Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Luke
Chapter 15: This My Son Was Dead, and Is Alive Again
Luke 15 is the great chapter of the seeking, saving, rejoicing love of God. When the Pharisees murmur that 'this man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them,' Jesus answers not with argument but with three of the most beloved parables ever spoken, each turning on something lost, sought, found, and celebrated. A shepherd leaves the ninety and nine to find one straying sheep and carries it home rejoicing. A woman lights a candle and sweeps the house until she finds one lost coin. And a father waits for a wayward son, sees him 'yet a great way off,' runs to him, falls on his neck, and clothes him with the best robe, 'for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' Then the elder brother, dutiful but joyless, stands outside the feast in anger, and the father goes out to him too, pleading, 'Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.' Over every sinner who repents there is 'joy in the presence of the angels of God.' The chapter shows us the very heart of God: He seeks the lost, welcomes the returning, and rejoices over the found, and it calls us home to a Father whose arms are open wide.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Luke chapter 15. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Jesus answers the murmuring of the Pharisees with three parables of the lost and found, the sheep, the coin, and the two sons, unveiling the seeking, saving, rejoicing love of God. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Go After That Which Is Lost
The shepherd seeks the one until he finds it, and carries it home.
Seek Diligently Till She Find It
Heaven rejoices over one sinner that repenteth.
His Father Saw Him, and Ran
The Father runs to the returning son and clothes him with the best robe.
All That I Have Is Thine
The Father pleads even with the dutiful son who will not rejoice.
Joy in Heaven Over One Sinner That Repenteth (Luke 15:1-10)
Against the Pharisees' scorn, Jesus tells of a shepherd who seeks one sheep and a woman who seeks one coin, and of the joy in heaven over the found.
I Have Found My Sheep Which Was Lost
"Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."
Word Study
"lost," Greek apollumi (ἀπόλλυμι). The word means to lose, to be ruined, to perish; in the middle voice it describes something gone astray and in danger of destruction. It runs through the whole chapter, the lost sheep, the lost coin, the son who "was lost." To be lost is not merely to be missing but to be perishing, unable to save oneself, and needing to be sought and found by another. This is the very reason Christ came, "for the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). The lost do not find their own way home; they are found by the God who goes after them.
Explanation
When the Pharisees mutter that Jesus "receiveth sinners, and eateth with them," He answers with three parables of the lost -- and the first two set the tone: a shepherd leaves ninety and nine to seek one straying sheep, and a woman lights a lamp and sweeps the house for one lost coin. Both search until they find, and both call the neighbors to "rejoice with me." The refrain is heaven's joy: "joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth." The very thing the Pharisees despise -- God's welcome of sinners -- is the thing that fills heaven with rejoicing, for the lost are sought by a God who will not rest until they are found.
Gospel Focus
The scene is set by a contrast. The outcasts, "all the publicans and sinners," press near to hear Jesus, while the religious leaders stand back and murmur, "This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." In their mouths it is an accusation; in truth it is the gospel in a sentence, for this is exactly what Christ came to do. Rather than defend Himself, Jesus tells two parables that turn their complaint into a revelation of God's heart. First the lost sheep: a shepherd with a hundred sheep loses one and leaves the ninety and nine to "go after that which is lost, until he find it." He does not wait for the sheep to wander back; he searches until he finds it, then lays it on his shoulders, "rejoicing," and calls his neighbours to rejoice with him. Then the lost coin: a woman with ten silver pieces loses one and lights a candle, sweeps the house, and seeks "diligently till she find it," and she too gathers friends to rejoice. Both parables press the same point against the murmurers: the seeking is deliberate and untiring, and the finding brings not grudging tolerance but overflowing joy. And twice Jesus lifts the curtain on heaven itself: "joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth," and "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." The Pharisees despised the sinners Jesus welcomed; heaven throws a party over their return. Note that the sheep and the coin cannot find their own way back; they must be sought. So it is with sinners, dead in trespasses, unable to save themselves; God takes the initiative and seeks the lost. And note where the emphasis falls, not on the value of the ninety and nine but on the preciousness of the one. God's love is not a cold calculation of numbers but a passionate pursuit of each lost soul. The very thing the Pharisees sneered at, that Christ receives sinners, is the joy of heaven and the mission of God.
