15:1 Now all the tax collectors 1 and sinners were coming 2 to hear him. 15:2 But 3 the Pharisees 4 and the experts in the law 5 were complaining, 6 “This man welcomes 7 sinners and eats with them.”
15:3 So 8 Jesus 9 told them 10 this parable: 11
1 sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.
2 tn Grk “were drawing near.”
3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
4 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
5 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
6 tn Or “grumbling”; Grk “were complaining, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
7 tn Or “accepts,” “receives.” This is not the first time this issue has been raised: Luke 5:27-32; 7:37-50.
5 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.
6 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 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.
8 tn Grk “parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.