Luke

15:1-10

The teachings of Messiah, 9:51-19:44

4. Who enters the kingdom? 13:22-16:13

v] Repentant sinners - the source of God's joy. 15:1-32

a) The lost sheep

Introduction
      Jesus' teaching on the repentant sinner, 15:1-32, is the fifth episode in the section dealing with the question, "Who enters the kingdom?", 13:22-16:13. This episode is made up of three teaching parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the two sons. Jesus has already made it clear that repentance is an urgent necessity - "unless you repent you too will all perish." In the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, Jesus sets out to explain a substantial truth about repentance, namely that it is a particular human response to God which fills him with joy, ie. it pleases him. This joy is the very same joy which Jesus exhibits when "tax collectors and sinners" gather around him.

It is important to carefully note Luke's contextual placement of these two parables, in fact the whole of chapter 15. As already noted, chapter 14:25-35 serves to remind us that those who would follow Jesus can only claim right-standing in the sight of God on the basis of a total dedication to God, a willingness to "give up everything." The disciple who under-performs will be dumped like saltless salt. So, the seeker needs to consider whether they have it in them or not. Of course, none of us have such dedication in us, even for a moment. Thankfully, there is another way to be right with God and that is repentance, and let it be known, it is a joy to God when a sinner repents, 15:1-7. Thankfully, 14:25-35, which proclaims that "none are righteous, no not one", is preceded by an urgent call to repentance, 14:15-24, and is followed up by the announcement that repentance prompts God's joyous mercy, his joyous grace, 15:1-32. The Pauline proposition that "the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith", Gal.3:24, is clearly operative in Luke's contextual arrangement of the gospel tradition in these chapters.

de "now" - but, and, now. Here transitional.

hsan ... eggizonteV (eggizw) pres. part. "were [all] gathering around [him]" - there were drawing near. Periphrastic imperfect, which construction always leaves us wondering as to the type of action implied, eg. is it iterative, repeated action, implying that tax collectors and sinners were constantly coming to Jesus? Marshall suggests it depicts a "general circumstance", this is what tended to happen.

panteV "[were] all [gathering]" - Possibly "were everywhere in the habit of coming to him", Weymouth, or "all the tax collectors ....", as NIV, but the "all" may just mean "very many", TH.

akouein (akouw) pres. inf. "to hear [him]" - The infinitive expressing purpose, "in order to hear him."

legonteV (legw) pres. part. "[muttered]" - [were complaining] ... saying. Attendant circumstance participle identifying action accompanying the main verb "grumbled / murmured / complained", so "complained and said", "complained of this, remarking", Phillips, but really pleonastic (redundant), therefore left untranslated as NIV, //. v3, "told [to them] saying."

oJti "-" - Here introducing a dependent statement, direct speech, but possibly interrogative.

ouJtoV "this man" - this one. Usually a contemptuous way to refer to another person.

prosdecetai (prosdecomai) pres. "welcomes" - receives. So "associates with"; "this man is friendly with sinner", CEV, even worse, he "eats with them."

thn parabolhn "[this] parable" - The singular may imply "parabolic discourse", Marshall, but the voice should not be pushed, cf. 5:36, so "these parables."

Both parables in v4-10 are teaching parables, illustrative stories which teach a truth, as opposed to kingdom parables which proclaim the gospel in the form of a riddle, limiting the message to those with eyes to see. "The parable of the seeking shepherd", Ellis, probably better than "lost sheep", is applied in v7 where we are told of "the joy of God over the sinner who repents", Marshall.

tiV ..... ou "Suppose .... does [he] not" - what ..... [is] not [leaving]. The negated question expects a positive answer; "everyone" would go looking for the lost sheep, obviously, having first secured the other 99.

ecwn (ecw) pres. part. "has" - [man from you] having [one hundred sheep]. The participle is adjectival, limiting "man"; "a man ..... who has a hundred sheep". "Which of you men", Weymouth, but better, "which one of you", NJB.

apolesaV (apollumi) aor. part. "loses [one of them]" - having lost. The participle is possibly conditional, "which one of you with a hundred sheep, if he looses one of them", Moffatt, but is likely to be adjectival, "a man ..... who has a hundred sheep and who loses one of them."

en th/ erhmw/ "in the open country" - Matthew, "hills / mountains." Possibly "in the wilderness / desert", Barclay, although this implies lack of care, so better, "In the pasture land", TH. So, "leaves the remaining flock grazing by itself", "leaves the other 99 sheep alone", NCV.

epi + acc. "[go] after" - [goes] to. Probably with the sense of motion toward a place, so, goes out into the country looking for the lost one, "search for", Barclay.

eJwV + subj. "until [he finds]" - Forming an indefinite temporal clause, as NIV.

euJrwn (euJriskw) aor. part. "when he finds it" - having found. The participle is adverbial, temporal, as NIV.

cairwn (cairw) pres. part. "[he] joyfully [puts]" - rejoicing. The participle is adverbial, Modal, expressing manner, modifying the verb "he puts", as NIV.

elqwn (ercomai) aor. part. "goes home" - having come, gone. The participle is adverbial, probably temporal, "and when he gets home", Moffatt, but also possibly attendant circumstance identifying action that accompanies the main verb "puts"; "places it joyfully on his shoulder and returns home", TNT.

sugkalei (sugkalew) pres. "he calls ...... together" - he calls together. Historic present tense for dramatic effect. Possibly "gathers together for a formal celebration", cf. Jeremias Parables.

sugcarhte (sugcairw) aor. imp. "rejoice [with me]" - The aorist tense here expressing immediate, urgent action.

to apolwloV "sheep" - The position is emphatic; "my sheep that was lost", NJB.

