Luke 15:31-32

The father responded to the older son’s hostility with tenderness and reason. The Greek word teknon, translated "child" or "son," is a term of tender affection. The father stressed his older son’s privileged position as always enjoying his father’s company. This was a uniquely Jewish privilege that the nation’s religious leaders enjoyed particularly (cf. Romans 3:1-2; Romans 9:4). All that God had was Israel’s in the sense that they always had access to it because of the privileged relationship He had established with the nation. It was necessary (right, not just good) to celebrate the return of sinners, implying that the older brother should have joined in the rejoicing. The reason for the rejoicing was the salvation of the lost. The parable closes with the father’s implied invitation to the older son to enter the banquet. That invitation was still open to the Pharisees when Jesus told the parable.

"Thus the parable teaches that God loves sinners, that God searches for sinners, that God restores sinners, and that God confers the privileges and blessings of sonship on those who return to Him." [Note: Pentecost, The Parables . . ., p. 105.]

There are two interpretations of these three parables that are common among evangelicals. Some see them as teaching the restoration to fellowship of believers. They cite the fact that the man owned the sheep that he lost, the woman owned the coin, and the lost son was a son of his father. They view these relationships as indicating the saved condition of the lost objects in the parables. Other interpreters view the lost objects as representing unbelievers. This seems more probable since Jesus was speaking to Pharisees and lawyers who rejected God’s salvation that He extended through Jesus. They grumbled against Jesus because He received sinners who believed on Him. Moreover the younger son received a position that he had not enjoyed previously when he returned (Luke 15:22). The Jews were God’s children only in the sense that God had adopted them into a special relationship with Himself (Exodus 19:5-6). They still had to believe on Jesus to obtain eternal life (cf. Genesis 15:6). [Note: Martin, p. 244.]

On one level these parables deal with Israel’s religious leaders, but on another level they deal with all the Jews. The unbelief that characterized the Pharisees and lawyers also marked the nation as a whole. Therefore it seems that these parables teach that God reaches out to the Gentiles in view of Israel’s unbelief as well as extending salvation to Jewish sinners in Jesus’ day. As Luke’s Gospel unfolds from Jesus’ postponement of the kingdom (Luke 13:34-35), Jesus’ mission primarily to the Jews declines and His worldwide mission to the Gentiles becomes an ever-increasing emphasis.

G. Jesus’ warnings about riches ch. 16

This section, as those immediately preceding and following it, contains parabolic teaching and other instruction that calls for a decision to believe in Jesus. All the teaching in this chapter deals with material possessions. The section begins with instruction for the disciples but then moves to a lesson for the Pharisees.