by Norman H. Patterson Jr.
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable... Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. ”
They Grumbled
I think the key to understanding Luke 15 starts in the first two verses.
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So He told them this parable…
Are there two groups of people here or just one? Or could Jesus perhaps be using irony? I mean, who doesn't need repentance?
All Means All
Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way.
Romans 3:9-12
All... are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."
Psalm 14:3
They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
Who Are You?
Could the 99 be in just as much need of a Savior as the 100th? Is the difference one knows it and the other doesn’t? Perhaps the real question is “In which group are you?”
