14:34 Salt is good. See notes on Matt. 5:13; Mark 9:50. Christ employed this same imagery on at least 3 different occasions in His ministry.
Luke 15
15:1 the tax collectors and the sinners. See notes on 14:21; Matt. 5:46; 21:32. Despite the difficulties of Christ’s message (14:25–35), the outcasts of society were drawn to Him, while the religious leaders grew more and more determined to kill Him. Cf. 1 Cor. 1:26–29.
15:2 complained. Lit. “murmured greatly”—i.e., through the crowds. Their complaining prompted 3 parables designed to illustrate the joy of God over the repentance of sinners. This Man receives sinners. This phrase is the key to the trilogy of parables that follow. Christ was not ashamed to be known as a “friend of tax collectors and sinners” (7:34).
15:4 go after the one which is lost. The first two parables both picture God as taking the initiative in seeking sinners. The rabbis taught that God would receive sinners who sought His forgiveness earnestly enough, but here God is the One seeking the sinner (see note on 19:10). The shepherd in the Middle East was responsible for every sheep. He was obligated to his master to see that none was lost, killed, or injured (cf. Matt. 18:11–14).
15:5 lays it on his shoulders. The picture of a loving shepherd. Cf. John 10:11; Ps. 24:1. rejoicing. Joy over the return of the lost is the most prominent feature in all 3 parables (vv. 7, 10, 32).
15:7 joy in heaven. A reference to the joy of God Himself. There was complaining on earth, among the Pharisees (v. 2); but there was great joy with God and among the angels (v. 10). persons who need no repentance. I.e., those who think themselves righteous (cf. 5:32; 16:15; 18:9).
15:8 silver coins. The drachma was a Greek coin roughly equivalent in value to the Roman denarius (see note on Matt. 22:19). light a lamp. The typical one-room house had no windows. sweep the house. This illustrates the thoroughness of the search.
15:11, 12 The parable of the prodigal son is the most familiar and beloved of all Christ’s parables. It is one of the longest and most detailed parables. And unlike most parables, it has more than one lesson. The prodigal is an example of sound repentance. The elder brother illustrates the wickedness of the Pharisees’ self-righteousness, prejudice, and indifference toward repenting sinners. And the father pictures God, eager to forgive, and longing for the return of the sinner. The main feature, however, as in the other two parables in this chapter, is the joy of God, the celebrations that fill heaven when a sinner repents.
15:12 give me the portion of goods that falls to me. A shocking request, tantamount to saying he wished his father were dead. He was not entitled to any inheritance while his father still lived. Yet the father graciously fulfilled the request, giving him his full portion, which would have been one-third of the entire estate—because the right of the firstborn (Deut. 21:17) gave the elder brother a double portion. This act pictures all sinners (related to God the Father by creation), who waste their potential privileges and refuse any relationship with Him, choosing instead a life of sinful self-indulgence.
15:13 gathered all together. The prodigal son evidently took his share in liquid assets, and left, abandoning his father, and heading into a life of iniquity. prodigal living. Not merely wasteful extravagance, but also wanton immorality (v. 30). The Gr. word for “prodigal” means “dissolute” and conveys the idea of an utterly debauched lifestyle.
15:15 to feed swine. This was the worst sort of degradation imaginable for Jesus’ Jewish audience; swine were the worst sort of unclean animals.
15:16 would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods. I.e., Carob pods, used to feed swine but virtually undigestible for humans. In other words, the only reason he did not eat the same food as the swine is that he could not. no one gave him anything. He could not even eke out a living by begging. His situation could hardly have been more desperate. Thus he symbolizes the estranged sinner who is helpless in despair.
15:17 came to himself. I.e., came to his senses. When his incessant sinning had left him utterly bankrupt and hungry, he was able to think more clearly. In that condition, he was a candidate for salvation (see notes on Matt. 5:3–6).
15:18 will say to him. He carefully contemplated what he would say and counted the cost of his repentance (v. 19). sinned against heaven. A euphemism, meaning he had sinned against God. He not only realized the futility of his situation, but he also understood the gravity of his transgressions against the father.