His Father Saw Him, and Had Compassion (Luke 15:11-24)
A wayward son wastes all, comes to himself, and returns to a father who runs to meet him and restores him fully.
This My Son Was Dead, and Is Alive Again
"And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."
Word Study
"had compassion," Greek splagchnizomai (σπλαγχνίζομαι). The word is drawn from the splagchna, the inward parts, the bowels, seen by the ancients as the seat of the deepest feeling; it means to be moved with compassion from the very depths of one's being. "When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran." This is the same word used again and again of Jesus Himself, moved with compassion for the multitudes, the sick, the grieving. Here it unveils the heart of God the Father toward the returning sinner: not cold, not reluctant, but stirred to the depths with yearning love, so that He runs to meet the one who turns homeward.
Explanation
The prodigal demands his inheritance, wastes it in a far country, and comes to himself in a pigsty, rehearsing a servant's speech. But the father, seeing him "a great way off," runs -- an old man running, shedding his dignity -- and falls on his neck before the boy can finish his confession. He is clothed with the best robe, ring, and shoes, and the fatted calf is killed, "for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." This is the heart of the gospel: the repentant sinner does not crawl back to a grudging master but is met by a Father whose love outruns his return and restores him fully as a son.
Gospel Focus
Here is the crown of the three parables, the story of a father and two sons. The younger demands his inheritance now, "give me the portion of goods that falleth to me", a shocking request that treats the father as good as dead. He takes it all "into a far country," and there wastes it "with riotous living." When the money is gone a famine comes, and the boy who wanted freedom ends up a slave, feeding swine, the lowest degradation imaginable to a Jew, longing even for the pigs' husks, and "no man gave unto him." Then the turning point: "when he came to himself." Sin is a kind of madness, and repentance begins when a man comes to his senses and sees his true state. He resolves to go home, not presuming on sonship but ready to confess, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." This is real repentance: a turning of the will, an honest confession, a humbling of self. But the heart of the parable is not the son's journey home; it is the father's welcome. "When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him", he had been watching, waiting, longing, "and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." The father runs, undignified and eager, and embraces the filthy, swine-smelling boy before a word of confession is finished. The son gets out his prepared confession, but never reaches the part about being a hired servant, for the father cuts him off with lavish grace: "the best robe" for his shame, "a ring on his hand" for restored authority -- a signet ring was the token of delegated authority, as when Pharaoh set his own ring on Joseph's hand (Genesis 41:42) -- "shoes on his feet" for a free son and not a barefoot servant, and the fatted calf for a feast. And the reason rings out twice: "this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." The sinner who returns to God is not put on probation or made a hired servant; he is fully restored as a beloved child, clothed, honoured, and welcomed to the feast. This is the Father the Pharisees did not know, the God who receives sinners with running feet and open arms and overflowing joy.
Son, Thou Art Ever With Me (Luke 15:25-32)
The dutiful elder son will not share the father's joy, and the father goes out to plead with him too.
It Was Meet That We Should Make Merry, and Be Glad
"Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 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."
Word Study
"intreated," Greek parakaleo (παρακαλέω). The word means to call to one's side, to beseech, to comfort, to plead with. "Therefore came his father out, and intreated him." The same father who ran to the younger son now goes out to the elder and pleads with him tenderly. It is a striking picture: the father does not command or rebuke the sullen son but entreats him, seeking to win his heart to joy. God's grace goes out to both kinds of sinner, the openly rebellious younger son and the proud, self-righteous elder son, and the Father pleads with both. From this same root comes parakletos, the name given to the Holy Spirit, the Comforter who is called alongside to help; here the Father Himself comes alongside His angry son to plead.
Explanation
The parable does not end with the feast, for the elder brother -- the real target of Jesus' rebuke to the Pharisees -- stands outside, angry, refusing to go in. He has served for years "like a slave," never grasping that he was always a son with access to everything: "all that I have is thine." His cold, self-righteous heart cannot rejoice over grace given to a sinner. The father pleads with him too, for the elder brother is as lost in the field of his duty as the younger was in the far country. Jesus leaves the story open -- an invitation to the murmuring religious to come in and rejoice, if they will.
