All publicans and sinners drew near to Him to listen to Him.
But the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying: He receives sinners and eats with them.
But He told them the following parable:
Which of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And having found it, he will take it on his shoulders with joy
and when he comes home, he will call friends and neighbors and say to them: Rejoice with me: I have found my lost sheep.
I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous who have no need of repentance.
Or what woman, having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a candle and sweep the room and search carefully until she finds,
and having found it, he will call his friends and neighbors and say: rejoice with me: I found the lost drachma.
Thus, I tell you, there is joy among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
Interpretation of Theophylact of Bulgaria
Luke 15:1. All publicans and sinners drew near to Him to listen to Him.
Luke 15:2. But the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying: He receives sinners and eats with them.
The Lord, admitting publicans and sinners to Himself, as a doctor of the sick, did what He incarnated for. But the Pharisees, truly sinners, responded to such philanthropy with grumbling. For they considered publicans disgusting, although they themselves ate the houses of widows and orphans.
Luke 15:3. But He told them the following parable:
Luke 15:4. Which of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it?
Luke 15:5. And having found it, he will take it on his shoulders with joy
Luke 15:6. and when he comes home, he will call friends and neighbors and say to them: Rejoice with me: I have found my lost sheep.
Luke 15:7. I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous who have no need of repentance.
What is the Lord? He was philanthropic both before the publicans and even those who reproached His philanthropy. He does not turn away from them either, as from those who are incurable and murmuring, but with meekness he heals them, telling them the parable of the sheep, and convincing them from the real and visual, and curbing them not to get annoyed at such an outpouring of goodness. For if there is so much joy over one sheep, foolish and uncreated in the image of God, when it is found after being lost, how much more should there be joy over a reasonable man, created in the image of God? The parable, obviously, under ninety-nine sheep means the righteous, and under one sheep - the fallen sinner. Some, however, by a hundred sheep mean all rational creatures, and by one sheep - a man of a rational nature, which, when it strayed, the good shepherd sought, leaving ninety-nine in the wilderness, that is, in a high, heavenly place. For the sky, remote from worldly disturbances and full of all peace and silence, is a desert. The Lord, having found this lost sheep, put it on His shoulders. For "He ... bore our sicknesses" and sins (Isaiah 53:4), and took upon Himself all our burdens without wearyness; He paid everything we owed, and conveniently and without difficulty saved us (and brought us) to our very home, that is, to heaven. And “he will call friends and neighbors,” perhaps Angels, whom we also meant by sheep, in a twofold sense. Since, on the one hand, every created being in relation to God is, as it were, wordless, therefore the heavenly forces can be called sheep. Since, on the other hand, they are verbal, that is, rational, and seem to be closest to God to other creatures, therefore the faces of the angelic Forces can be understood as friends and neighbors.
Luke 15:8. Or what woman, having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a candle and sweep the room and search carefully until she finds,
Luke 15:9. and having found it, he will call his friends and neighbors and say: rejoice with me: I found the lost drachma.
Luke 15:10. Thus, I tell you, there is joy among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
And by “woman” understand the wisdom and power of God and the Father, His Son, who lost one drachma from the verbal and in the image of His created creatures, that is, man, and illuminates the lamp - His flesh. For as a lamp, being from the earth, the light which it receives illuminates that which is covered in darkness; so the flesh of the Lord, earthly and similar to ours, shone with the light of the Divinity by which it was perceived. And "the house is swept", that is, the whole world was cleansed of sin; for Christ took the sin of the world upon Himself. And the “drachma”, that is, the royal image, was “found”, and joy came both for Christ Himself, who found it, and for the Higher Powers, which are His friends and neighbors: “friends”, because they do His will; “neighbours”, because they are incorporeal. And I ask, are not the essence of His friends - all the Higher Forces, and the neighbors - the closest of them, somehow: thrones, cherubim and seraphim? For pay attention to the expression: "calling friends and neighbors." It obviously refers to two things, although this may not seem particularly necessary.
. All publicans and sinners drew near to Him to listen to Him.
. But the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying: He receives sinners and eats with them.
The Lord, admitting publicans and sinners to Himself, as a doctor of the sick, did what He incarnated for. But the Pharisees, truly sinners, responded to such philanthropy with grumbling. For they considered publicans disgusting, although they themselves ate the houses of widows and orphans.
. But He told them the following parable:
. Which of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it?
. And having found it, he will take it on his shoulders with joy
. and when he comes home, he will call friends and neighbors and say to them: Rejoice with me: I have found my lost sheep.
. I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous who have no need of repentance.
What is the Lord? He was philanthropic both before the publicans and even those who reproached His philanthropy. He does not turn away from them either, as from those who are incurable and murmuring, but with meekness he heals them, telling them the parable of the sheep, and convincing them from the real and visual, and curbing them not to get annoyed at such an outpouring of goodness. For if there is so much joy over one sheep, foolish and uncreated in the image of God, when it is found after being lost, how much more should there be joy over a reasonable man, created in the image of God? The parable, obviously, under ninety-nine sheep means the righteous, and under one sheep - the fallen sinner. Some, however, by a hundred sheep mean all rational creatures, and by one sheep, a man of a rational nature, which, when she strayed, the good shepherd sought, leaving ninety-nine in the wilderness, that is, in a high, heavenly place. For the sky, remote from worldly disturbances and full of all peace and silence, is a wilderness. The Lord, having found this lost sheep, put it on His shoulders. For "He ... bore our diseases" and sins (), and not weighed down took all our burdens upon Himself; He paid everything we owed, and conveniently and without difficulty saved us (and brought us) to our very home, that is, to heaven. AND "calling friends and neighbors", perhaps the Angels, whom we also meant by sheep, in a twofold sense. Since, on the one hand, every created being in relation to God is, as it were, wordless, therefore the heavenly forces can be called sheep. Since, on the other hand, they are verbal, that is, rational, and seem to be closest to God to other creatures, therefore the faces of the angelic Forces can be understood as friends and neighbors.
. Or what woman, having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a candle and sweep the room and search carefully until she finds,
. and having found it, he will call his friends and neighbors and say: rejoice with me: I found the lost drachma.
. Thus, I tell you, there is joy among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
And by “woman” understand the wisdom and power of God and the Father, His Son, who lost one drachma from the verbal and in the image of His created creatures, that is, man, and illuminates the lamp - His flesh. For as a lamp, being from the earth, the light which it receives illuminates that which is covered in darkness; so the flesh of the Lord, earthly and similar to ours, shone with the light of the Divinity by which it was perceived. And "the house is swept", that is, the whole world was cleansed of sin; for Christ took the sin of the world upon Himself. And the “drachma”, that is, the royal image, was “found”, and joy came both for Christ Himself, who found it, and for the Higher Powers, which are His friends and neighbors: “friends”, because they do His will; “neighbours”, because they are incorporeal. And I will ask, are not the essence of His girlfriends - all the Higher Forces, and the neighbors - the closest of them, somehow: thrones, cherubim and seraphim? For note the expression: "convokes friends and neighbors. It obviously refers to two things, although this may not seem particularly necessary.
. He also said: A certain man had two sons;
And this parable is similar to the previous ones. And she, under the image of a man, brings forth God, who truly loves mankind; under two sons - two categories of people, that is, the righteous and sinners.
. and the youngest of them said to his father, Father! give me the following: to me part of the estate. And: father divided the property between them.
Righteousness is an ancient destiny of human nature, therefore the eldest son does not escape from paternal authority. And sin is evil, subsequently born; therefore, the "youngest" son, who grew up with the sin that came later, breaks out from under parental authority. And in another way: the sinner is called the "younger" son, as an innovator, an apostate and a rebel against the father's will. “Father! give me the following: to me part of the estate." The "estate" is rationality, to which freedom is also subject. For every rational being is free. The Lord gives us reason so that we can use it freely, as our true property, and gives it to everyone equally, for they are still reasonable, autocratic. But some of us use this dignity in accordance with the purpose, while others make God's gift useless.
. After a few days younger son, having collected everything, he went to a far side and there he squandered his possessions, living dissolutely.
