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Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.  And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

This brief narrative at the beginning of Luke 15 initiates a series of three parables that have to do with items that are lost and found.  The first focuses on the diligence of the shepherd in tracking down his lost sheep.  The second watches a woman search for a lost coin in her house.  Each of these follows a formula: there’s a lost item, a diligent searcher, a retrieval of the item, and a celebration of the recovery.    

The third parable is the most well-known here – it’s of the son who leaves home, and the father who receives him back – and follows the same formula: loss, search, recovery, and celebration.  It is the most elaborate of the three parables, with vivid characterization and emotional detail, but the rhythm is the same.  More importantly, the context is the same: it is told in sequence with the others, and in response to the situation at the beginning of the chapter, where the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled that Jesus “receives sinners and eats with them.”  This context naturally prioritizes the possible meanings of a parable – even one as richly nuanced as this one.   

You can see that by pulling parables and teachings out of their narrative context you run the risk of adjusting the meaning or missing it altogether.  I’m not advocating for a particular interpretation of any of these, but rather pointing out that Luke wrote them, and Jesus spoke them, in response to a literal life situation.  Just as authors have original intentions for that they write, so characters have original intentions for what they say and do. 

At times it seems like Luke only uses events to set the stage for Jesus’ teaching, and that’s certainly a device that recurs often.  But the events themselves can’t be cast off; they matter as much to proper interpretation as the teaching itself.  Jesus wasn’t just speaking into a vacuum; He was using words to push and pull at what He saw and heard.  Those experiences are not mere staging, but are integral to the plot itself. 

Our verse for this week is Psalm 27:1: The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Luke 15 and 16.  Now let’s read it!

For the fifth and sixth times in this book, Jesus’ conduct on the Sabbath raises concerns with the Pharisees and synagogue rulers.  Stories in each chapter today, in fact, focus specifically on their outrage at Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath.  Once again, pay attention to events and episodes that are repeated, for indications about the characters’ and author’s perspectives. 

The interaction at the beginning of chapter 14 is especially telling, and might form an inflection point for this book.  Jesus is dining in the house of a Pharisee – obviously they are not mortal enemies.  Luke says they were watching Him carefully.  A man was there with dropsy; Jesus takes the initiative – He’s had this argument before – and asks, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”  But they remained silent.  So He heals the man, and He confronts them again about their sense of justice; but “…they could not reply to these things.” 

He then told them three parables: one about guests presumptively choosing the place of honor at other people’s parties, and another about hosts inviting those who can’t return the favor.  Finally, He told them a parable of the Kingdom – a subject that is never far from His mind – and the high cost of treating the Lord’s invitation frivolously. 

Notice the setting of all this: a dinner to which Jesus was invited.  Surely He knew they were watching Him closely, though Luke, as usual, doesn’t indicate their precise motivations.  Be careful not to read prejudices in from other sources – we don’t know for sure what these particular Pharisees are after.  Luke leaves that shrouded, perhaps using their silence to indicate that they really didn’t know what to make of Jesus.   Their response to Jesus’ very bold assertions likewise remains hidden.  Luke is weaving a story of interactions and relationships that are complex, multi-layered… and entirely familiar.   

Our verse for this week is Psalm 27:1: The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Luke 13 and 14.  Now let’s read it!