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Luke 15

Apr 1, 2025

Lecture Notes: Luke 15 - Common English Bible (CEB)

Context and Setting

  • Audience: Tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, and legal experts.
  • Reaction: Pharisees and legal experts complain about Jesus welcoming sinners.

Parables Shared by Jesus

Parable of the Lost Sheep

  • Scenario: A shepherd with 100 sheep loses one.
  • Action: Leaves 99 sheep to find the lost one.
  • Outcome: Thrilled upon finding it, he celebrates with friends and neighbors.
  • Moral: More joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than 99 righteous not needing repentance.

Parable of the Lost Coin

  • Scenario: A woman with 10 silver coins loses one.
  • Action: Diligently searches until she finds it.
  • Outcome: Calls friends and neighbors to celebrate finding the lost coin.
  • Moral: Joy among angels for one sinner who repents.

Parable of the Prodigal Son

  • Characters: A father and his two sons.

  • Younger Son:

    • Demands his inheritance and squanders it in a distant land.
    • Faces hardship during a famine and works feeding pigs.
    • Decides to return home, repentant, asking to be a servant.
    • Father's Reaction:
      • Sees him from afar, filled with compassion, welcomes him back.
      • Orders a celebration for his "dead" and "lost" son who is "alive" and "found."
      • Symbols of Acceptance: Best robe, ring, sandals, and a feast with the fattened calf.
  • Older Son:

    • Returns from the field, hears celebrations.
    • Angry at the celebration for his brother.
    • Complains of never receiving a celebration for his own loyalty.
    • Father's Assurance:
      • Reminds him that he is always with him and everything is his.
      • Emphasizes the necessity to celebrate because the lost brother is now found.

Key Themes

  • Redemption and Forgiveness: Central theme illustrating God's joy in repentance.
  • Celebration of Repentance: Joy in heaven for sinners who repent.
  • Compassion and Mercy: Emphasized through the father’s actions toward both sons.
  • Contrast of Attitudes: The forgiving father versus the resentful older brother.

Reflection Questions

  • How do these parables illustrate the nature of forgiveness and repentance?
  • What lessons can we learn about compassion and understanding from the father’s reaction?
  • How do these stories challenge our understanding of justice and mercy?