By our “wealth” one can understand everything in general that the Lord gave us, namely: heaven, earth, every creature in general, the Law, the prophets. But the younger son saw the sky, and deified it; saw the earth, and honored it, but did not want to walk in His Law, and did evil to the prophets. The eldest son took advantage of all this for the glory of God. Lord God, having given (all) this in equally, allowed (everyone) to walk (live) according to his own will, and does not force anyone who does not want to serve Him. For if he had wanted to force, he would not have created us reasonable and free. The younger son "wasted" all this in the aggregate. And what was the reason? What he "went to the far side". For when a person departs from God and removes the fear of God from himself, then he squanders all the Divine gifts. Being close to God, we do nothing worthy of perishing, as it is said: “I have always seen the Lord before me, for he is at my right hand; I won't hesitate"(). And having withdrawn and departed from God, we do and endure all kinds of evil, according to the words: “Behold, those who separate themselves from You perish”(). So, it is not surprising that he squandered the estate. For virtue has one limit and is one thing, but malice is many-sided and produces many temptations. For example, for courage there is one limit, namely: when, how and on whom one should use anger, and there are two types of malice - fear and insolence. Do you see how reason is squandered and the unity of virtue perishes?
. When he had lived all, there came a great famine in that country, and he began to be in need;
When this property is squandered and a person does not live according to reason, that is, according to natural law, does not follow the written Law and does not listen to the prophets, then there comes (for him) a strong hunger, not a hunger for bread, but a hunger for hearing the word of the Lord (). And he begins to “need”, because he does not fear the Lord, but is far from Him, while those who fear the Lord “have no poverty” (). Why is there no poverty for those who fear the Lord? Since the one who fears the Lord strongly loves His commandments, therefore glory and wealth are in his house, and he rather squanders and gives to the poor of his own will (). So he is far from poverty! And whoever has gone far from God and does not have His formidable face before his eyes, he, not surprisingly, will be in need, since no Divine word acts in him.
And went,
That is, he went far and strengthened himself in malice,
stuck to one of the inhabitants of the country of that
"He who unites with the Lord is one spirit with the Lord", A "copulating with a harlot", that is, with the nature of demons, "becomes one body with her"(), completely becoming flesh and not having a place for the Spirit in themselves, like those who lived in the days of the flood (). "Inhabitants of that country," remote from God, without a doubt, are demons.
and he sent him into his fields to feed swine;
Having succeeded and become strong in malice, he “grazes pigs,” that is, he teaches others malice and dirty life. For all those who find pleasure in the mire of dishonorable deeds and material passions are pigs. A pig's eyes can never look up with such a strange device. Why also herders of pigs, if, having caught a pig, for a long time cannot tame its squeal, bend its head back and thus moderate its squeal. Just as a person who has come to a spectacle such as he has never seen, when he raises his eyes (to the stage), is amazed and silent, so the eyes of those who have been brought up in evil never see what is above. These are shepherded by one who surpasses many in malice, such as: keepers of harlots, chiefs of robbers, tax collectors. For all such kind of people can be said to herd pigs.
. and he was glad to fill his belly with the horns that the swine ate, but no one gave it to him.
This unfortunate one “desires to be satisfied” with sin, but no one gives him this satisfaction. For he who is accustomed to evil does not find satisfaction in it. soul). For sin is like "horns", having sweetness and bitterness: for a while it delights, but it torments forever. No one will let evil be enough to those who delight in it. And who will give him satiety and peace? God? But with him there is no Him, for he who feeds on evil goes far from God.Demons?But how will they give it, when they especially try to do so, so that there will never be rest and satiation from evil?
Coming to myself
Over time, the dissolute came to his senses. For as long as he lived depravedly, he was beside himself. It is said that he squandered his estate, and rightly so: therefore he is beside himself. For whoever is not governed by reason, but lives like a fool and leads others to foolishness, he is outside himself, and will not remain with his possessions, that is, with reason. When someone realizes what a disaster he has fallen into, then he comes to his senses through reflection and turning from wandering outward to repentance.
He said: How many hired servants of my father do they abound in bread, and I am dying of hunger?
By "mercenaries" he probably means the catechumens, who, as yet unenlightened, have not yet had time to become sons. And the catechumens, no doubt, will be satisfied with spiritual bread in abundance by listening to readings every day. And so that you know the difference between a mercenary and a son, listen. Three categories of those who are saved. Some, like slaves, do good out of fear of judgment. David alludes to this when he says: “My flesh trembles for the fear of you, and I fear your judgments”(). Others are mercenaries; these seem to be those who try to please God out of a desire to receive good, as the same David says: “I have bowed my heart to do Your statutes forever, to the end”(). And the third are sons, that is, those who keep the commandments of God out of love for God, which again the same David testifies: “How I love your law! I've been thinking about it all day."(). And again: “I will stretch out my hands to your commandments, which I have loved”(), and not "of whom he was afraid." And further: "Wonderful are your testimonies", and since they are marvelous, “Therefore my soul keeps them”(). So, when one who was in the rank of sons, but then lost his sonship through sin, sees that others enjoy Divine gifts, partake of Divine Mysteries and Divine bread (and by the name of hirelings one can understand not only catechumens, but also members of the church in general who are not in the first rank); then he must say to himself these words of regret: “How many hired servants of my father have an abundance of bread, and I am dying of hunger”.
I'll get up
That is, from the fall of sin.
I will go to my father and say to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you
Leaving the heavenly, I have sinned against it, preferring to it a contemptible pleasure, and instead of heaven, my fatherland, choosing better country hungry. For just as he, one might say, sins against gold, who prefers lead to it, so he sins against heaven, who prefers earthly things to him. For he is no doubt moving away from the path that leads to heaven. And note that when he sinned, then he committed a sin as if not before God, but when he repents, then he feels that he has sinned before God.
. and no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired hands.
. He got up and went to his father.
For we must not only desire what is pleasing to God, but also fulfill it by deed itself.
And while he was still far away, his father saw him and had compassion; and, running, fell on his neck and kissed him.
. The son said to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
Now you have seen warm repentance, look at the mercy of the father, He does not wait until the son reaches him, but he hurries to meet him and hugs him. For, being a Father by nature, God is a Father also by goodness. He embraces his son completely, in order to unite him with Himself from all sides, as it is written: "and the glory of the Lord will follow you"(). Before, when the son himself retired, it was time for the father to withdraw from the embrace. And when the son drew near through prayer and conversion, then it was timely to embrace him. The father “fell ... on the neck” of the son, showing that she, rebellious before, has now become submissive, and “kissed him”, denoting reconciliation and sanctifying the lips of the previously defiled, as if a kind of vestibule, and through them sending down sanctification and inward.
. And the father said to his servants: Bring best clothes and dress him up
By “slaves” you can understand the Angels, since they are ministering spirits sent to serve for those worthy of salvation (), For they dress the one who turns from malice in “the best clothes”, that is, or in the old one that we wore before sin, the clothes of incorruption , or in a garment the best of all others, such as the garment of baptism. For she is the first to put on me, and through her I take off my clothes of indecency. Under the "slaves" you can understand the Angels, and because they serve in all that is done for us, and that we are sanctified through them. By "slaves" you can also understand the priests, since they clothe the one who is converted through baptism and the teacher's word and put on him the first garment, that is, Christ Himself. For all of us who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ ().
and put a ring on his hand
And gives "ring on hand", that is, the seal of Christianity, which we receive through works. For the hand is the sign of activity, and the ring is the seal. So, the one who is baptized and generally turns from malice must have on his hand, that is, on all his active power, the seal and sign of a Christian, so that he can show how he was renewed in the image of the one who created him. Or in other words: by “ring” you can understand the pledge of the Spirit. I will say this: God will give the most perfect blessings when their time comes, and now, for assurance, as if in the form of a pledge of future blessings, He gives us such gifts: for some - the gift of miracles, for others - the gift of teaching, for others - some other gift. Accepting these gifts, we firmly hope to receive the most perfect ones.
and shoes on the feet;
“Shoes on the feet” are given, so that they are preserved both from scorpions, that is, from errors, apparently small and secret, as David () says, however, and those deadly, and from snakes considered apparently harmful, then eat from sins. And in another way: shoes are given to the one who is worthy of the first garment as a sign that God makes him ready to preach the gospel and serve for the benefit of others. For distinguishing feature a Christian to be useful to others.
. and bring a fattened calf, and kill it; Let's eat and be merry!
Who is "well-fed ... calf", hardened and eaten, it is not difficult to understand. He is, without a doubt, the true Son of God. Since He is a Man and took upon Himself flesh, by nature unreasonable and bestial, although He filled it with His own perfections, therefore He is called Taurus. This Taurus did not experience the yoke of the law of sin, but there is a “fat” Taurus, since it is assigned to this Sacrament "before the foundation of the world"(). What else has to be said may seem refined, but let it be said. The bread that we break, in its appearance, consists of wheat, therefore it can be called fattened wheat, and on the spiritual side there is Flesh, therefore it can be called a Taurus, and thus One and the same is a Taurus and a well-fed one.