15:20 his father saw him. Clearly, the father had been waiting and looking for his son’s return. ran. The father’s eagerness and joy at his son’s return is unmistakable. This is the magnificent attribute of God that sets Him apart from all the false gods invented by men and demons. He is not indifferent or hostile, but a Savior by nature, longing to see sinners repent and rejoicing when they do. See notes on 1 Tim. 2:4; 4:10. From Gen. 3:8 to Rev. 22:17, from the fall to the consummation, God has been and will be seeking to save sinners, and rejoicing each time one repents and is converted.
15:21 Note that the son did not get to finish his rehearsed words of repentance before the father interrupted to grant forgiveness. This pictures God’s eagerness to forgive.
15:22 the father said. Without a single word of rebuke, for the past, the father pours out his love for the son, and expresses his joy that what was lost had been found. Each of the father’s gifts said something unique about his acceptance of the son: robe. Reserved for the guest of honor. ring. A symbol of authority. sandals. These were not usually worn by slaves, and therefore signified his full restoration to sonship.
15:23 the fatted calf. Reserved only for the most special of occasions—a sacrifice or a feast of great celebration. All this (vv. 22, 23) symbolizes the lavishness of salvation’s blessings (cf. Eph. 1:3; 2:4–7).
15:25 older son. He symbolizes the Pharisee, the hypocritical religious person, who stays close to the place of the Father (the temple) but has no sense of sin, no real love for the Father (so as to share in His joy), and no interest in repenting sinners.
15:28 he was angry. This parallels the complaining done by the scribes and Pharisees (v. 2).
15:29 I never transgressed your commandment at any time. Unlikely, given the boy’s obvious contempt for his father, shown by his refusal to participate in the father’s great joy. This statement reveals the telltale problem with all religious hypocrites. They will not recognize their sin and repent (see notes on Matt. 9:12, 13; 19:16–20). The elder son’s comment reeks of the same spirit as the words of the Pharisee in 18:11. you never gave me a young goat. All those years of service to the father appear to have been motivated too much by concern for what he could get for himself. This son’s self-righteous behavior was more socially acceptable than the younger brother’s debauchery, but it was equally dishonoring to the father—and called for repentance.
15:30 this son of yours. An expression of deep contempt (cf. “this tax collector” in 18:11). He could not bring himself to refer to him as “my brother.”
15:31 all that I have is yours. The inheritance had already been distributed (v. 12). Everything the father had was literally in the elder son’s possession. Yet the elder son was begrudging even the love the father showed to the prodigal son. The Pharisees and scribes had easy access to all the riches of God’s truth. They spent their lives dealing with Scripture and public worship—but they never really possessed any of the treasures enjoyed by the repentant sinner.
15:32 It was right that we should make merry. This summarizes the point of all 3 parables. your brother. See note on v. 30.
Luke 16
16:1 steward. A steward was a trusted servant, usually someone born in the household, who was chief of the management and distribution of household provisions. He provided food for all the other servants, thus managing his master’s resources for the well being of others. He acted as an agent for his master, with full authority to transact business in the master’s name. was wasting his goods. His prodigality is a thread that ties this parable to the preceding one. Like
the younger son in the earlier parable, this steward was guilty of wasting the resources available to him. Unlike the prodigal, however, he had enough sense to make sure that his wastefulness did not leave him friendless and unprovided for in the future.
16:2 you can no longer be steward. By announcing his intention to fire the man, the owner acted unwisely, and it cost him even more. Evidently he thought the man guilty of incompetence, rather than fraud. That would explain his reaction in v. 8.
16:3 I cannot dig. I.e., he did not consider himself fit for physical labor.
16:4 resolved what to do. Cleverly, he arranged to give large discounts to his master’s debtors, which they would eagerly agree to pay. receive me into their houses. By reducing their debts to his master, he gained their indebtedness to him. They would thus be obligated to take him into their homes when he was put out of his master’s home.
16:6 quickly. This was a secret transaction, unauthorized by the master. The borrower was guilty of deliberate complicity in the man’s fraud.
16:8 the master commended the unjust steward. Outwitted, he applauded the man’s cunning. His admiration for the evil steward’s criminal genius shows that he, too, was a wicked man. It is the natural tendency of fallen hearts to admire a villain’s craftiness (Ps. 49:18). Note that all the characters in this parable are unjust, unscrupulous, and corrupt. more shrewd. I.e., most unbelievers are wiser in the ways of the world than some believers (“sons of light,” cf. John 12:36; Eph. 5:18) are toward the things of God.
