In Luke 15:8-19 Jesus loves you so much that he will look everywhere for you.
It’s time to stop being morally and spiritually lost and come to him. Let him clean you up and give you a brand new life, a new beginning.
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 the Lost Coin (Luke 15:1-2, 8-10) |
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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.
[…] 8 Ἢ τίς γυνὴ δραχμὰς ἔχουσα δέκα ἐὰν ἀπολέσῃ δραχμὴν μίαν, οὐχὶ ἅπτει λύχνον καὶ σαροῖ τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ ζητεῖ ἐπιμελῶς ἕως οὗ εὕρῃ; 9 καὶ εὑροῦσα συγκαλεῖ τὰς φίλας καὶ γείτονας λέγουσα· συγχάρητέ μοι, ὅτι εὗρον τὴν δραχμὴν ἣν ἀπώλεσα. 10 οὕτως, λέγω ὑμῖν, γίνεται χαρὰ ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀγγέλων τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι. |
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!”
[…] 8 “Or which woman having ten drachmas, if she lost one drachma, would not light a lamp and sweep the house and look carefully until she found it? 9 And after she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I found the drachma that I lost!’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God at one sinner repenting.” |
This parable has a context. Please click here to read about it.
Jesus had just told the parable of the lost sheep in vv. 3-7.
Now let’s interpret the parable 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 defines the adjective hamartōlos (pronounced hah-mar-toh-loss and used 47 times) as follows: “pertaining to behavior or activity that does not measure up to standard moral or [religious] expectations (being considered an outsider because of failure to conform to certain standards is a frequent semantic component. Persons engaged in certain occupations, e.g. herding and tanning [and tax collecting] that jeopardized [religious] purity, would be considered by some as ‘sinners,’ a term tantamount to ‘outsider.’” Non-Israelites were especially considered out of bounds [see Acts 10:28].)” “Sinner, with a general focus on wrongdoing as such.” “Irreligious, unobservant people.” “Unobservant” means that he did not care about law keeping or observing the law.
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. 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.”
3:
For more about the Parable of the Lost Sheep, please click here:
8:
A drachma (roughly = a denarius) is worth a day’s wage for agricultural workers. She saved up ten, so she was fairly prosperous, up to a point, and Jesus’s listeners would recognize it immediately. But that’s not the main purpose of the brief parable.
The question assumes an affirmative answer. Yes, she would light a lamp and sweep the whole house until she found it.
As with the Parable of the Lost Sheep, she actively looks for it and does practical things, like lighting a lamp and sweeping, and actually looking, until she finds it. Her active searching for something that is lost shows the Father’s active search for a lost soul. She looks “carefully” or “scrupulously” or “thoroughly.”
9:
Then she responds like the shepherd did. In her world or neighborhood, she calls or invites her friends and neighbors to celebrate the fact that she found it. She tells them to “rejoice with me.” The verb “rejoice with” could literally be translated “co-rejoice.”
10:
Then when God informs the angels that the lost person has been found, the angels cheer. Perhaps an angel writes his name in the Book of Life.
“in the presence of”: it is one adjective enōpion (pronounced eh-noh-pea-on and literally “in the face of”). We should not exclude angels from rejoicing, just because the joy happens in their presence. Preachers who say this are hinting that God is the (only) one who rejoices. That idea takes things too far. As we saw in v. 7, both God and the angels celebrate a sinner returning home.
Liefeld and Pao: “Moreover, Jesus’ final comment (v. 10) reinforces the point: ‘In the presence of angels’ is a reverential reference to God, as is ‘in heaven’ (v. 7). This parable, like that of the lost sheep, justifies Jesus’ welcome of sinners (v. 2)” (comment on 9-10).
“angels”: An angel, both in Hebrew and Greek, is really a messenger. Angels are created beings, while Jesus was the one who created all things, including angels (John 1:1-4). Renewalists believe that angels appear to people in their dreams or in person. It is God’s ongoing ministry through them to us.
Here is a multi-part study of angels in the area of systematic theology, but first, here is a summary list of the basics:
Angels:
(a) Are messengers (in Hebrew mal’ak and in Greek angelos);
(b) Are created spirit beings;
(c) Have a beginning at their creation (not eternal);
(d) Have a beginning, but they are immortal (deathless).
(e) Have moral judgment;
(f) Have a certain measure of free will;
(g) Have high intelligence;
(h) Do not have physical bodies;
(i) But can manifest with immortal bodies before humans;
(j) They can show the emotion of joy.
Angels: Their Duties and Missions
Angels: Their Names and Ranks and Heavenly Existence
Angels: Their Origins, Abilities, and Nature
“repents”: 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.
GrowApp for Luke 15:1-10
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 the bibliography at the very bottom.
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 