. for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they started having fun.
So, everyone who repents and becomes a son of God, especially raised up and generally cleansed from sin, partakes of this well-fed Calf and is a cause of joy for the Father and His servants, Angels and priests: "For he was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found". In the sense that he is in evil, he "was dead", that is, hopeless, and in relation to the fact that human nature is docile and can turn to virtue out of malice, he is called "lost". For the word "lost" is more moderate than "dead."
. His eldest son was in the field; and returning, when he approached the house, he heard singing and rejoicing;
. and calling one of the servants, he asked: what is this?
. He said to him: Your brother has come, and your father killed the fatted calf, because he received him healthy.
. He got angry and didn't want to come in. His father went out and called him.
. But he said in response to his father: behold, I have served you for so many years and have never transgressed your orders, but you have never given me even a kid to have fun with my friends;
. and when this son of yours, who had squandered his possessions with harlots, came, you slaughtered a fattened calf for him.
. He said to him: My son! you are always with me, and all mine is yours,
. but it was necessary to rejoice and be glad that this brother of yours was dead and is alive again, was lost and was found.
Here the notorious question is asked: how does a son turn out to be envious, who in other respects lived and served his father pleasingly? But he will decide, as soon as they realize why this parable was told. This parable, along with the previous ones, was no doubt told because the Pharisees, who considered themselves pure and righteous, grumbled at the Lord because He accepted harlots and tax collectors. But if it is said because the Pharisees murmured, who, apparently, were more righteous than the publicans, then see that the face of the son, apparently murmuring, refers to all who are tempted by the sudden well-being and salvation of sinners. And this is not envy, but an outpouring of God's love for mankind, incomprehensible to us, and therefore giving rise to grumbling. And does not David bring out the faces of sinners tempted by the world (), just like Jeremiah when he says: "why the way of the wicked is prosperous"? "You planted them and they took root"? (). All this is characteristic of the weak and poor human mind, which is indignant and bewildered at the sight of unworthiness, namely, the well-being of vicious people. Therefore, by this parable, the Lord, as it were, says to the Pharisees: so be it that you, like this son, are righteous and pleasing before the Father; but I ask you, the righteous and the pure, not to grumble that we arrange joy for the salvation of the sinner, for he is also a son. So, from here it is not envy that is revealed, but by this parable the Lord admonishes the Pharisees so that they do not get annoyed at the acceptance of sinners, even though they themselves are righteous and keep every commandment of God. And it is not at all surprising if we are upset by the acceptance of those who seem unworthy. God's philanthropy is so great and gives us its blessings so abundantly that from here grumbling can be born. This is what we say in ordinary conversation. Often having rendered a beneficence to someone, then not having received gratitude from him, we say: everyone blames me for the fact that I have done you so much good. Although, perhaps, no one blamed us, but, wanting to show the greatness of the good deed, we invent it.
Let us consider this parable in parts and, as it were, in a brief extract. “The eldest ... the son was on the field" , that is, in this world, cultivated his land, that is, the flesh, so that it abounded in bread, and sowed with tears to reap with joy (). Upon learning of what had happened, he did not want to enter into the general joy. But the philanthropic Father comes out, calls him and informs him that the reason for the joy is the resurrection of the dead, which he did not know, like a man who is tempted and accuses the Father because He "did not give him even a goat", but killed a fattened calf for a dissolute one. can you learn from the fact that every kid is ranked on the left side and the side of sinners (). So, the good-natured one says to the Father: I spent my life in every kind of labor, endured persecution, trouble, insults from sinners, and You never stabbed for me, and did not kill a goat, that is, a sinner that offends me, so that I could find a small pleasantness. For example, Ahab was a goat in relation to Elijah. He persecuted the prophet, but the Lord did not immediately hand over this goat to the slaughter, in order to please Elijah a little and calm with his friends the prophets, therefore (Elijah) says to God: “You have destroyed your altars and killed your prophets”(). In relation to David, the goat was Saul and all those who slandered him, whom the Lord allowed to tempt him, but whom he did not kill for the pleasure of David. That is why this one says: “How long, O Lord, will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph?”(). So this son, represented in the Gospel, says: who is constantly in labor, you did not merit any consolation, nor did you even betray any of those who offended me to the slaughter, and now you save the dissolute without difficulty! So, the whole purpose of this parable, which was told about the murmuring of the Pharisees against the Lord for accepting sinners, is to teach us not to reject sinners and not to grumble when God accepts them, even if we were righteous. The younger son is harlots and tax collectors; the eldest son is the Pharisees and scribes, presumably taken for the righteous. God, as it were, says this: even though you are truly righteous and have not transgressed any commandment, should you really not accept those who turn from evil? Such murmurers are admonished by the Lord with a real parable.
It is not unknown to me that some under the eldest son meant Angels, and under the youngest - human nature, which was indignant and did not obey this commandment. Others meant by the elder the Israelites, and by the younger - the Gentiles. But what we have just said is true, namely: that the elder son is the face of the righteous, and the younger is the face of sinners and the repentant, and the whole construction of the parable was composed because of the Pharisees, whom the Lord inspires that they, even if they themselves were righteous, should not be grieved by the acceptance of sinners. So, let no one be offended by the fate of God, but let him endure even in the case when, apparently, sinners are made happy and saved. Because why do you know? Maybe the one whom you consider a sinner has repented and is accepted for that. And it is also possible that he has secret virtues, and for their sake is favorable in the eyes of God.
Comments on Chapter 15
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
A BEAUTIFUL BOOK AND ITS AUTHOR
The Gospel of Luke has been called the most delightful book in the world. When one day an American asked Denney to advise him to read one of the biographies of Jesus Christ, he replied: "Have you tried reading the Gospel of Luke?" According to legend, Luke was a skilled artist. In one Spanish cathedral, a portrait of the Virgin Mary, allegedly painted by Luke, has survived to this day. As for the Gospel, many researchers believe that it is the best biography of Jesus Christ ever compiled. According to tradition, it has always been believed that Luke was the author, and we have every reason to support this point of view. IN ancient world books were usually attributed famous people and nobody contradicted it. But Luke never belonged to the prominent figures of the early Christian Church. Therefore, it would never have occurred to anyone to attribute this Gospel to him if he had not actually written it.
Luke came from Gentiles. Of all the writers of the New Testament, only he was not a Jew. He is a doctor by profession (Col. 4:14), and perhaps this explains the sympathy he inspires. They say that a priest sees the good in people, a lawyer sees the bad, and a doctor sees them for who they are. Luke saw people and loved them.
The book was written for Theophilus. Luke calls him "Venerable Theophilus". Such treatment was applied only to high-ranking officials in the Roman government. There is no doubt that Luke wrote this book to tell the serious and interested person more about Jesus Christ. And he succeeded in this, painting Theophilus a picture which no doubt aroused his great interest in Jesus, of whom he had heard before.
SYMBOLS OF THE EVANGELISTS
Each of the four gospels was written from a particular angle. Evangelists are often depicted on church stained glass windows, usually each with their own symbol. These symbols do change, but the following are the most typical:
Symbol Brand is Human. The Gospel of Mark is the simplest, most concise of all the Gospels. It was well said about him that his excellent feature is realism. It most closely matches its purpose - the description of the earthly life of Jesus Christ.
Symbol Matthew is a lion. Matthew was a Jew, and wrote for the Jews: he saw in Jesus the Messiah, a lion "from the tribe of Judah," whose coming was predicted by all the prophets.
Symbol John is eagle. The eagle can fly higher than all other birds. They say that of all God's creations, only an eagle can look at the sun without squinting. The gospel of John is a theological gospel; the flight of his thoughts is higher than all other Gospels. Philosophers draw topics from it, discuss them all their lives, but resolve them only in eternity.
Symbol Luke is Taurus. The calf is meant to be slaughtered, and Luke saw Jesus as a sacrifice for the whole world. In the Gospel of Luke, moreover, all barriers are overcome, and Jesus becomes accessible to both Jews and sinners. He is the savior of the world. With that in mind, let's look at the features of this gospel.
LUCA IS A DEMANDING HISTORIAN
The gospel of Luke is primarily the result of painstaking work. His Greek is exquisite. The first four verses are written in the finest Greek in the entire New Testament. In them, Luke states that his gospel was written "by careful study." He had great opportunities and reliable sources for this. As Paul's trusted companion, he must have been well aware of all the major details of the early Christian Church, and they no doubt told him everything they knew. For two years he was together with Paul in prison in Caesarea. In those long days, he certainly had many opportunities to study and explore everything. And he did it thoroughly.
