Text -- Luke 15:1-7 (NET)

The Parable of the Lost Sheep and Coin

15:1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming to hear him. 15:2 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 15:3 So Jesus told them this parable: 15:4 “Which one of you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go look for the one that is lost until he finds it? 15:5 Then when he has found it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 15:6 Returning home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, telling them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 15:7 I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Luk 15:1

¹ sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

² tn Grk “were drawing near.”

NET Notes: Luk 15:2

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

² sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

³ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

⁴ tn Or “grumbling”; Grk “were complaining, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

⁵ tn Or “accepts,” “receives.” This is not the first time this issue has been raised: Luke 5:27-32; 7:37-50.

NET Notes: Luk 15:3

¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ telling of the parable is in response to the complaints of the Pharisees and experts in the law.

² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ sn Them means at the minimum the parable is for the leadership, but probably also for those people Jesus accepted, but the leaders regarded as outcasts.

⁴ tn Grk “parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

NET Notes: Luk 15:4

¹ tn Grk “What man.” The Greek word ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a somewhat generic sense.

² sn This individual with a hundred sheep is a shepherd of modest means, as flocks often had up to two hundred head of sheep.

³ tn Or “desert,” but here such a translation might suggest neglect of the 99 sheep left behind.

⁴ tn Grk “go after,” but in contemporary English the idiom “to look for” is used to express this.

⁵ sn Until he finds it. The parable pictures God’s pursuit of the sinner. On the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, see John 10:1-18.

NET Notes: Luk 15:5

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

NET Notes: Luk 15:6

¹ tn Grk “And coming into his…” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² sn A touch of drama may be present, as the term calls together can mean a formal celebration (1 Kgs 1:9-10).

³ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215). It occurs before “neighbors” as well (“his friends and his neighbors”) but has not been translated the second time because of English style.

NET Notes: Luk 15:7

¹ sn There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. The pursuit of the sinner is a priority in spite of the presence of others who are doing well (see also Luke 5:32; 19:10). The theme of repentance, a major Lukan theme, is again emphasized.

² tn Here δικαίοις (dikaioi") is an adjective functioning substantivally and has been translated “righteous people.”

³ tn Or “who do not need to repent”; Grk “who do not have need of repentance.”