15:1–2 Jesus has emphasized the total commitment demanded of disciples. Tax collectors and sinners are flocking to Jesus, as we have seen throughout the Gospel (3:12; 5:27–32; 7:29, 34; 18:9–14; 19:10). The Pharisees and scribes believe Jesus’ acceptance of tax collectors and sinners to raise serious questions about his godliness and commitment to the law (cf. 5:30). Jesus not only welcomes sinners but eats with them, signifying acceptance and fellowship (cf. Acts 11:3; Gal. 2:11–14)—though ultimately fellowship with sinners does not become a reality without repentance, as the three following parables show. Eating with tax collectors and sinners signifies that salvation is obtained not on the basis of obedience but through God’s grace and kindness. Thus, by eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus is guilty in his critics’ eyes of impurity, constituting a violation of the law. Perhaps they view Jesus’ actions through the lens of Psalm 1:1: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.”174 The Pharisees and scribes are convinced that their grumbling stems from their own godliness, but the word “grumbled” harks back to Israel’s grumbling in the wilderness. Thus their complaining actually shows their own unrighteousness. The Pharisees and scribes grumble against God’s appointed leader, just as Israel (Ex. 16:1–10), and Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (Num. 16:1–15), grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

15:3–7 Jesus responds to the concerns of the Pharisees and the scribes with three parables. The first relates to the world of men, to a shepherd who has lost one of his sheep. If he has one hundred sheep but one is lost, he leaves the ninety-nine—who are assumed to be safe and secure in the world of the parable175—and seeks for the one who is lost until he finds it. We are reminded of a key statement in the Gospel, that Jesus as the Son of Man has come “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Upon finding the lost sheep, the shepherd bursts with joy as he puts the sheep upon his shoulders. This alludes to Isaiah 49:22, in which the sons of Israel are carried in arms and daughters upon shoulders when the nation returns from exile. Once home the shepherd calls together his friends and neighbors for a party since the lost sheep has been found.

The application of the parable is drawn in Luke 15:7: there is greater joy over one who has strayed but repents than over ninety-nine righteous who do not need repentance. There is no evidence that the word “righteous” is being used ironically here (cf. 5:31–32). It is not as if the ninety-nine do not matter; the point is that the ninety-nine have already repented. Nor does Jesus teach an unconditional love so that repentance becomes unnecessary. The love of God provides an opportunity for repentance, and the Pharisees and scribes should rejoice instead of grumbling over the tax collectors and sinners who were turning to God. Their failure to rejoice shows how far they are from the angels in heaven.

15:8–10 The next example comes from the world of women, though it makes the same point as the previous parable. In this case a woman has “ten silver coins.” That amount could buy one sheep or one-fifth of an ox—we are not talking about pennies!176 Upon losing one of the coins, the woman seeks for it assiduously by lighting a lamp, sweeping the house, and engaging in a protracted search until she locates it. As the shepherd searching for the sheep represents God, so too does the woman seeking the coin. The Lord is seeking the lost, such as tax collectors and sinners, and the Pharisees’ grumbling reveals that they do not share God’s perspective. Upon finding the lost coin, the woman invites her neighbors for a celebration, asking them to rejoice with her over the reclamation of the lost coin. The application is found in verse 10, reprising the theme of verse 7: there is joy among the angels over even one sinner who repents. Once again, the Pharisees and scribes do not reflect the stance of heaven; instead of being full of joy, they are upset over the reception of sinners and tax collectors. Ironically, those who think themselves to be closest to God show by the affections of their hearts that they do not truly belong to him.