man. Greek. anthropos. App-123 . Here representing Christ. of = from among. Greek. ek. App-104 . if he lose = having lost. not . Greek. ou. App-105 . in . Greek. en. App-104 . wilderness . A place of wild fertility. Compare Luke 2:8 . after. Greek. epi. App-104 . until he find it? Note the importance of this expression. read more
Luke 15:4. In the wilderness,— Uncultivated ground, used merely as common pasture, was called wilderness, or desart, by the Jews, in distinction from arable, or inclosed land, as we have had occasion more than once to observe. Some would read, Doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and go into the wilderness after that which was lost? read more
4. leave the ninety and nine—bend all His attention and care, as it were, to the one object of recovering the lost sheep; not saying. "It is but one; let it go; enough remain." go after . . . until, &c.—pointing to all the diversified means which God sets in operation for recovering sinners. read more
Probably many of Jesus’ hearers were shepherds since this was one of the most common occupations in Palestine. A flock of 100 sheep was fairly common for a small farmer. [Note: Jeremias, The Parables . . ., p. 133.] It was also normal for a shepherd to count his sheep every night. [Note: Liefeld, "Luke," p. 981.] The Greek word eremos can mean "wilderness" (AV), but probably it means "open pasture" (NASB) or "open country" (NIV) here. The sheep was lost because of foolishness (cf. 1 Peter... read more
2. The parable of the lost sheep 15:3-7 (cf. Matthew 18:12-14)Matthew also recorded this parable as part of Jesus’ discipleship training. Jesus’ point was that God does not want any of His "sheep" to wander away from their Shepherd. He seeks them out and brings them home. It was a call to the disciples to exercise responsible pastoral leadership. Luke showed that Jesus used the parable to stress God’s joy when one of His lost "sheep" gets saved. It taught the Pharisees and lawyers how important... read more
Parables of the Lost Sheep, of them Lost Coin, of the Prodigal Son1-7. Parable of the Lost Sheep. See on Matthew 18:12-13. The first of a series of three parables for the encouragement of penitents. It shows the love of our Saviour for the outcast, the despised, and the criminal classes generally. It rebukes the Pharisees, who professed to be shepherds, for their neglect of that part of the flock that most needed their help, and lastly it indicates that the Pharisees are in many respects worse... read more
(4) What man of you, having an hundred sheep . . .?—The meaning of the parable is so clear that it requires but little in the way of explanation. It gains, however, fresh force and interest if we remember that it followed on the great parable of the Good Shepherd in John 10:1-16, and on the compassion for the lost sheep of which we read in Matthew 9:36. The thought was, if we may use the language which rises to our lips, a dominant idea in the mind of Him who spoke. The primary application of... read more
The Approachableness of Christ Luke 15:1-2 This truth of the approachableness of Christ, the freeness with which He opened Himself to every needy and suffering soul, is not of subordinate importance, but of the very essence of His Gospel. It rests on the constitution of His Person. It is necessitated by the very fact of His being what He is, the man Christ Jesus, and by His having come to do what He declared to be the object of His mission. I. First of all, it rests upon the fact of His... read more
Chapter 21LOST AND FOUND.IN this chapter we see how the waves of influence, moving outward from their Divine center, touch the outermost fringe of humanity, sending the pulsations of new excitements and new hopes through classes Religion and Society both had banned. "Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto Him, for to hear Him."It was evidently a movement widespread and deep. The hostility of Pharisees and scribes would naturally give to these outcasts a certain bias in His... read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Luke 15:1-32
102. Lost sheep; lost coin; lost son (Luke 15:1-32)Jesus told these three short stories to answer the scribes and Pharisees, who had complained that he mixed with tax collectors and other low class people. The more respectable Jews considered such people unworthy of God’s blessings. They were angry that Jesus showed interest in them and that many of them responded to his message (Luke 15:1-2).The stories of the lost sheep and the lost coin show that God does more than welcome sinners; he... read more