An example of Luke's thoroughness is the dating of the appearance of John the Baptist. At the same time, he refers, no less, to six contemporaries. “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (1), when Pontius Pilate ruled in Judea (2), Herod was tetrarch in Galilee (3), Philip, his brother, tetrarch in Iturea and the Trachotnite region (4), and Lysanius tetrarch in Abilineus (5), under the high priests Anna and Caiaphas (6), there was a word of God to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness " (Onion. 3.1.2). Undoubtedly, we are dealing with a diligent author who will adhere to the greatest possible accuracy of presentation.
GOSPEL FOR THE GENTIANS
Luke primarily wrote to Gentile Christians. Theophilus, like Luke himself, was from the pagans; and there is nothing in his Gospel that the pagan did not realize and would not understand, a) As we can see, Luke begins his dating Roman emperor and Roman governor, that is, the Roman dating style comes first, b) Unlike Matthew, Luke is less interested in depicting the life of Jesus in the sense of the incarnation of Jewish prophecies, c) He rarely quotes the Old Testament, d) Luke usually uses them instead of Hebrew words Greek translations, so that every Greek could understand the content of what was written. Simon Kananite becomes Simon the Zealot (cf. Matt. 10,4and Luke. 5.15). He calls Golgotha not a Hebrew word, but a Greek one - Kraniev mountain, the meaning of these words is the same - the Place of execution. He never uses the Hebrew word for Jesus, rabbi, but the Greek word for teacher. When Luke cites the genealogy of Jesus, he traces it not to Abraham, the founder of the people of Israel, as Matthew does, but to Adam, the forefather of mankind (cf. Matt. 1,2; Onion. 3,38).
That is why the Gospel of Luke is the easiest to read. Luke did not write for the Jews, but for people like us.
GOSPEL OF PRAYER
The Gospel of Luke gives Special attention prayer. More than any other, Luke shows us Jesus immersed in prayer before important events in His life. Jesus prays during His baptism (Luke 3, 21) before the first encounter with the Pharisees (Luke 5, 16), before the calling of the twelve apostles (Luke 6, 12); before asking the disciples who they think he is (Onion. 9:18-20); and before predicting his own death and resurrection (9:22); during the transformation (9.29); and on the cross (23:46). Only Luke tells us that Jesus prayed for Peter during his trial (22:32). Only Luke gives a parable-prayer about a friend who comes at midnight (11:5-13) and a parable about an unrighteous judge (Onion. 18:1-8). For Luke, prayer was always open door to God, and the most precious thing in the whole world.
GOSPEL WOMEN
The woman occupied a secondary position in Palestine. In the morning, the Jew thanked God that He did not create him "a heathen, a slave or a woman." But Luke gives women a special place. The story of the birth of Jesus is told from the point of view of the Virgin Mary. It is in Luke that we read about Elizabeth, about Anna, about the widow in Nain, about the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus in the house of Simon the Pharisee. Luke gives us vivid portraits of Martha, Mary and Mary Magdalene. It is very probable that Luke was a native of Macedonia, where a woman occupied a freer position than anywhere else.
GOSPEL OF GLOCATION
In the Gospel of Luke, glorifications of the Lord occur more frequently than in any other part of the New Testament. This praise reaches its apogee in the three great hymns sung by all generations of Christians - in the hymn to Mary (1:46-55), in the blessing of Zechariah (1:68-79); and in the prophecy of Simeon (2:29-32). The gospel of Luke spreads rainbow light, as if the radiance of heaven would illuminate the earthly vale.
GOSPEL FOR ALL
But the most important thing about the Gospel of Luke is that it is a gospel for all. It overcomes all obstacles, Jesus Christ appeared to all people, without exception.
a) The kingdom of God is not closed to the Samaritans (Onion. 9, 51-56). Only in Luke do we find the parable of the Good Samaritan (10:30-36). And that one leper who returned to give thanks to Jesus Christ for healing was a Samaritan (Onion. 17:11-19). John gives a proverb that the Jews do not associate with the Samaritans (John. 4.9). Luke, on the other hand, does not prevent anyone from accessing God.
b) Luke shows that Jesus speaks with approval of Gentiles who would be considered unclean by orthodox Jews. In him, Jesus cites the widow at Zarephath of Sidon and Naaman the Syrian as exemplary examples (4:25-27). Jesus praises the Roman centurion for his great faith (7:9). Luke cites the great words of Jesus: "And they shall come from the east and the west, and the north and the south, and shall lie down in the kingdom of God" (13:29).
c) Luke pays great attention to the poor. When Mary offers a sacrifice for cleansing, it is the sacrifice of the poor (2:24). The pinnacle of the answer to John the Baptist is the words "the poor preach the gospel" (7:29). Only Luke cites the parable of the rich man and the poor Lazarus (16:19-31). And in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." (Matt. 5:3; Luke 6, 20). The gospel of Luke is also called the gospel of the destitute. Luke's heart is with every person whose life is unsuccessful.
d) Luke portrays Jesus better than others as a friend of exiles and sinners. Only he speaks of a woman who anointed his feet with ointment, shed tears on them and wiped them with her hair in the house of Simon the Pharisee (7:36-50); about Zacchaeus the head of publicans (19:1-10); about the penitent thief (23:43); and only Luke cites the immortal parable of the prodigal son and loving father (15:11-32). When Jesus sent his disciples to preach, Matthew indicates that Jesus told them not to go to the Samaritans or the Gentiles (Mat. 10.5); Luke doesn't say anything about it. The authors of all four Gospels, reporting on the preaching of John the Baptist, quote from Is. 40: "Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight the paths of our God"; but only Luke brings the quotation to its triumphant end: "And all flesh shall see the salvation of God." Is. 40,3-5; Mat. 3,3; Mar. 1,3; John. 1,23; Onion. 3.4. 6). Of the gospel writers, Luke teaches most emphatically that the love of God is infinite.
BEAUTIFUL BOOK
When studying the Gospel of Luke, one should pay attention to these features. Somehow, of all the authors of the Gospels, I would most like to meet and talk with Luke, because this pagan doctor, who surprisingly felt the boundlessness of God's love, was in all likelihood a man of a beautiful soul. About the boundless mercy and incomprehensible love of the Lord, Frederic Faber wrote:
God's mercy is infinite
Like a boundless ocean.
In justice unchanged
Deliverance is given.
Do not comprehend the love of the Lord
To our feeble minds
We find only at His feet
Peace to tormented hearts.
The Gospel of Luke clearly shows the veracity of this.
THE JOY OF THE SHEPHERD (Luke 15:1-7)
There is no other chapter in the New Testament that is so well known and loved by all Christians as the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke. It was called the "Gospel within the Gospel" because it sets forth the essence of the good news that Jesus Christ revealed to people.
These parables were the product of certain events. It offended the scribes and the Pharisees that Jesus associated with people they branded as sinners. The Pharisees referred all those who did not keep the law to one large group of sinners, calling it a redneck. They were fenced off from them by a solid barrier. Marrying your daughter to one of them was like handing her over, bound and helpless, to be eaten by a lion. The Pharisees' rule against these sinners was: "Don't trust him with money, don't accept evidence from him, don't trust him with any secrets, don't appoint him as guardian of an orphan, don't accompany him on his journey." The Pharisee was forbidden to visit such a person, or to receive him at his home. He was even forbidden, as far as possible, to enter into business relationship. The Pharisees deliberately tried to avoid any contact with people who did not observe all the petty regulations of the law. That is why they were shocked to see Jesus walking in the company of people who were not only out of society, but also sinners, the association with which necessarily made an orthodox Jew unclean. We can better understand the meaning of these parables if we remember that Orthodox Jews said, “There will be joy in heaven over one sinner who is healed before God,” and not, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents,” as Jesus said. They did not look forward to the salvation of sinners, but persecuted them.
And so Jesus told them the parable of the lost sheep and the joy of the shepherd who found it. The life of a shepherd in Judea was hard and full of dangers. There were few pastures. The narrow central plateau was only a few kilometers wide: on one side were wild rocks and cliffs, and then a terrible desert. Of course, there were no barriers, and the sheep wandered and disappeared. The English economist Adam Smith wrote of shepherds:
"If you meet on a peaty, heather plateau, where hyenas howl at night, alert and prudent, weathered and tanned, an armed shepherd leaning on his staff and watching his scattered sheep, each of which is dear to his heart, you will understand why a shepherd from Judea suddenly came to the forefront of the history of his people; why they named him after their king and made him a symbol of providence, why Christ spoke of him as a typical example of self-sacrifice.