Jesus now applies the parable making the simple point that repentance prompts divine joy, and thus by implication, divine grace and favor.

legw uJmin "I tell you" - A typical introduction for an application. "Count on it", Peterson.

oJti "that" - Introducing a dependent statement, indirect speech.

ouJtwV adv. "in the same way" - in like manner, in just this way.

estai (eimi) "there will be more [rejoicing]" - there will be [joy]. The future tense is logical, gnomic, stating what is, rather than what will be, so "there is joy in heaven because of ...." "More", "greater", REB, is supplied, on the assumption that there is at least some joy in heaven for the righteous, see below. Such a translation is possible, but it is not what the text says. "I tell you that in the same way there will be rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents rather than over ninety nine ......" TNT.

en tw/ ouranw/ (oV) "in heaven" - Typical deference toward God, so also the reference to "angels" in v10. So, it is God, our creator, who rejoices.

epi + dat. "over" - over, on, at ... The meaning of this preposition is very fluid, but a causal sense seems best here; "there is more happiness in heaven because of one sinner who turns to God", CEV.

metanoounti (metanoew) pres. part. "[one sinner] who repents" - repenting. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "sinner". Luke, in his selection of gospel episodes, shows us that repentance is like a change of direction, a turning away, a turning around, a turning to; it is like accepting an invitation, a seeking after divine mercy / forgiveness. Lit. "to change one's mind", cf. 3:3, 8, 5:32.

h] "than [over]" - than [because of]. Producing a contrast, either "rather than / instead of", or a graded contrast, in which case "more" must be supplied, as NIV and most other translations. See above.

dikaioiV adj. "righteous persons" - righteous, just. Adjective used as a substantive. Does Jesus mean "self-righteous / seemingly righteous"? It is possible, for the sake the argument, that Jesus means "righteous", in the same sense as Zechariah and Elizabeth "were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord", 1:6. If so, are there actually people "who do not need to repent"? Surely everyone needs to repent! The whole point of this parable is to identify repentance as the key with which a person accesses God's grace. So, it is possible that the phrase is facetious (an ad hominem argument); "those who think they do not need to repent", so Stein. Yet again, possibly not. The statement may just be for argument sake to make the comparison, a comparison improved by exaggeration, so Fitzmyer, Creed. Plummer puts it nicely when he says "the ninety-nine represent a hypothetical class, an ideal which since the Fall has not been reached." So, we could add a qualifier if we wanted to; "of course, no such person exists." The sample sermon takes the line that the "righteous" are the "seemingly righteous", that Jesus is being ironic, but this interpretation is by no means proved.

The second parable, "the weeping woman", Ellis (nice alliteration, but probably better, "the searching woman", as against the standard, "the lost coin"), simply reinforces the first parable. The interpretation in v10 repeats that of v7. It is possible the whole parable is in the form of a rhetorical question, so Jeremias, Parables. Some have argued that the coins were attached to a braided headdress, possibly a dowry, and that the loss of one of these coins is like losing an integral part of a piece of jewelry.

h] "or" - cf. 14:31 for a similar introduction to a second parable making the same point as the first. "Or again, making the same point."

ecousa (exw) pres. part. "has" - [what woman] having [ten drachmas, if she loses ....]. Is the participle here modifying the verb "loses", so possibly modal, even conditional, or is it more properly an attendant circumstance participle identifying an action accompanying the losing? It is sometimes difficult to determine whether a "verbal" participle is attending another verb or whether it is modifying it, ie. functioning adverbially. Being within a question, "what woman ....?" and a conditional clause, "if she loses ....", doesn't help. Probably best to escape the dilemma and call it adjectival, "a woman, the one having ..."; "what woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses ...." Weymouth.

ean + subj. "-" - if. Introducing a conditional clause, 3rd class, where the condition is a possibility, "if, as may be the case, ... then ..."

ouci aJptei (aJptw) pres. "does she not light [a lamp]" - The syntax forms a question expecting a positive answer. The imagery here is of a mud brick and earth/stone floor single room home, dark due to few windows, and in need of careful sweeping to find anything.

eJwV + subj. "until she finds" - might find [what (she lost)]. The subjunctive with this preposition forming an indefinite temporal clause.

euJrousa (euJriskw) aor. part. "when she finds" - having found. The participle is adverbial, temporal, as NIV.

legousa (legw) pres. part. "and says" - saying. Attendant circumstance participle, expressing action accompanying the main verb "she calls together"; "she gathers together her friends and neighbors and says."

oJti "-" - because. Here expressing cause/reason; "rejoice with me for I have found", Moffatt.

ouJtwV adv. "in the same way" - thus, so. "It is the same in heaven", Phillips.

ginetai (ginomai) pres. "there is" - there comes to be. Here used instead of the verb to-be.

enwpion twn aggelwn tou qeou "in the presence of the angels of God" - [joy] before the angels of God. Again, out of respect to God the Father, Jesus doesn't actually describe God rejoicing, rather a general rejoicing "before" the angels. In reality, it is God who rejoices, probably with the angels.

Luke Introduction

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