Pastor’s Bible Study
The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
#609 “Jesus Sinners Doth Receive”
Read Ezekiel 34:11-24
1. Look at Ezekiel 34:1-3. How had the “shepherds of Israel” treated the sheep?
2. According to 34:5-6, what has happened to the sheep because of the neglectful
shepherds?
3. In response to the actions of the false shepherds, what does God promise in Ezekiel
34:12-15?
4. In the second half of the reading, there are words of judgment, but also of great
promise. What is the specific promise in verses 23 and 24?
Read Luke 15:1-10
5. Who is Jesus’ audience and why are they there?
6. How does the last verse of chapter 14 shed light on today’s reading?
7. One commentary explains the muttering of the Jews by saying that, “An old rule stated
'One must not associate with an ungodly man,' and…this was taken so seriously that the
rabbis would not associate with such a person even to teach him the Law.” Do divisions
like this exist in our society today? Do they exist in the church?
8. The Greek verb for “muttered” means “indignant complaining of many” or “among
many.” How does this help to describe what was going on with the muttering of the
Pharisees and teachers of the Law?
9. In the English Standard Version, the end of verse two reads, “This man receives
sinners...” The following references use the same Greek verb found in verse two. Write
down the different meanings this verb can have.
 Mark 15:43a
 Luke 2:25
 Luke 2:38
10. Twice in this reading Jesus said that there will be rejoicing in heaven over one sinner
who repents. Read Job 38:7 and Luke 2:13-14. How do these verses help us understand
the importance of repentance?
Devotional Thought from The Lutheran Study Bible
“Jesus uses the devotion of a shepherd to illustrate God’s willingness to find the wayward
sinner. God does not abandon us to our foolishness but seeks us out, calling us to
repentance and to faith in the Gospel” (TLSB, 1747).
Prayer
Grant us daily repentance. Bring us home dear Lord, and let there be joy in heaven.
Amen.
GREAT JOY OVER FINDING AND RECOVERING THAT WHICH
WAS LOST
"Hear" ties the first verse with the last verse of the preceding chapter. The
outcasts were doing precisely what Jesus tells all people to do. It should
be translated "to hear," and not "to listen." "Hearing" in the Scriptures is
much more than mere "listening."
Arndt: The fifteenth chapter of Luke is perhaps the most
admired and the most loved section of his two books . . . . the
lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son.
Morris: This is one of the best-known and best-loved chapters
in the whole Bible. Three parables bring out the joy of God
when the lost sinner is found.
Fahling: Now we come to a jewel in the gospel account in which
God's love and grace shown a penitent sinner is beautifully
portrayed . . . The love of God embraces every, even the
greatest, sinner.
Ylvisaker: In his Gospel, Luke emphasizes throughout the
universality of salvation and the truth that the love of God
embraces every sinner with equal earnestness.
When and where did this take place?
Arndt: There is nothing to oppose the opinion that these
parables, too, were spoken in Perea, when Jesus before the
Feast of Dedication was traveling toward Jerusalem.
Lenski: Time, place, and other circumstances are immaterial.
We do not know for sure.
The parable of the lost sheep is found also in Matthew 18:12-14.
Fahling: The first of these parables had been previously told
by Jesus at the close of His Galilean ministry and before His
journey to the Feast of the Tabernacles. But at that time His
object was to warn against offending the little ones and His
earnest concern to restore the erring sinner. Here the point He
wishes to emphasize is the joy of God and the holy angels over
the conversion of a sinner as opposed to pharisaic ill will.
Luke 15:1 Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him.
Arndt: Wherever He went, all the publicans and sinners gathered
about Him. This may have been particularly marked in Perea,
where He was a comparative stranger.
Lenski: They drew near to him IN NUMBERS and did this
continuously.
Morris: These people were not highly regarded, for they both
helped the hated Romans in their administration of conquered
territory and enriched themselves at the expense of their
fellow-countrymen. They were ostracized by many and regarded as
outcasts by the religious.
Morris: They were the immoral or those who followed occupations
that the religious regarded as incompatible with the Law. . . .
And old rule stated 'One must not associate with an ungodly
man,' and they point out that this was taken so seriously that
the rabbis would not associated with such a person even to
teach him the Law, see Acts 10:28.
Luke 15:2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners
and eats with them."
