Luke 15–16

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15All ^jthe tax collectors ^kand sinners were approaching to listen to Him. ²And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners ^land eats with them!”

³So He told them this parable: ^m4“What man among you, who has 100 sheep and loses one of them, ⁿdoes not leave the 99 in the open field ^oand go after the lost one until he finds it? ⁵When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, ⁶and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’ ⁷I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven ^pover one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don’t need repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸“Or what woman who has 10 silver coins, ^qif she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹When she finds it, she calls her women friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the silver coin I lost!’ ¹⁰I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels ^rover one sinner who repents.”

The Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹He also said: “A man had two sons. ¹²The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets ^sto them. ¹³Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered ^this estate in foolish living. ^u14After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing. ^v15Then he went to work for ^wone of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. ^x16He longed to eat his fill from ^ythe carob pods ^zthe pigs were eating, but no one would give him any. ¹⁷When he came to his senses, ^ahe said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger! ^b18I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, Father, I have sinned ^cagainst heaven ^dand in your sight. ¹⁹I’m no longer worthy ^eto be called your son. Make me like one of your hired hands.’ ²⁰So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. ^fHe ran, threw his arms around his neck, ^gand kissed ^hhim. ²¹The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²²“But the father told his ^•slaves, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe ⁱand put it on him; put a ring ^jon his finger ^kand sandals ^lon his feet. ²³Then bring the fattened calf ^mand slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, ²⁴because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; ⁿhe was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.

²⁵“Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he summoned one of the servants and asked what these things meant. ²⁷‘Your brother is here,’ he told him, ‘and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ ^o

²⁸“Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him. ²⁹But he replied to his father, ‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets ^pwith prostitutes, ^qyou slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’

³¹“ ‘Son,’ ^rhe said to him, ‘you are always with me, ^sand everything I have is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

16He also said to the disciples: “There was a rich ^tman who received an accusation that his manager ^uwas squandering ^vhis possessions. ²So he called the manager in and asked, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, ^wbecause you can no longer be my manager.’

³“Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig; I’m ashamed to beg. ⁴I know what I’ll do so that when I’m removed from management, people will welcome me into their homes.’

⁵“So he summoned each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first one.

⁶“ ‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he said.

“ ‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘sit down quickly, and write 50.’

⁷“Next he asked another, ‘How much do you owe?’

“ ‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he said.

“ ‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘and write 80.’

⁸“The master praised the unrighteous manager ^xbecause he had acted astutely. For the sons of this age ^yare more astute than the sons of light ^zin dealing with their own people. ^a9And I tell you, make friends ^bfor yourselves by means of the unrighteous money ^cso that when it fails, ^dthey may welcome you into eternal dwellings. ¹⁰Whoever is faithful ^ein very little ^fis also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. ¹¹So if you have not been faithful with the unrighteous money, who will trust you with what is genuine? ¹²And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own? ¹³No ^ghousehold slave can be the ^•slave of two masters, since either he will hate ^hone and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t be slaves to both God and money.”

Kingdom Values

¹⁴The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, ⁱwere listening to all these things and scoffing ^jat Him. ¹⁵And He told them: “You are the ones who justify ^kyourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts. ^lFor what is highly admired by people is revolting ^min God’s sight.

¹⁶“The ⁿLaw and the Prophets ^owere ^puntil John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God ^qhas been proclaimed, and everyone is strongly urged to enter it. ^r17But it is easier ^sfor heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to drop out.

¹⁸“Everyone ^twho divorces ^uhis wife and marries another woman commits adultery, ^vand everyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹“There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, ^wfeasting lavishly every day. ²⁰But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was left at his gate. ^x21He longed to be filled ^ywith what fell from the rich man’s table, ^zbut instead the dogs ^awould come and lick his sores. ²²One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. ^bcThe rich man also died and was buried. ²³And being in torment ^din ^•Hades, ^ehe looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. ²⁴‘Father Abraham!’ ^fhe called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony ^gin this flame!’

²⁵“ ‘Son,’ ^hAbraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, ⁱjust as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, ^jwhile you are in agony. ²⁶Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’

²⁷“ ‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸because I have five brothers—to warn ^kthem, so they won’t also come to this place of torment.’

²⁹“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; ^lthey should listen to them.’

³⁰“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

³¹“But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’ ” ^m