16:9 unrighteous mammon. I.e., money. The unjust steward used his master’s money to buy earthly friends; believers are to use their Master’s money in a way that will accrue friends for eternity—by investing in the kingdom gospel that brings sinners to salvation, so that when they arrive in heaven (“an everlasting home”), those sinners will be there to welcome them. Christ did not commend the man’s dishonesty; He pointedly called him “unjust” (v. 8). He only used him as an illustration to show that even the most wicked sons of this world are shrewd enough to provide for themselves against coming evil. Believers ought to be more shrewd, because they are concerned with eternal matters, not just earthly ones. Cf. 12:33; Matt. 6:19–21.
16:10 He who is faithful. Probably a common proverb. Cf. 19:17; Matt. 25:21.
16:11 true riches. Faithful use of one’s earthly wealth is repeatedly tied to the accumulation of treasure in heaven (cf. 12:33; 18:22; Matt. 16:19–21).
16:12 what is another man’s. Lit. “what is another’s”—referring to God, and the believer’s stewardship of His money, which believers only manage as stewards.
16:13 You cannot serve God and mammon. Many of the Pharisees taught that devotion to money and devotion to God were perfectly compatible (v. 14). This went hand-in-hand with the commonly-held notion that earthly riches signified divine blessing. Rich people were therefore regarded as God’s favorites (see note on Matt. 19:24). While not condemning wealth per se, Christ denounced both love of wealth and devotion to mammon. On the love of money, see notes on 1 Tim. 6:9, 10, 17–19.
16:15 justify yourselves. The Pharisees’ belief was that their own goodness was what justified them (cf. Rom. 10:3). This is the very definition of “self-righteousness.” But, as Jesus suggested, their righteousness was flawed, being an external veneer only. That might be enough to justify them before men, but not before God, because He knew their hearts. He repeatedly exposed their habit of seeking the approval of people (cf. Matt. 6:2, 5, 16; 23:28).
16:16 until John. John the Baptist’s ministry marked the turning point of redemptive history. Prior to that, the great truths of Christ and His kingdom were veiled in the types and shadows of the law, and promised in the writings of the prophets (cf. 1 Pet. 1:10–12). But John the Baptist introduced the King Himself (see note on Matt. 11:11). The Pharisees, who thought of themselves as experts in the law and the prophets, missed the significance of the very One to whom the law and the prophets pointed. everyone is pressing into it. Cf. Jer. 29:13. While the Pharisees were busy opposing Christ, sinners were entering His kingdom in droves. The language of this expression speaks of violent force—probably signifying the zeal with which sinners were seeking with all of their heart to enter the kingdom (see notes on 13:24; Is. 55:6, 7; Matt. 11:12).
16:17 than for one tittle of the law to fail. Lest anyone think the statement in v. 16 meant He was declaring the law and the prophets annulled, He added this (see note on Matt. 5:18). The great moral principles of the law, the eternal truths contained in the law’s types and symbols, and the promises recorded by the prophets all remain in force and are not abrogated by the kingdom message.
16:18 commits adultery. I.e., if the divorce had no legitimate grounds. Luke gave an abbreviated record of Jesus’ teaching on divorce, stressing only the main issue. Matthew’s fuller account makes it clear that He permitted divorce in cases where one’s spouse was guilty of adultery. See notes on Matt. 5:31, 32; 19:3–9. This countered the rabbis’ doctrine, which permitted men to divorce their wives easily, and for almost any cause (Matt. 19:3).
16:20 Lazarus. Clearly not the Lazarus in John 11 (who died at a later time). This beggar was the only character in any of Jesus’ parables ever given a name. Some therefore have speculated that this was no imaginary tale, but an actual incident that really took place. Either way, Christ employs it in the same fashion as all His parables, to teach a lesson, in this case for the benefit of the Pharisees. The rich man in the parable is sometimes called Dives, after the Latin word for “rich.”
16:21 The mention of table scraps, sores, and dogs all made this poor man appear odious in the eyes of the Pharisees. They were inclined to see all such things as proof of divine disfavor. They would have viewed such a person as not only unclean, but also despised by God.