The words here denote continued and repeated actions. Their grumbling
was audible. That shows its severity. "This man" could be translated "this
guy," or "this fella." It is derogatory.
To eat with the social outcasts was the epitome of irreligion.
Marshall: The Pharisees were unable to share table-fellowship
with those whom they considered sinful.
Arndt: The desire to preserve ritual purity excluded from their
hearts love toward their erring countrymen.
Fahling: It seems that it was this last particular,
fraternizing with them at table and thus winning their
confidence, which was especially loathsome to them.
Ylvisaker: To eat with a person is a proof of intimate
intercourse.
Stoeckhardt: That which was mockery in the mouth of the
Pharisees and all work-righteous people, is praise to Jesus on
the lips of all true Christians, and they rejoice and comfort
themselves that 'Jesus receives sinners.'
Ylvisaker: In their grumbling disapproval, they unwittingly
give expression to one of the most glorious truths in the
Bible: 'Jesus receives sinners and eats with them.'
Luke 15:3 Then Jesus told them this parable:
We actually have three parables. Some say two: 4-10 and 11-32. It
makes little difference. All three, or all two, have "the lost" or its
equivalent, in common.
The whole chapter is a massive ad hominem argument. The Pharisees and
Scribes will have to agree, like it or not, that people will spare no pains in
recovering that which is precious when it is lost.
Luke 15:4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave
the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
It makes no difference who, for every person will react in the same way.
Notice that Jesus does not use the word "shepherd." His hearers were not
shepherds. But anyone, shepherd or not, would do as this man did. The
point is compassion, not mere loss of property.
The rhetorical question must be answers by "yes."
The person does not give up until he finds it. This is important, in
application, for the monergism of repentance. Jesus sought the publicans
and sinners, not vice versa. Look at Luke 19:10.
Luke 15:5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders
Arndt: The sheep is not given a beating; the shepherd is
compassionate, he rejoices. He does not even compel the animal
to walk, but he carries it on his shoulders.
Luke 15:6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice
with me; I have found my lost sheep.'
Note the triple use of the possessive article: his house, his friends, his
neighbors. The rejoicing is to be equally great among owner, friends, and
neighbors. Why? Because property has been recovered? No. But because
the lost has been found.
Luke 15:7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner
who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
"I tell you" denotes the divine authority of Jesus. Here Jesus' divinity
begins to shine. The application is now made. The stress lies on the
participle: "over one sinner repenting." Jesus means not just conversion
but constant repentance. Recall the first of Luther's 95 thesis: "When our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, said, 'Repent ye,' He meant that the whole
life of a Christian is one of repentance."
And now we come to a problem which is not easy of solution. If the
conjunction means "more than" and "righteous" means those who are
justified by faith, and "repentance" means initial repentance (conversion)
than Jesus means that all 99 are Christians. Thus Luther, Lenski, Arndt,
Morris, and Marshall.
But if the conjunction means "rather than" or "instead of", and if
"righteous" means "self-righteous" and the remainder of the sentence
means that they feel no need for repentance, then Jesus is contrasting the
repentant sinners with the self-righteous Pharisees and Scribes. Thus
Fahling, Stoeckhardt, and Ylvisaker.
A word of warning from Ylvisaker is in place: "These various
interpretations would indicate that EXTREME CAUTION SHOULD BE
EXERCISED, SO AS NOT TO LOSE SIGHT OF THE PURPOSE OF THE
PARABLE. That's right. If the preacher takes one point of view and
emphasizes it, some of his hearers, who tacitly disagree with him, may
hear nothing further but be silently criticizing the preacher and, worst of
all, be led away from the real point: Heaven reverberates with joy over
repentance, ie, contrition over sin and faith in the Gospel.
After much deliberation , the writer of these notes considers the last part
of verse 7 as Law, words which would make the Pharisees and Scribes
examine themselves. Jesus loved them equally as much as He did the
publicans and sinners. Read Matthew 23:37, Luke 18:9-14, Matthew 9:1213. Also Revelation 3:17. Jesus loved all equally, but the self-righteous
were in need of Law and verse 7b is Law in the estimation of this writer.
But don't lose sight of heaven's joy over repentance.
By the way, the angels sang at creation, Job 38:7, when Christ was born,
Luke 2:13-14, and still do when one sinner repents, Luke 15:7 and 10. If
the preacher cannot preach repentance, he can preach nothing.
