Luke 19:7

19:7 And when the people ¹  saw it, they all complained, ²  “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” ³ 

Luke 15:10

15:10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels ⁴  over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 15:7

15:7 I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner ⁵  who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people ⁶  who have no need to repent. ⁷ 

Luke 18:13

18:13 The tax collector, however, stood ⁸  far off and would not even look up ⁹  to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful ¹⁰  to me, sinner that I am!’ ¹¹ 

[19:7]  ¹ tn Grk “they”; the referent is unspecified but is probably the crowd in general, who would have no great love for a man like Zacchaeus who had enriched himself many times over at their expense.

[19:7]  ² tn This term is used only twice in the NT, both times in Luke (here and 15:2) and has negative connotations both times (BDAG 227 s.v. διαγογγύζω). The participle λέγοντες (legonte") is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[19:7]  ³ sn Being the guest of a man who is a sinner was a common complaint about Jesus: Luke 5:31-32; 7:37-50; 15:1-2.

[15:10]  ⁴ sn The whole of heaven is said to rejoice. Joy in the presence of God’s angels is a way of referring to God’s joy as well without having to name him explicitly. Contemporary Judaism tended to refer to God indirectly where possible out of reverence or respect for the divine name.

[15:7]  ⁷ 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.

[15:7]  ⁸ tn Here δικαίοις (dikaioi") is an adjective functioning substantivally and has been translated “righteous people.”

[15:7]  ⁹ tn Or “who do not need to repent”; Grk “who do not have need of repentance.”

[18:13]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “standing”; the Greek participle has been translated as a finite verb.

[18:13]  ¹¹ tn Grk “even lift up his eyes” (an idiom).

[18:13]  ¹² tn The prayer is a humble call for forgiveness. The term for mercy (ἱλάσκομαι, Jilaskomai) is associated with the concept of a request for atonement (BDAG 473-74 s.v. 1; Ps 51:1, 3; 25:11; 34:6, 18).

[18:13]  ¹³ tn Grk “the sinner.” The tax collector views himself not just as any sinner but as the worst of all sinners. See ExSyn 222-23.