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In this passage, we see the following in Jesus' ministry:

• Jesus is ministering in Perea (beginning in John 10:40, see notes)
• This occasion is after the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22, see notes), now known as Hanukkah, which is in December before Jesus' crucifixion.

It's been lost; we're going to find it (Luke 15)

1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”

This whole chapter 15 is set up by these first two verses. Any Kingdom set up by the Messiah needs to coordinate with the existing Jewish leadership as far as these leaders were concerned. They had an exclusive on religion in their day, and the general Jewish populace of non-observant Jews had been disenfranchised. Of course, Jesus did not share that view; he had repeatedly declared that the existing Jewish leadership was corrupt. The very fact that they had disenfranchised common Jews was a glaring symptom of just that. Make no mistake about the intent of these parables; they are designed to expose the current Jewish leadership as elitists who have no real regard for the people.

Three parables follow which turn the tables on these Jewish leaders and address these disenfranchised people of verses 1-2:

• The parable of the lost sheep (3-7): these disenfranchised people are represented by the lost sheep.
• The parable of the lost coin (8-10): these disenfranchised people are represented by the lost coin.
• The parable of the prodigal son (11-32): these disenfranchised people are represented by the prodigal son. The prodigal son's complaining brother obviously represents these murmuring Pharisees and scribes.

The Lost Sheep

3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
4 ¶ “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’
7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

The Lost Coin

8 ¶ “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?
9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’
10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Prodigal Son

11 ¶ Then He said: “A certain man had two sons.
12 And the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.
13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.
14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.
15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 ¶ “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,
19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’
20 ¶ “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
21 And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 ¶ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;
24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
25 ¶ “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said to him, “Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’
28 ¶ “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.
29 So he answered and said to his father, “Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.
30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
31 ¶ “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.
32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”

The parables of the lost sheep and coin are brief, but do make the point of the importance of recovering that which was lost i.e. those Jews considered "sinners" by the Jewish leaders. There should be rejoicing that the "tax collectors and sinners" were taking an interest in spiritual things as they gathered around Jesus, but the Jewish leaders didn't see it that way. As far as these Pharisees and scribes were concerned, these commoners were not only lost in their eyes, they had no mission nor desire to see them returned to God. Such was the blatant hypocrisy of these elitist Jewish leaders - interested only in themselves and not others.

While the parables of the lost sheep and coin are brief, the parable of the prodigal son is rich with infuriating implications if you're a Pharisee or scribe, inasmuch as the attitude of the "elder" son typifies these Jewish leaders. The elder son is not happy that the prodigal son has returned, just as these scribes and Pharisees don't seem happy that these "sinners" are gathering around to hear Jesus speak. Question: Wouldn't authentic God-fearing Jewish leaders be elated that Jesus was reaching those who previously had shown no interest in spiritual things? That's the lesson to these arrogant, selfish scribes and Pharisees whose attitudes are reflected in the "elder" son.

So, as it turns out, the main player in the parable of the prodigal son is not the father, not the prodigal son, but the "elder" son; he's the one that reflects the exclusive hold on the religion of the day that Jewish leaders exercised over the people. We see in the prodigal son that no matter how much you've done, a good father still loves you. We see in the father a reflection of God's forgiveness. Those, however, with ulterior religious motives like these Jewish leaders, care nothing about the "sinner" who returns...the very attitude reflected by the elder son in the parable. Even though their own eternal interests were not jeopardized (verses 31-32), they still resented the positive response of the "sinners" to the message Jesus was preaching.

Parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1-13)

1 He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.
2 So he called him and said to him, “What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’
3 ¶ “Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.
4 I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’
5 ¶ “So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 And he said, “A hundred measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’
7 Then he said to another, “And how much do you owe?’ So he said, “A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
8 So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.
9 ¶ “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.
10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?
13 ¶ “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

It appears that the issue of the squandered funds by the prodigal son provides this theme for the next parable. We see that it is the same occasion as the giving of the other parables with the phrase in verse 1, "He also said to His disciples..." Those preceding parables of chapter 15 were presented to an audience of Pharisees and scribes (15:2). While 16:1 says that Jesus is speaking to his disciples with the parables of chapter 16, we see from verse 16:14 that the Pharisees were still in the audience when these parables are spoken as well, "Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him." As a matter of fact, this verse also gives us a clue regarding the true emphasis of this parable; it's money. So, it would appear that after Jesus finished the parable of the prodigal son with the wayward son ending up being the good guy and the faithful son ending up being the selfish brat, the Pharisees may have taken exception to this application. After all, Pharisees were not supported by Temple or synagogue funds; they were businessmen who had created an executive religious class of their own. For the most part, it appears that they were generally men of means and were themselves "covetous."

Now the parable itself: So, here's the business manager for a wealthy man. Word gets back to the wealthy man that the business manager is doing a lousy job and is subsequently given his notice of termination rather than being fired on the spot. Fearing poverty, the business manager uses his last few days of authority to work a deal with debtors of the wealthy man with the intent of causing them to like him in case he needs a favor in the future when he is jobless. It turns out that the wealthy man is pleased with the manager's negotiations of leniency and commends him for his actions, even though perhaps he was not privy to his manager's motivations for doing so.