The shepherd was personally responsible for the sheep. If the sheep was lost, the shepherd had to bring home at least her skin to show how she died. The shepherds were skilled trackers and traced the lost sheep through the hills for miles. The shepherd risked his life daily for his sheep.
Good shepherd, save us yourself,
We need You.
Feed us in your meadows
And lead to living water.
We are yours, give for you
In the early years go:
In the herd of all your sheep
From sin you keep.
You promise to accept everyone
You say to everyone: come!
And you forgive all sins
You give peace in Your love!
Jesus Christ, Savior,
You bought us, we are Yours.
Jesus Christ, Savior,
You bought us, we are Yours.
Most of the herds were owned by rural communities, not private individuals. Such a flock was grazed by two or three shepherds. They returned home with the flock in due time and carried the news of this or that shepherd who had remained in the mountains in search of a lost sheep. The whole village was waiting for him, and as soon as someone saw him with a lost sheep, cries of joy and gratitude were heard around.
That's how Jesus portrayed God, that's the kind of shepherd God looks like, Jesus said. Just as a shepherd is happy when he brings home a lost sheep, so God is happy when a sinner returns to Him in repentance. As the great saint said: "God also knows the joy of finding the lost."
This is an amazing thought, a blessed truth: God is more human than people. An orthodox Jew could easily disregard publicans and sinners as people who deserve nothing but destruction; but not God. People can give up all hope that the sinner will be corrected, but not God. God loves people who do not lose their chosen path, but his heart overflows with joy at the sight of how the lost one finds and returns home. And it is a thousand times easier to return to God than to people with their merciless condemnations.
THE PARABLE OF THE LOST DRACHMA (Luke 15:8-10)
The drachma referred to in this passage was a small silver coin. It was easy to lose such a coin in a peasant house in Palestine, and it could take a long time to find it. The houses were dark because they had only one small round window about 45 centimeters in diameter. The adobe floor was covered with dry reeds and reeds, and looking for a coin on such a floor was almost the same as looking for a needle in a haystack. To do this, the woman swept the floor in the house, in the hope that she would see how the coin would flash when moving or she would hear her ringing.
Two reasons could have prompted the woman to search so hard.
1. Extreme need might have prompted her to do so. Of course, a one-drachma coin would not be of much value these days. However, in the Palestine of Jesus' time, this was more than a day's wage for a worker. People could hardly make ends meet and they were threatened with starvation. Perhaps the woman was looking for this coin so diligently because otherwise her family would have nothing to eat.
2. But maybe that was not the reason at all. married women They wore a headdress of ten silver coins connected to each other by a silver chain. Often a girl would save for years to collect those ten coins for a headdress that was almost worth a wedding ring: it was such an integral part of a woman’s clothes that it could not even be taken from her to pay her debts. And perhaps this woman lost exactly one of these coins, and therefore searched for it as diligently as any other woman would look for her wedding ring.
In any case, it is easy to imagine the joy of this woman when she saw the gleam of a lost coin, and when she again held it in her hand. God rejoices in the same way, says Jesus. The joy of God and all the angels when even one erring sinner returns home is like the joy of this woman when she finds a coin that will save her family from starvation; it is like the joy of a woman who has lost and again found her most precious thing, which cannot even be evaluated in terms of money.
No Pharisee ever thought that God was like that. One major Jewish scholar admitted that this is the newest truth about God that Jesus revealed to people, that God is really looking for people. The Jews could admit that if a man on his knees in self-abasement crawled to God, begging for His forgiveness, He might perhaps forgive him; but a Jew could never imagine that God himself is looking for erring sinners. We, to our happiness, believe in the love of God seeking us, because We see this love embodied in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to seek and save those who are lost.
PARABLE OF THE LOVING FATHER (Luke 15:11-32)
This parable, not without reason, was called the greatest story of all times and peoples. According to Jewish law, the father could not freely dispose of his property. The eldest son received two-thirds of the inheritance, and the youngest one-third. (Deut. 21.17). The father's decision to divide his property before his death if he was about to retire from the management of affairs was not unusual. But the younger son's demand is downright heartless. He said, in essence, "Give me now that part of the estate, which I will get anyway when you die, and let me go." The father didn't mind. He realized that only in need and deprivation would his son learn something; and bitterly yielded to his son's demand. The son took his share of the estate and immediately left his father's house.
But he quickly spent his money, and ended up feeding pigs, that is, doing work that a Jew, according to the law, could not do at all, since the law cursed anyone who herded pigs. And here Jesus gave sinful mankind the greatest praise that it ever received with the words: "having come to yourself ..." He believed that while a person lives without God, he has not yet come to himself, has not yet found his true " I", and finds it only when he again finds his way to his home. Jesus, therefore, did not believe in the absolute irrevocable sinfulness of man, but taught that one cannot glorify God by cursing man; He believed that a person has not fully found himself until he finds God.
So this prodigal son decided to return home and ask his father to take him back, not as a son, but as a slave, an indentured servant, a day laborer. An ordinary slave was, so to speak, a member of the family, and an indentured servant could be thrown out any day: he had no rights in the family. But the prodigal son returned home. And, following a version of the best Greek text, his father did not even allow him to talk about hiring, interrupted him and took matters into his own hands. Clothing here symbolizes honor and respect, the ring - power, because if a person gave another his ring with a seal, he transferred rights and powers to him, and shoes on his feet - symbolizes that he was given all the rights of his son, because the children of the family received shoes but no servant. (One of the songs of the North American Negro slaves sings about the wonderful time when "all the children of God will have shoes," because shoes symbolized freedom for them.) And a feast was arranged so that everyone could rejoice at the return of the prodigal son.
Let's stop here and see what truths are contained in this parable.
1. It should not be called the parable of the prodigal son. for he is not its hero, but a parable of a loving Father. for it speaks more of the love of the father than of the sin of the son.
2. From it we learn much about the mercy of God. The father patiently waited for the return of his son, because he saw him when he was still far away. When the son returned, the father forgave him, without reproaching him for anything. Sometimes forgiveness is given as a favor. It is even worse when they forgive in words, but with hints and words they remind a person of his sin.
US President Abraham Lincoln was once asked what he was going to do with the rebellious southerners when they were finally defeated and returned to the American family of states. From Lincoln expected words of cruel revenge, but he replied: "I will treat them as if they never left us." The miracle of God's love is that He treats us the same way.
But the parable does not end there. The elder brother appears, deeply upset by the fact of his brother's return. It symbolizes the always self-righteous Pharisees, who would rather see the sinner destroyed than saved. A few words can also be said about the older brother.
1. His behavior shows that he regarded the years of obedience as the fulfillment of an inexorable duty, and not the service of a beloved father.
2. His behavior indicates a complete lack of empathy. According to him, the prodigal son is not "my brother," but "your son," and he was precisely one of those self-righteous people who would put their foot on a stumble.
3. He had bad thoughts. No one before him had mentioned harlots; no doubt he accused his brother of the sins of which he himself secretly dreamed.
And again we are confronted with an amazing truth: it is much easier to confess to God than to people; God is much more merciful in His judgments than many orthodox people, and God can forgive even when people refuse to forgive. In the face of this love of God, we can only admire, love, and praise Him.
THREE LOSSES
In the end, we need to understand that these three reasons are just three ways of presenting the same truth. There are certain differences between them. After all, one sheep I just got lost out of stupidity. She did not think, and many people would not sin if they thought in time. The coin was lost, and in this It wasn't her fault either. Many people are deceived from the true path, and the one who taught another to sin sinned before God. The son deliberately strayed from the true path; he mercilessly turned his back on his father.
The love of God can forgive a person for his foolish deeds, for yielding to temptation, and even for the deliberate rebellion of the human heart.
Commentaries (introduction) to the entire book "From Luke"
Comments on Chapter 15
"The most beautiful book in existence."(Ernest Renan)
Introduction
I. SPECIAL STATEMENT IN THE CANON
The most beautiful book in existence is praise, especially from the mouth of a skeptic. And yet, this is precisely the assessment given to the Gospel of Luke by the French critic Renan. And what can a sympathetic believer who reads the inspired masterpiece of this evangelist object to these words? Luke is perhaps the only pagan writer chosen by God to record His Scriptures, and this partly explains his special appeal to the heirs of Greco-Roman culture in the West.
IN spiritual sense we would be much poorer in our appreciation of the Lord Jesus and His ministry without the unique expressiveness of Dr. Luke.