16:22 Abraham’s bosom. This same expression (found only here in Scripture) was used in the Talmud as a figure for heaven. The idea was that Lazarus was given a place of high honor, reclining next to Abraham at the heavenly banquet.
16:23 in Hades. The suggestion that a rich man would be excluded from heaven would have scandalized the Pharisees (see note on Matt. 19:24); especially galling was the idea that a beggar who ate scraps from his table was granted the place of honor next to Abraham. “Hades” was the Gr. term for the abode of the dead. In the LXX, it was used to translate the Heb. Sheol, which referred to the realm of the dead in general, without necessarily distinguishing between righteous or unrighteous souls. However, in NT usage, “Hades” always refers to the place of the wicked prior to final judgment in hell. The imagery Jesus used paralleled the common rabbinical idea that Sheol had two parts, one for the souls of the righteous and the other for the souls of the wicked—separated by an impassable gulf. But there is no reason to suppose, as some do, that “Abraham’s bosom” spoke of a temporary prison for the souls of OT saints, who were brought to heaven only after He had actually atoned for their sins. Scripture consistently teaches that the spirits of the righteous dead go immediately into the presence of God (cf. 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23). And the presence of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration (9:30) belies the notion that they were confined in a compartment of Sheol until Christ finished His work.
16:24 I am tormented. Christ pictured Hades as a place where the unspeakable torment of hell had already begun. Among the miseries featured here are unquenchable flame (see note on Matt. 25:46); an accusing conscience fed by undying memories of lost opportunity (v. 25); and permanent, irreversible separation from God and everything good (v. 26).
16:27 send him to my father’s house. The rich man retained a condescending attitude toward Lazarus even in hell, repeatedly asking Abraham to “send” Lazarus to wait on him (cf. v. 24). The flames of hell do not atone for sin or purge hardened sinners from their depravity (cf. Rev. 22:11).
16:29 They have Moses and the prophets. I.e., the OT Scriptures.
16:31 neither will they be persuaded. This speaks powerfully of the singular sufficiency of Scripture
to overcome unbelief. The gospel itself is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16). Since unbelief is at heart a moral, rather than an intellectual, problem, no amount of evidences will ever turn unbelief to faith. But the revealed Word of God has inherent power to do so (cf. John 6:63; Heb. 4:12; James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23).
Luke 17
17:1 offenses. Lit. “snares.” See note on Matt. 18:7.
17:2 a millstone. Lit. “the millstone of a donkey.” See note on Matt. 18:6. little ones. Believers; God’s children who are under His care. See note on Matt. 18:5.
17:3 rebuke him. It is the Christian’s duty to deal straightforwardly with a brother or sister in sin. See note on Matt. 18:15.
17:4 seven times in a day. I.e., no matter how many times he sins and repents. See notes on Matt. 18:21, 22. The number 7 was not to set a limit on the number of times to forgive (cf. Ps. 119:164), but precisely the opposite. Christ meant that forgiveness should be granted unendingly (cf. Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13).
17:5 “Increase our faith.” Lit. “Give us more faith.” They felt inadequate in the face of the high standard He set for them.
17:6 faith as a mustard seed. See note on Matt. 17:20.
17:7–10 The point of this parable was that a servant should expect no special reward for doing what was his duty in the first place. The demanding standards Christ set (vv. 1–4) may have seemed too high to the disciples, but they represented only the minimal duties for a servant of Christ. Those who obey are not to think their obedience is meritorious.
17:10 unprofitable servants. I.e., not worthy of any special honor.
17:11 as He went to Jerusalem…through…Samaria and Galilee. Luke did not explain the reason for such a circuitous route, but a comparison of the gospels yields several clues. It appears that time elapsed between v. 10 and v. 11. The raising of Lazarus at Bethany, near Jerusalem (John 11) appears to fit into this timeframe. John 11:54 states that after raising Lazarus, to avoid the authorities who were seeking to kill Him, Christ went to “a city called Ephraim”—N of Jerusalem near the border of Samaria. From there He apparently traveled N through Samaria and Galilee one more time, possibly to join friends and family from Galilee who would be making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover. From there He would have traveled S by the conventional route, which would have brought Him through Jericho (18:35) to Jerusalem. See notes on 9:51; 13:22.
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 507
