Luke 15:7
“I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
(a) Sinner. If the original language did not lack punctuation marks, the word “sinners” would be in quotation marks. Religious people called them sinners; Jesus called them lost sheep (Matt. 10:6, 15:24).
(b) Repents. To repent means to change your mind. In context, it means changing your mind about Christ and the goodness of God (Rom. 2:4). See entry for Repentance.
Luke 15:10
“In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
(a) Sinner; see entry for Luke 15:7.
(b) Repents; see entry for Luke 15:7.
Luke 15:20
“So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
Ran and embraced him. God is like a father watching for your return, who runs when he sees you coming, and who falls on you with hugs and kisses. As a dearly-loved child, you can rest in your Father’s love knowing you have nothing to prove.
Luke 15:28
“But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.
He became angry. The self-righteous man is hostile towards grace. Indeed, he detests grace for it undermines everything he has worked for. When he hear the happy sounds of the party, his prideful anger is aroused. See entry for Self-righteousness.
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