It emphasizes our Lord's special interest in individuals, even the poor and outcasts, His love and salvation offered by Him to all people, not just Jews. Luke also emphasizes doxology (when he gives examples of early Christian hymns in chapters 1 and 2), prayer, and the Holy Spirit.
Luke - a native of Antioch, and a doctor by profession - was a companion of Paul for a long time, talked a lot with other apostles and in two books left us samples of the medicine for souls that he received from them.
External evidence Eusebius in his "History of the Church" about the authorship of the third Gospel is consistent with the general early Christian tradition.
Irenaeus widely cites the third gospel as being written by Luke.
Other early evidence in support of Luke's authorship includes Justin Martyr, Hegesippus, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian. In the extremely tendentious and abridged edition of Marcion, the Gospel of Luke is the only one accepted by this famous heretic. Muratori's fragmentary canon calls the third Gospel "according to Luke".
Luke is the only evangelist who wrote a continuation of his gospel, and it is from this book, the Acts of the Apostles, that Luke's authorship is most clearly seen. The passages with the word "we" in the Acts of the Apostles are a description of events in which the writer took a personal part (16:10; 20:5-6; 21:15; 27:1; 28:16; cf. 2 Tim. 4, eleven). After going through everyone, only Luka can be recognized as a participant in all these events. From the dedication to Theophilus and the style of writing, it is quite clear that the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are written by the same author.
Paul refers to Luke as "the beloved physician" and speaks of him specifically, not confusing him with Jewish Christians (Col. 4:14), which points to him as the only pagan writer in the NT. The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are larger than all of Paul's letters combined.
Internal evidence reinforce external documents and church traditions. Vocabulary (often more accurate in medical terms than other New Testament writers), along with literary style Greek, confirms the authorship of a cultural Christian doctor from the Gentiles, who is also well and thoroughly acquainted with Jewish characteristic features. Luke's love for dates and precise studies (eg 1:1-4; 3:1) puts him in the ranks of the first historians of the Church.
III. WRITING TIME
The most probable date for the writing of the Gospel is the very beginning of the 60s of the 1st century. Some still attribute it to 75-85 years. (or even by the 2nd century), which is caused, at least, by a partial denial that Christ could accurately predict the destruction of Jerusalem. The city was destroyed in 70 AD, so the Lord's prophecy must have been written before that date.
Since almost everyone agrees that the Gospel of Luke should predate the writing of the book of Acts, and that Acts ends with Paul's stay in Rome around 63 AD, the earlier date seems to be correct. The great fire in Rome and the subsequent persecution of the Christians declared by Nero as the culprits (64 AD), as well as the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, would hardly have been ignored by the first church historian if these events had already occurred. Therefore, the most obvious date is 61-62 AD. AD
IV. PURPOSE OF WRITING AND THEME
The Greeks were looking for a person endowed with divine perfection and at the same time combining the best features of men and women, but without their shortcomings. This is how the Luke represents Christ - the Son of Man: strong and at the same time filled with compassion. It emphasizes His human nature.
For example, here, more than in other Gospels, His prayer life is emphasized. Feelings of sympathy and compassion are often mentioned.
Perhaps that is why women and children occupy such a special place here. The gospel of Luke is also known as the missionary gospel.
This gospel is directed to the Gentiles, and the Lord Jesus is presented as the Savior of the world. And finally, this gospel is a manual for discipleship. We trace the path of discipleship in the life of our Lord and hear it detailed as He instructs His followers. In particular, it is this feature that we will trace in our presentation. In the life of a perfect Human, we will find elements that create perfect life for all people. In His incomparable words we will find the way of the Cross to which He calls us.
As we begin our study of the Gospel of Luke, let us heed the call of the Savior, leave everything and follow Him. Obedience is an instrument of spiritual knowledge. Meaning Holy Scripture will become clearer and dearer to us when we delve into the events described here.
Plan
I. PREFACE: LUKE'S PURPOSE AND HIS METHOD (1:1-4)
II. THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN AND HIS FOREIGNER (1.5 - 2.52)
III. PREPARATION OF THE SON OF MAN FOR SERVICE (3.1 - 4.30)
IV. THE SON OF MAN PROVES HIS POWER (4.31 - 5.26)
V. THE SON OF MAN EXPLAINS HIS MINISTRY (5:27 - 6:49)
VI. THE SON OF MAN EXPANDS HIS MINISTRY (7.1 - 9.50)
VII. INCREASING RESISTANCE TO THE SON OF MAN (9.51 - 11.54)
VIII. TEACHING AND HEALING ON THE WAY TO JERUSALEM (Ch. 12 - 16)
IX. THE SON OF MAN INSTRUCTS HIS DISCIPLES (17:1 - 19:27)
X. THE SON OF MAN IN JERUSALEM (19:28 - 21:38)
XI. THE SUFFERING AND DEATH OF THE SON OF MAN (Ch. 22-23)
XII. THE VICTORY OF THE SON OF MAN (Ch. 24)
D. Parable of the Lost Sheep (15:1-7)
15,1-2 Our Lord's instructions in chapter 14 apparently attracted the despised publicans and other people who looked sinners. Although Jesus rebuked them for their sins, many of them recognized that He was right. They took the side of Christ against themselves. Sincerely repenting, they acknowledged Him as Lord. Wherever Jesus met people willing to confess their sins, He bowed to them, provided spiritual help and blessed them.
Pharisees and scribes grumbled about the fact that Jesus associated with people who were generally considered sinners. They showed no mercy to these social and moral lepers and murmured at Jesus for having pity on them. So they brought the charge against him: "He receives sinners and eats with them." Of course, the accusation was true. They thought that such behavior was reprehensible, but, in fact, this was the fulfillment of the purpose for which the Lord Jesus came into this world!
It was in response to their accusation that the Lord Jesus told the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. These stories concerned directly the scribes and Pharisees, who never repented before God and did not recognize their perishing condition. In fact, they were just as lost as the harlots and sinners, but stubbornly refused to acknowledge it. The point of all three stories is that God takes true joy and satisfaction in the sight of repentant sinners, while the self-righteousness of hypocrites who are too proud to admit their sinful depravity does not give Him any pleasure.
15,3-4 Here the Lord Jesus appears as a Shepherd. Ninety nine sheep symbolize the scribes and Pharisees. Missing a sheep is an image of a publican, or a generally recognized sinner. When the shepherd sees one from his sheep lost he leaves ninety nine in the desert(and not in the paddock) and goes for the missing, until he finds her. As for our Lord, this campaign included His descent to earth, years of public service, rejection, suffering and death.
But none of the redeemed ever knew
How deep were the rivers that the Lord crossed,
How dark was the night in which He walked,
To find Your lost sheep.
(Elizabeth S. Clefain)
15,5 found sheep, he took her on his shoulders and took it home. Here is an indication that the rescued sheep enjoyed privileges and intimacy that she never knew while she was among others.
15,6 The shepherd called his friends and neighbors that they rejoiced with him about saving the missing sheep. This speaks of the Savior's joy at the sight of the sinner's repentance.
15,7 The lesson is simple: heaven rejoices over one penitent sinner and feel no joy for the ninety-nine sinners who never realized their perishing condition. Verse 7 does not mean that there are people who do not need to repent.
All people are sinners, and all must repent in order to be saved. The verse describes those who think of themselves that has no need for repentance.
F. The parable of the lost coin (15:8-10)
The woman in this story may be a type of the Holy Spirit who is looking for the lost candle Word of God. Nine drachmas talk about the unrepentant, while one lost drachma indicates a person to whom he wishes to acknowledge that he walks far from God. In the previous story, the sheep moved away of its own accord.
The coin is an inanimate object and may indicate a lifeless state sinner. He is dead in sins.
The woman continues search carefully until, until he finds coin. Then she invite friends and neighbors that they may rejoice with her.
The lost coin she found brought her more true joy than the nine that were never lost. The same can be said about God. Sinner, who humbles himself and confesses his lost state, gladdens the heart of God. From those who have never felt the need for repentance, He receives no such joy.
X. Parable of the Prodigal Son (15:11-32)
15,11-16 Here God the Father is represented as some person which one had two sons. Jr personifies the penitent sinner, and the eldest son personifies the scribes and Pharisees. They are sons of God by creation, not by redemption. The younger son is also known as the prodigal son. Prodigal the son is an extravagant person who throws money down the drain. This son was tired of his father's house and he decided that he needed a change of scenery. He did not want to wait for the death of his father, so he asked his father for what was due to him Part legacy ahead. The father distributed among his sons the portions laid down by him. Shortly thereafter, the youngest son went to the far side and squandered his money on sinful pleasures. As soon as his funds ran out, there was a great famine in that country and he was in need.
