Luke 15:21

And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. AND THE SON SAID UNTO HIM, FATHER, I HAVE SINNED AGAINST HEAVEN, AND IN THY SIGHT, AND AM NO MORE WORTHY TO BE CALLED THY SON. This humiliating confession he might have spared, if his object had been mere re-admission to the advantages of the parental roof. But the case depicted is one in which such heartless selfishness has no place, and in which such a thought would be abhorred. No, this confession was uttered, as Trench well remarks, after the kiss of reconciliation....

21._Father, I have sinned against heaven. _Here is pointed out another branch of repentance, namely, such a conviction of sin as is accompanied by grief and shame. For he who is not grieved for having sinned, and whose offense is not placed before his eyes, will sooner attempt any thing than think of returning to the path of duty. Displeasure with sin must therefore go before repentance. And there is great emphasis in this expression, that the young man is said to have _come to _himself, as one whom the wanderings of wild desires had hurried away into forgetfulness of himself. And certainly so far astray are the impulses of the flesh, that any one who gives himself up to them may be said to have _gone out of himself_, and to have lost his senses. For this reason transgressors are commanded to _return to the heart_, (538) (Isaiah 46:8.

17-24 Having viewed the prodigal in his abject state of misery, we are next to consider his recovery from it. This begins by his coming to himself. That is a turning point in the sinner's conversion. The Lord opens his eyes, and convinces him of sin; then he views himself and every object, in a different light from what he did before. Thus the convinced sinner perceives that the meanest servant of God is happier than he is. To look unto God as a Father, and our Father, will be of great use in our repentance and return to him. The prodigal arose, nor stopped till he reached his home. Thus the repenting sinner resolutely quits the bondage of Satan and his lusts, and returns to God by prayer, notwithstanding fears and discouragements. The Lord meets him with unexpected tokens of his forgiving love. Again; the reception of the humbled sinner is like that of the prodigal. He is clothed in th...

Verse Luke 15:21. _Make me as one of thy hired servants_, is _added_ here by several MSS. and versions; but it is evident this has been added, merely to make his conduct agree with his resolution, Luke 15:19. But by this a very great beauty is lost: for the design of the inspired penman is to show, not merely the _depth_ of the profligate son's _repentance_, and the _sincerity_ of his _conversion_, but to show the _great affection of the father_, and his _readiness_ to _forgive_ his disobedient son. His tenderness of heart cannot _wait_ till the son has made his confession; his bowels yearn over him, and he _cuts short_ his tale of contrition and self-reproach, by giving him the most plenary assurances of his pardoning love....

EXPOSITION LUKE 15:1 The _Lord speaks his three parable-stories of the _"lost," _in which he explains his reason for loving and receiving the sinful._ LUKE 15:1, LUKE 15:2 THEN DREW NEAR UNTO HIM ALL THE PUBLICANS AND SINNERS FOR TO HEAR HIM. AND THE PHARISEES AND SCRIBES MURMURED, SAYING, THIS MAN RECEIVETH SINNERS, AND EATETH WITH THEM; more accurately rendered, _there were drawing near to him. _This was now, in the last stage of the final journey, the usual state of things. The great outside- class came in crowds to listen to Jesus. These were men and women who, through home and family associations,

AND THE SON SAID UNTO HIM, FATHER,.... Or "my father", as the Syriac version reads; and the Persic version adds, "pardon me": sin lay heavy on him, and he wanted a view and application of pardoning grace, though he seems to be prevented making this request by the kiss he received from his father: I HAVE SINNED AGAINST HEAVEN, AND IN THY SIGHT; this is what he determined to say, and was allowed to say, having a deep sense of his sin and vileness, and which was increased by the love and kindness his father had shown him. The phrase is Jewish; Luke 15:18 to which may be added, what is elsewhere said c, "what is the sense of that passage, Psalms 12:4 "who have said, with our tongues we will prevail?" c. it designs all the transgressions a man sins against earth and if...

This is a chapter that needs no explanation; it carries its key within itself, and the experience of every child of God is the best exposition of it. The three parables recorded here set forth the work of saving grace in different aspects. Luke 15:1. _Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them._ The Pharisees and scribes formed the outside ring of Christ's hearers, but the inner circle consisted of the guilty, the heavy-laden, and the lowly. They pressed as near to Christ as they could, that they might catch his every word; and besides, there was an attractiveness about his manner that drew them towards him. His mercy attracted their misery. They wanted him, and he desired them; they were thus well met. There will be an inner circle tonight when the

SINNED SIN (_ See Scofield) - (Romans 3:23). _...

LUKE 15:21 ui`o,j sou {A} While recognizing that several good manuscripts (a B D 700 _al_) combine to support the reading poi,hso,n me w`j e[na tw/n misqi,wn sou, the Committee thought it far more probable that the words were added (from ver. Luke 15:19) by punctilious scribes than omitted, either accidentally or deliberately....

CHAPTER 15 __ 1. The Murmuring Pharisees. (Luke 15:1) 2. The Parable of the Lost Sheep. (Luke 15:3) 3. The Parable of the Lost Coin. (Luke 15:8) 4. The Parable of the Prodigal Son and the Elder Brother. (Luke 15:11 .) Luke 15:1 A blessed climax of the teaching of our Lord as the Saviour and the friend of sinners is reached with this chapter, a chapter which the Saints of God have always loved and will always love. Here we find the completest illustration of the key text of Luke “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save t