Luke 15:8 "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp,
sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?
This is a continuation. This time a woman, any woman. And again the
rhetorical question needs a "yes, of course she will." Note the symmetry
between verses 3-7 and 8-10. Both stress great loss, intense search,
happy finding, and great joy.
In Palestine houses had low roofs and no windows. She had to light a
candle and sweep the house. By the way, she lost it right in her own
house.
Fahling: This is a point which the Pharisees and scribes might
incidentally remember. He means: 'People are lost right here in
Israel.'
"Silver coin" was the Greek equivalent of the Roman denarius, an average
day's wage for a laborer.
We appear to seek Jesus, but it is really Jesus who seeks the sinner.
Compare the account of Zacchaeus in Luke 19. He was seeking Jesus but
look what Jesus says in verse 10. And He does it "very carefully." He does
this through Law and Gospel. And He does not give up "until He finds."
Though man repents, it is monergistic, God's work in man.
Luke 15:9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice
with me; I have found my lost coin.'
In each example they all rejoice equally because the loss has been
overcome.
The verse is essentially the same as 7a.
Luke 15:10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner who repents."
Ylvisaker: A soul is not prized highly in the market of the
world, but it is more precious in the sight of God than all the
gold on the earth; He has purchased it with His very blood.
Lenski: 'Over one sinner repenting' is repeated unchanged, for
this is the vital point and needs emphasis. . . . The Pharisees
murmured at the very thing that made the angels rejoice. . . .
Repentance rings out in this parable; it is that which causes
this astounding joy. . . In this very parable Jesus was using
Law and Gospel, seeking to save both Pharisee and open sinner.
Lenski is of the opinion that the "man" in verse 4 represents Jesus, the
Good Shepherd, and "woman" in verse 8 represents the Church. But
Ylvisaker rightly rejects that as carrying the parable beyond its point of
comparison It is a massive argumentum ad hominem to which Jesus'
hearers would have to say: "Every man and every women would act in
this way."
That leads us to our final thought.
1) This text contains an argument from the lesser to the greater: If the
average man has such sympathy for a sheep and if the average woman
searches so diligently for a cheap coin, how much greater is not God's
compassion for a lost soul.
2) It also contains an argument from the greater to the lesser; If the Lord
and His angels rejoice so over the sinner's repentance, should not people
do likewise rather than grumble?
Morris:The rabbis agreed that God would welcome the penitent
sinner. But it is a new idea the God is a SEEKING God, a God
who takes the initiative. . . Edersheim quotes a Jewish saying
'There is joy before God when those who provoke Him perish from
the world.' But Jesus has a very different concept of God. . .
. Among the rabbinic writings there is the lost coin motif, but
it is used very differently. If a man keeps seeking for a lost
coin much more should he seek for the Law, said the rabbis.
There is no rabbinic equivalent to God' seeking of sinners.
Staff Bible Study
September 10, 2013
Read Luke 15:1-10
1. Who is Jesus’ audience and why are they there?
2. How does the last verse of chapter 14 shed light on today’s reading?
3. One commentary explains the muttering of the Jews by saying that, “An old rule stated 'One must not
associate with an ungodly man,' and…this was taken so seriously that the rabbis would not associate
with such a person even to teach him the Law.” Do divisions like this exist in our society today? Do they
exist in the church?
4. The Greek verb for “muttered” means “indignant complaining of many” or “among many.” How does
this help to describe what was going on with the muttering of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law?
5. In the English Standard Version, the end of verse two reads, “This man receives sinners...” The
following references use the same Greek verb found in verse two. Write down the different meanings
this verb can have.
 Mark 15:43a
 Luke 2:25
 Luke 2:38
6. Twice in this reading Jesus said that there will be rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents.
Read Job 38:7 and Luke 2:13-14. How do these verses help us understand the importance of
repentance?
Devotional Thought from The Lutheran Study Bible
“Jesus uses the devotion of a shepherd to illustrate God’s willingness to find the wayward sinner. God
does not abandon us to our foolishness but seeks us out, calling us to repentance and to faith in the
Gospel.” (TLSB, 1747).
Prayer
Grant us daily repentance. Bring us home dear Lord, and let there be joy in heaven. Amen.