The only job he could find was herding pigs- work is extremely unpleasant for an ordinary Jew. Watching pigs eat horns, he envied them. They had more food than him and no one seemed to want to come. to him for help. The friends who surrounded him when he littered with money disappeared.
15,17-19 The famine had a beneficial effect. He made him think. He remembered that father's mercenaries his life was much better than he is now. They had plenty of food while he was dying from hunger. Thinking about it, he decided to do something. He decided go to father to repent, confess your sin and ask for forgiveness. He realized that no longer worthy to be called a son his father, and intended to ask for hired workers.
15,20 When he was still far from home, his father saw him and took pity. He ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. This is probably the only place in the Bible where God's haste is shown in a good way. Stewart explains:
“Jesus boldly shows that God does not wait for His shamed child to arrive home, does not stand with dignity when he approaches, but runs to meet him in His hospitable hands as he is: ashamed, ragged and dirty. The name "Father" alone immediately obscured the color of sin and exalted the radiant glory of forgiveness.(Stewart, life and teaching, pp. 77-78.)
15,21-24 Son delivered his confession where he was going to apply for a job. And the father interrupted him, giving the order to the slaves to dress their son in best clothes and give him a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. He also ordered a great feast to celebrate the return of his son, who lost and found. In his father's eyes he was dead, but now revived. Someone said: "The young man was looking for a fun pastime, but he did not find it in a distant land. He found joy only when he had the good sense to return to his father's house." This indicates that people started having fun however, nowhere is it written that their fun is over. The same is true with the salvation of the sinner.
15,25-27 When eldest son returned from fields and heard singing and rejoicing, he asked one of the servants What happening. He told him that the younger one had returned home Brother So what father Out of my mind from happiness.
15,28-30 The eldest son was seized with anger and jealousy, he refused to take part in the joy of his father. JN Darby puts it well: "Where God's joy reigns, self-righteous people cannot come. If God is kind to the sinner, what good is my righteousness?" When father invited him to take part in the celebration, he refused, offended that his father had never rewarded him for faithful service and obedience. He never did not give him kid, not to mention a well-fed calf. He complained that when the prodigal son returned, having squandered his father's money on harlots father, without hesitation, arranged a big feast. Notice what he said "this son is yours" not "my brother".
15,31-32 Father's Response Indicates Joy Is Related to Restoration missing while a stubborn, ungrateful, unreconciled son gives no cause for celebration. The elder son is an eloquent illustration of the scribes and Pharisees. They were grieved when God showed mercy to poor sinners. In their mindset, even if not in God's, they faithfully served Him, never transgressed His commandments, and yet were never properly rewarded for it all. The truth was that they were religious hypocrites and guilty sinners.
Pride closed their eyes to the fact that they were far from God and that He poured out blessing after blessing upon them.
If only they were willing to repent and confess their sins, the Father's heart would rejoice, and there would be a great feast for them too.
All publicans and sinners drew near to Him to listen to Him.
But the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying: He receives sinners and eats with them.
But He told them the following parable:
Which of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And the found one will take her on his shoulders with joy;
And having come home, he will call his friends and neighbors and say to them: rejoice with me, I have found my lost sheep.
I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous who have no need of repentance.
There is no other chapter in the New Testament that is so well known and loved by all Christians as the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke. It was called the "Gospel within the Gospel" because it sets forth the essence of the good news that Jesus Christ revealed to people.
These parables were the product of certain events. It offended the scribes and the Pharisees that Jesus consorted with people they branded as sinners. The Pharisees referred all those who did not keep the law to one large group of sinners, calling it a redneck. They were fenced off from them by a solid barrier. Marrying your daughter to one of them was like handing her over, bound and helpless, to be eaten by a lion. The Pharisees' rule against these sinners was: "Don't trust him with money, don't accept evidence from him, don't trust him with any secrets, don't appoint him as guardian of an orphan, don't accompany him on his journey." The Pharisee was forbidden to visit such a person, or to receive him at his home. He was even forbidden, as far as possible, to enter into business relations with him. The Pharisees deliberately tried to avoid any contact with people who did not observe all the petty regulations of the law. That is why they were shocked to see Jesus walking in the company of people who were not only out of society, but also sinners, the association with which necessarily made an orthodox Jew unclean. We can better understand the meaning of these parables if we remember that Orthodox Jews said, “There will be joy in heaven over one sinner who is healed before God,” and not “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents,” as Jesus said. They did not look forward to the salvation of sinners, but persecuted them.
And so Jesus told them the parable of the lost sheep and the joy of the shepherd who found it. The life of a shepherd in Judea was hard and full of dangers. There were few pastures. The narrow central plateau was only a few kilometers wide: on one side were wild rocks and cliffs, and then a terrible desert. Of course, there were no barriers, and the sheep wandered and disappeared. The English economist Adam Smith wrote of shepherds: “If you meet on a peaty, heather plateau where hyenas howl at night, alert and prudent, weathered and tanned, armed shepherd, leaning on his staff and watching his scattered sheep, each of which dear to his heart, you will understand why the shepherd from Judah suddenly came to the forefront of the history of his people; why they called it the name of their king and made it a symbol of providence, why Christ spoke of him as a typical example of self-sacrifice.
The shepherd was personally responsible for the sheep. If the sheep was lost, the shepherd had to bring home at least her skin to show how she died. The shepherds were skilful trackers and tracked lost sheep through the hills for miles. The shepherd risked his life daily for his sheep.
Good shepherd, save us yourself, we need you. In Thy meadows feed us And lead us to living water.
We are yours, let us follow You In the early years to go: In the herd of all Your sheep You keep from sin.
You promise to accept everyone, You say to everyone: come! And You forgive all sins, You give peace in Your love!
Jesus Christ, Savior, You bought us, we are Yours. Jesus Christ, Savior, You bought us, we are Yours.
Most of the herds were owned by rural communities, not individuals. Such a flock was grazed by two or three shepherds. They returned home with the flock in due time and carried the news of this or that shepherd who had remained in the mountains in search of a lost sheep. The whole village was waiting for him, and as soon as someone saw him with a lost sheep, cries of joy and gratitude were heard around.
That's how Jesus portrayed God, that's the kind of shepherd God looks like, Jesus said. Just as a shepherd is happy when he brings home a lost sheep, so God is happy when a sinner returns to Him in repentance. As the great saint said: "God also knows the joy of finding what is lost."
This is an amazing thought, a blessed truth: God is more human than people. The orthodox Jew simply did not consider tax collectors and sinners as strangers who deserve nothing but destruction; but not God. People can give up all hope that the sinner will be corrected, but not God. God loves people who do not lose their chosen path, but his heart overflows with joy at the sight of how the lost one finds and returns home. And it is a thousand times easier to return to God than to people with their merciless condemnations.
Luke 15:8-10 The parable of the lost drachma
Or what woman who had ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light candles and sweep the room and search carefully until she finds it?
And when he finds it, he will call his friends and neighbors and say: rejoice with me, I found the lost drachma.
Thus, I tell you, there is joy among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
The drachma referred to in this passage was a silver coin, which was equal to about 31 kopecks. silver. It was easy to lose such a small coin in a peasant house in Palestine, and it could take a long time to find it. The houses were dark because they had only one small round window about 45 centimeters in diameter. The adobe floor was covered with dry reeds and reeds, and looking for a coin on such a floor was almost the same as looking for a needle in a haystack. To do this, the woman swept the floor in the house, in the hope that she would see how the coin would flash when moving or she would hear her ringing.
Two reasons could have prompted the woman to search so hard.
1. Extreme need might have prompted her to do so. Of course, 31 silver kopecks means little these days, but still in Palestine it was more than a day's wages for a worker. These people barely made ends meet and were threatened with starvation. Perhaps the woman was looking for this coin so diligently because otherwise her family would have nothing to eat.
2. But maybe that was not the reason at all. Married women wore a headdress made of ten silver coins connected to each other by a silver chain. Often a girl would save for years to collect those ten coins for a headdress that was almost worth a wedding ring: it was such an integral part of a woman’s clothes that it could not even be taken from her to pay her debts. And perhaps this woman lost exactly one of these coins, and therefore searched for it as diligently as any other woman would look for her wedding ring.
In any case, it is easy to imagine the joy of this woman when she saw the gleam of a lost coin, and when she again held it in her hand. God rejoices in the same way, says Jesus. The joy of God and all the angels when even one erring sinner returns home is like the joy of this woman when she finds a coin that will save her family from starvation; it is like the joy of a woman who has lost and again found her most precious thing, which cannot even be measured in money.