Gospel Focus
The parable does not end with the feast, for there is a second lost son, the elder brother, and he represents the murmuring Pharisees to whom Jesus is speaking. Coming in from the field, he hears the music and dancing and, learning that his brother has returned and the fatted calf is killed, "he was angry, and would not go in." His anger exposes a heart that served the father for years without ever knowing the father's love or sharing the father's joy. And just as the father went out to meet the younger son, so now "came his father out, and intreated him", the same seeking love reaching for the second lost son. But the elder brother's reply is bitter and self-righteous: "these many years do I serve thee," as if sonship were slavery, "neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment," a proud claim, "and yet thou never gavest me a kid." He will not even call the prodigal his brother, but sneers, "this thy son... which hath devoured thy living with harlots." Here is the sin of the elder brother, the sin of the Pharisee: dutiful on the outside, resentful within, priding himself on his obedience, despising the returning sinner, and blind to the father's grace even while standing in the middle of it. The father answers with astonishing gentleness, "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine." The elder son had every privilege all along and never valued it. And then the reason for the joy is repeated: "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." The parable ends there, unresolved, with the father still pleading and the elder son still outside, a pointed question left hanging over the Pharisees, and over every religious heart: will you come in and rejoice over the sinner God has received, or will you stand outside in cold, self-righteous anger? The God who runs to the prodigal also entreats the proud; both must come in to the feast of grace.
Chapter 15 in Review
Luke 15 answers the Pharisees' complaint, "This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them," with three parables that together unveil the seeking, saving, rejoicing love of God. A shepherd goes after one lost sheep "until he find it" and carries it home rejoicing; a woman sweeps the house and seeks "diligently till she find" one lost coin; and a father runs to a returning son, clothes him in the best robe, and kills the fatted calf, "for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." Over every repentant sinner there is "joy in the presence of the angels of God." And the closing scene turns to the elder brother, dutiful but joyless, standing outside the feast in anger, while the father comes out and pleads, "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter is the gospel of the Father's heart. The lost cannot save themselves; the sheep and the coin must be sought, and the son must be received, for salvation begins in the seeking love of God who takes the initiative toward sinners. Repentance is coming to oneself and turning home with honest confession, but grace runs to meet the returning sinner while he is "yet a great way off," restoring him fully as a son, robed, ringed, and welcomed, not put on probation as a servant. This is the God the Pharisees did not know, and the God we proclaim: not reluctant to forgive but running to embrace, throwing heaven's feast over one sinner who repents. Yet the chapter also searches the religious heart. The elder brother's cold, self-righteous anger is a warning to all who serve God outwardly while despising the sinners He receives; the Father pleads even with such, calling them in to share His joy. Come home to the Father who runs to meet you, and come in to rejoice over every prodigal He has received. Heaven is rejoicing; will you?
- Christ receives sinners; this scorned truth is the joy of heaven (15:2, 7).
- The lost cannot find their own way; God seeks until He finds (15:4, 8).
- Repentance is coming to oneself and turning home in honest confession (15:17-19).
- The Father runs to the returning sinner and restores him fully as a son (15:20-24).
- Grace welcomes with the best robe, the ring, the shoes, and the feast (15:22-23).
- The Father pleads even with the proud, self-righteous elder son (15:28, 31).
Questions for Reflection
- Have you come to yourself and turned home to the Father?
- Do you know the Father as one who runs to meet the returning sinner?
- Do you rejoice over sinners God receives, or resent them like the elder brother?
- Are you standing inside the feast of grace, or outside in cold duty?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. Christ came to seek and save the lost: Luke 19:10; Ezekiel 34:11-16; 1 Timothy 1:15. Joy in heaven over repentance: Luke 15:7, 10; Acts 11:18. The far country and coming to oneself: Isaiah 55:6-7; Ephesians 2:1-5. The Father's compassion and full restoration: Psalm 103:13; Micah 7:18-19; Ephesians 1:5-7. The elder brother and self-righteousness: Luke 18:9-14; Romans 10:3; Jonah 4:1-11. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The lost sheep and the lost coin: Luke 15:1-10; Ezekiel 34:11-16; Luke 19:10.
- The prodigal son returns: Luke 15:11-24; Psalm 103:13; Ephesians 2:1-5.
- The elder brother: Luke 15:25-32; Luke 18:9-14; Jonah 4:1-11.