Jesus makes three main points in this parable:

1. Wealth should be used to help others, not stored up.
2. You can't be trusted with eternal things if you don't properly take care of worldly things.
3. You can't be loyal to God and physical assets simultaneously.

There's no question but that Jesus is addressing covetousness, compassion and loyalty; there's also no question regarding the fact that he's addressing these qualities with regard to these Jewish leaders who lacked compassion and loyalty but were very long on covetousness. The Jewish leaders are definitely portrayed as the unjust stewards.

Ooooo! That hit a sore spot with those Pharisees! (Luke 16:14-18)

14 ¶ Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.
15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
16 ¶ “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.
17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.
18 ¶ “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

So, after hearing this parable, the Pharisees "derided" Jesus because of their covetous nature. Just add that to the list of negative Pharisaical qualities. Notice the reaction of Jesus is verse 15, "And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God." What is it that is "highly esteemed among men?" Wealth! And in verse 16 we see that their interest in the Kingdom of God was not the miraculous, long-awaited, fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, but the opportunity for wealth and power. Jesus points out that even though they were highly respected as keepers of the law, their actions, in reality, constituted an "abomination in the sight of God."

He then suggests in verse 17 that these Pharisees were not truly keepers of the law after all. Do you Pharisees need an illustration? Well here it is. You are ready to stone others as they are caught in adultery, but you yourselves practice adultery with your flagrant practice of putting away your wife and marrying another when you tire of her. Jesus equates this Pharisaical practice with adultery. So, you see, those Pharisees aren't so righteous after all. Jesus uses this divorce scenario to support his contention that the Pharisees were not really keepers of the Law of Moses. To read more on Jesus' teaching on divorce, see the notes on Matthew 19:1-12; Mark 10:1-12.

You may have noticed that Jesus indicates a new era in Luke 16:16, "The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it." As we have continually pointed out in our notes on the Gospel writings, Jesus is introducing the Messianic Kingdom prophesied in the Old Testament. That message started with John the Baptist and is the theme of all four Gospels.

Hades just isn't what it used to be (Luke 16:19-31)

19 ¶ “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.
20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,
21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 ¶ “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’
25 But Abraham said, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.
26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
27 ¶ “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house,
28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’
29 Abraham said to him, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’
30 And he said, “No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31 But he said to him, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

Jesus is still on a "wealth" theme. Since he's still addressing these wealth-loving Pharisees, he may as well drive the point all the way home. I hesitate to say that this is a parable; it is unprecedented for Jesus to use a proper name in his parables, but here he makes reference to a man named Lazarus (not the Lazarus of John 11 - see notes). Lazarus was a common Jewish name during that era - a derivative Greek spelling of Eleazar. Both the rich man and Lazarus (the poor man) die. The rich man lands in "Hades" (Greek word: hades). Lazarus goes to an adjacently-located place called "Abraham's bosom" (Greek word: kolpos can also be translated "bay"). We see that the side Lazarus is on is climate-controlled, but the rich man complains, "... I am tormented in this flame." While they have a clear view of one another, there is no passage between the two because of a "great gulf." The clear teaching to the Pharisees here is found in Luke 16:25, "But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.'" You can see that this story ties in with the first 18 verses of this chapter. These Pharisees had placed more importance on wealth than on a true relationship with God. In other words, Jesus literally uses this occasion with a parable and a story to demonstrate to the Pharisees that they were not righteous after all.

Here's how we know that Jesus isn't just addressing the issue of wealth here. First of all, the wealthy man of the parable in verses 1-13 is the good guy. The business manager is the bad guy until he becomes generous with the wealth; then he's commended. Jesus is dealing with the accumulation at the exclusion of sharing wealth here. We get a further indication of this fact from the dialogue between Abraham and the rich man in verse 25-31. The plea for a warning to his family is rejected with the statement of fact in verse 31 that the rich man had rejected "Moses and the prophets." Generosity to your brethren is seen throughout the Law of Moses. These Pharisees had rejected that in lieu of their own brand of righteousness.

What Jesus REALLY said about forgiveness (Luke 17:1-4)

1 Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!
2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, “I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

How can we not use the teachings of Jesus on a subject as the baseline for the subject itself? When teaching on the subject of forgiveness, we see in these verses the foundation for that teaching.

Here are the basic teachings on forgiveness by Jesus in Luke 17:1-4:

• Offenses will come (verse 1)
• Woe to the offender (verse 2)
• When a brother offends, rebuke him (verse 3)
• If he repents, forgive him (verse 3)
• Forgive him each time he repents (verse 4)

So, the question arises, "Do I forgive my offender if he does not repent?" For the answer to that question, let's go to another baseline teaching from Jesus himself in Matthew 18:15-17 (see notes):

15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that “by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’
17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

When offended, go to the brother and tell him his offense against you.
If he refuses to hear you (repent) take witnesses and repeat the process.
If he refuses to hear you and the witnesses, go before the church and repeat the process.
If he refuses to heed the rebuke of the church, he is to be excommunicated.