Luke 15:24

15:24 because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again – he was lost and is found!’ ¹  So ²  they began to celebrate.

Luke 15:32

15:32 It was appropriate ³  to celebrate and be glad, for your brother ⁴  was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.’” ⁵ 

Luke 15:2

15:2 But ⁶  the Pharisees ⁷  and the experts in the law ⁸  were complaining, ⁹  “This man welcomes ¹⁰  sinners and eats with them.”

Luke 4:11

4:11 and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” ¹¹ 

¹ sn This statement links the parable to the theme of 15:6, 9.

² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the father’s remarks in the preceding verses.

³ tn Or “necessary.”

⁴ sn By referring to him as your brother, the father reminded the older brother that the younger brother was part of the family.

⁵ sn The theme he was lost and is found is repeated from v. 24. The conclusion is open-ended. The reader is left to ponder with the older son (who pictures the scribes and Pharisees) what the response will be. The parable does not reveal the ultimate response of the older brother. Jesus argued that sinners should be pursued and received back warmly when they returned.

⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

⁷ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

⁸ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

⁹ tn Or “grumbling”; Grk “were complaining, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

¹⁰ tn Or “accepts,” “receives.” This is not the first time this issue has been raised: Luke 5:27-32; 7:37-50.

¹¹ sn A quotation from Ps 91:12.