Salvation—Joy and Torment of God^[a]

Chapter 15

This Man Receives Sinners.^{[b] 1} Now the tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus, ² and the Pharisees and the scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

The Parable of the Lost Sheep.^{[c] 3} Therefore, he told them this parable: ⁴ “Which one of you, if you have a hundred sheep and lose one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he does find it, he lays it on his shoulders joyfully. ⁶ Then, when he returns home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.’ ⁷ In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin.^{[d] 8} “Or again, what woman who has ten silver coins^[e] and loses one will not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching thoroughly until she finds it? ⁹ And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I lost.’ ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

¹¹ The Parable of the Lost (or Prodigal) Son.^[f] Then he said: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that I will inherit.’ And so the father divided the property between them.

¹³ “A few days later the younger son gathered together everything he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissolute living. ¹⁴ When he had spent it all, a severe famine afflicted that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who sent him to his farm to feed the pigs.^{[g] 16} He would have willingly filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “Then he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more food than they can consume, while here I am, dying of hunger. ¹⁸ I will depart from this place and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me like one of your hired workers.” ’

²⁰ “So he set out for his father’s house. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. ²¹ Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly bring out the finest robe we have and put it on him. Place a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Then bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us celebrate with a feast. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and has come back to life. He was lost, and now he has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Now the elder son had been out in the fields, and as he returned and drew near the house, he could hear the sounds of music and dancing. ²⁶ He summoned one of the servants and inquired what all this meant. ²⁷ The servant replied, ‘Your brother has come home, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸ The elder son then became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him, ²⁹ but he said to his father in reply, ‘All these years I have worked like a slave for you, and I never once disobeyed your orders. Even so, you have never even given me a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours returns after wasting his inheritance from you on prostitutes, you kill the fatted calf for him.’

³¹ “Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are with me always, and everything I have is yours. ³² But it was only right that we should celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and now he has been found.’ ”