 4 for more comments.
“In a communal society personal joy must be shared to be genuine” (Garland, comment on 15:6, quoting another scholar named Wendland.)
7:
“joy”: The noun chara (pronounced khah-rah and used 59 times in the NT) means “joy, rejoicing, happiness, gladness” (Zondervan’s Interlinear). BDAG says it means “the experience of gladness”; “a state of joyfulness”; “a person or thing that causes joy, joy.” It is the noun that appears in Gal. 5:22, as one of the fruit of the Spirit.
The verb is chairō (pronounced khy-roh and used 74 times), and it means “to be in a state of happiness and well-being, rejoice, be glad (BDAG).
The verb is in the passive voice, and here it is the divine passive, which is an understated way of saying that God is the one who rejoices (Stein comment on v. 7). Imagine that. God rejoices in your salvation!
“sinner”: see v. 1 for more comments.
“repentance”: it is the noun metanoia (pronounced meh-tah-noi-ah), and it literally means “change of mind.” But it goes deeper than mental assent or agreement. Another word for repent is the Greek stem streph– (including the prefixes ana-, epi-, and hupo-), which means physically “to turn” (see Luke 2:20, 43, 45). That reality-concept is all about new life. One turns around 180 degrees, going from the direction of death to the new direction of life.
Yes, repentance is wonderful as a foundation, but we must move on to Christ’s deeper teachings. In our context today, we should teach repentance to an audience where there may be the unrepentant and unconverted, but let’s not harangue the church with constant calls for them to repent. They need mature teachings. Too many fiery preachers never allow their churches to grow, but shriek about fire and brimstone (eternal punishment). Happily, this seems to be changing, and preachers bring up repentance, but also realize that there are many other doctrines in Scripture.
“righteous”: Jesus proclaimed the same idea in Luke 5:32. Who are the righteous? There are two main interpretations.
First, some interpreters say that certain people are righteous in their behavior. After all, Luke says Simeon was righteous and devout (Luke 2:25). Paul testified that before he came to Christ, he kept the law blamelessly and was faultlessly righteous in the law’s terms (Phil. 3:4-6). The law, particularly the Ten Commandments, are not that difficult, particularly for the extra-scrupulous. Paul was an ex-Pharisee, much like these Pharisees. I have no doubt that he kept the law, outwardly. Even “Average Joes and Janes” don’t steal or commit perjury or commit adultery, nor do they make images of gods. They can live free from coveting their neighbors’ possessions, in outward appearance. This interpretation says Jesus was not calling the Pharisees and teachers of the law to repentance, because they were indeed righteous on a social level and by outward appearance, but he was calling the sinners and tax collectors to repent. The Pharisees and teachers had a certain knowledge of the God of Israel.
Second, some interpreters say Jesus is using irony. The issue is of the heart. Jesus deepens the requirements and turns them into love for God first. If we love God, we will keep his commandments (John 14:15). In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) and on the Plain (Luke 6:17-49), Jesus deepens the requirements of the law to the heart, and everyone fails in some way. Therefore, they are unhealthy in some way before God and need him through Christ. No one can be righteous enough for God, and if the Pharisees saw their own need, they would realize this. Jesus is calling them to repentance, if they could only but see it.
My preference: the second interpretation, with some truths in the first one. All Jews, even the extra-devout, need Jesus their Messiah. However, some people are disciplined enough to live an outwardly righteous life, and God likes it when they do. There is a lot more peace and honesty spread around society. But their good-natured behavior is not enough to save them before a thrice-holy God (Is. 6).
8 Righteousness of the Kingdom
It is good to know that heaven is joyful. But the creatures who inhabit heaven rejoice over salvation and moral issues. They celebrate repentance. They hare joy with a purpose, about eternal matters. Paradoxically, they do not rejoice as much over the righteous who do not need repentance. Interestingly, however, there is still joy in heaven even about the righteous. Bottom line: heaven is joyful and celebratory. Can we say that God himself is joyful? Yes! He rejoices us with gladness and sings over us with joy (Zeph. 3:17).
Once again: Word Study on Joy
GrowApp for Luke 15:1-8
A.. How was God searching for you to bring you to repentance?
B.. What is your repentance-conversion story?
SOURCES
At this link, you will find a bibliography at the very bottom:
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 