Not a single Pharisee ever thought about the fact that God is Gak. One major Jewish scholar admitted that this is the newest truth about God that Jesus revealed to people, that God is really looking for people. The Jews could admit that if a man on his knees in self-abasement crawled to God, begging for His forgiveness, He might perhaps forgive him; but a Jew could never imagine that God himself is looking for erring sinners. We, to our happiness, believe in the love of God who seeks us, because we see this love embodied in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to seek and save those who are lost.
Luke 15:11-32 Parable of a loving father
He also said: A certain man had two sons.
And the youngest of them said to his father: Father! give me the part of the estate next to me. And the father divided the estate between them.
After a few days, the youngest son, having collected everything, went to a far country and there he squandered his estate, living dissolutely.
When he had lived all, there came a great famine in that country, and he began to be in need;
And he went and attached himself to one of the inhabitants of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine;
And he was glad to fill his belly with the horns that the pigs ate, but no one gave him.
When he came to his senses, he said: How many hirelings from my father have plenty of bread, and I am dying of hunger!
I will get up and go to my father and say to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you.
And I am no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired hands.
He got up and went to his father. And while he was still far away, his father saw him and had compassion; and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
The son said to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
And the father said to his servants: Bring the best clothes and dress him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet;
And bring a fattened calf and slaughter it; let us eat and be merry,
For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they started having fun.
His eldest son was in the field; and returning, when he approached the house, he heard singing and rejoicing;
And calling one of the servants, he asked: what is it?
He said to him: Your brother has come, and your father killed the fatted calf, because he received him healthy.
He got angry and didn't want to come in. His father came out and called him.
But he said in answer to his father: behold, I have served you for so many years and have never transgressed your command; but you never gave me a goat to have fun with my friends;
And when this son of yours, who had squandered his possessions with harlots, came, you slaughtered a fatted calf for him.
He said to him: My son! you are always with me, and all mine is yours;
And you should have rejoiced and rejoiced that this brother of yours was dead and is alive again, was lost and was found.
This parable, not without reason, was called the greatest story of all times and peoples. According to Jewish law, the father could not freely dispose of his property. The eldest son received two-thirds of the inheritance, and the youngest one-third. (Deut. 21, 17). The father's decision to divide his property before his death if he was about to retire from the management of affairs was not unusual. But the younger son's demand is downright heartless. He said, in essence, "Give me now that part of the estate, which I will receive anyway when you die, and let me go." The father didn't mind. He realized that only in need and deprivation would his son learn something; and bitterly yielded to his son's demand. The son took his share of the estate and immediately left his father's house.
But he quickly spent his money, and ended up feeding pigs, that is, doing work that a Jew, according to the law, could not do at all, since the law cursed anyone who herded pigs. And here Jesus gave sinful mankind the greatest praise that they ever received with the words: “I have come to my senses. . .". He believed that while a person lives without God, he has not yet come to his senses, has not yet found his true "I", and finds it only when they again find their way to their home. Jesus, therefore, did not believe in the absolute irrevocable sinfulness of man, but taught that one cannot glorify God by cursing man; He believed that a person has not fully found himself until he finds God. So this prodigal son decided to return home and ask his father to take him back, not as a son, but as a slave, an indentured servant, a day laborer. An ordinary slave was, so to speak, a member of the family, and an indentured servant could be thrown out any day: he had no rights in the family. But the prodigal son returned home. And, following a version of the best Greek text, his father did not even allow him to talk about hiring, interrupted him and took matters into his own hands. Clothing symbolizes honor and respect here, the ring symbolizes power, because if a person gave another his ring with a seal, he transferred rights and powers to him, and shoes on his feet symbolize that all the rights of his son were delivered to him, because the children of the family received shoes but no servant. (One of the songs of the North American Negro slaves sings about the wonderful time when "all the children of God will have shoes," because shoes symbolized freedom for them.) And a feast was arranged so that everyone could rejoice at the return of the prodigal son.
Let's stop here and see what truths are contained in this parable.
1. It should not be called the parable of the prodigal son, for he is not its hero, but the parable of the loving Father, because it speaks more of the love of the father than of the sin of the son.
2. From it we learn much about the mercy of God. The father patiently waited for the return of his son, because he saw him when he was still far away. When the son returned, the father forgave him, without reproaching him for anything. Sometimes forgiveness is given as a favor. It is even worse when they forgive in words, but with hints and words they remind a person of his sin.
US President Abraham Lincoln was once asked what he was going to do with the Southern Federalist rebels when they were finally defeated and returned to the American family of states. Expected words of cruel revenge from Lincoln, but he replied: "I will treat them as if they never left us."
The miracle of God's love is that He treats us the same way.
But the parable does not end there. The elder brother appears, deeply upset by the fact of his brother's return. It symbolizes the always self-righteous Pharisees, who would rather see the sinner destroyed than saved. A few words can also be said about the older brother.
1. His behavior shows that he regarded the years of obedience as the fulfillment of an inexorable duty, and not the service of a beloved father.
2. His behavior indicates a complete lack of empathy. According to him, the prodigal son is not “my brother,” but “your son,” and he was precisely one of those self-righteous people who would put their foot on a stumble.
3. He had bad thoughts. No one before him had mentioned harlots; no doubt he accused his brother of the sins of which he himself secretly dreamed.
And again we are confronted with an amazing truth: it is much easier to confess to God than to people; God is much more merciful in his judgment than many orthodox people, and God can forgive even when people refuse to forgive. In the face of this love of God, we can only admire, love, and praise Him.
Three losses
In the end, we need to understand that these three parables are not just three ways of presenting the same truth. There are certain differences between them. After all, one sheep I just got lost out of stupidity. She did not think, and many people would not sin if they thought in time. The coin was lost, and in this It wasn't her fault either. Many people are deceived from the true path, and the one who taught another to sin sinned before God. The son deliberately strayed from the true path; he mercilessly turned his back on his father.
The love of God can forgive a person for his foolish deeds, for yielding to temptation, and even for the deliberate rebellion of the human heart.
1 Proverbs: about the lost sheep; 8 lost drachma; 11 the prodigal son, his father and brother.
1 All publicans and sinners drew near to him to hear him.
2 But the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, He receives sinners and eats with them.
3 But He spoke to them the following parable:
4 Which of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it?
5 And having found it, he will take it on his shoulders with joy
6 and, having come home, he will call his friends and neighbors and say to them: “Rejoice with me: I found my lost sheep”.
7 I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous who have no need of repentance..
8 Or what woman, having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light candles and sweep the room and search carefully until she finds,
9 and having found it, he will call his friends and neighbors and say: “Rejoice with me: I found the lost drachma”.
10 Thus, I tell you, there is joy among the angels of God and over one sinner who repents.
11 He also said: a certain man had two sons;
12 and the youngest of them said to his father, “Father! give me the next to me part of the estate. AND father divided their property.
13 After a few days, the youngest son, having collected everything, went to a far country and there he squandered his possessions, living dissolutely..
14 When he had lived it all, there came a great famine in that country, and he began to need;
15 and went and attached himself to one of the inhabitants of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine;
16 and he was glad to fill his belly with the horns that the pigs ate, but no one gave him.
17 When he came to himself, he said: “How many hirelings from my father are abundant in bread, and I am dying of hunger;
18 I will get up and go to my father and say to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you
19 and no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired hands".
20 He got up and went to his father. And while he was still far away, his father saw him and had compassion; and, running, fell on his neck and kissed him.
21 The son said to him, “Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”.
22 And the father said to his servants: “Bring the best clothes and dress him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.;
23 and bring a fattened calf, and kill it; Let's eat and be merry!
24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” And started having fun.
25 His eldest son was in the field; and, returning, when he approached the house, he heard singing and rejoicing;
26 and calling one of the servants, he asked: "What is this?"
27 He said to him, "Your brother has come, and your father has slaughtered the fatted calf, because he received him healthy.".
28 He got angry and didn't want to come in. And his father went out and called him.
29 But he said in response to his father: “Behold, I have served you for so many years and have never transgressed your orders, but you have never given me even a goat to have fun with my friends.;
30 and when this son of yours, who had squandered his possessions with harlots, came, you slaughtered a fatted calf for him.”.
31 He said to him: “My son! you are always with me, and all mine is yours,
32 but it was necessary to rejoice and be glad that this brother of yours was dead, and came to life, was lost, and was found ”.
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Gospel of Luke 15
