Luke 15:3

Study note

Setting — Jesus speaks to the Pharisees and scribes immediately after they grumble about his willingness to welcome and eat with sinners. He introduces a parable to directly address their criticism.

The words — The Greek verb εἶπεν (eipen) means "he spoke," paired with παραβολὴν (parabolēn), literally "parable." The connective δὲ (de) functions as a narrative marker meaning "then."

The thread — Jesus uses this parable structure to frame teaching through comparison, a method he repeats in Luke 8:4 and Matthew 13:34. The pattern of introducing a parable before delivering its content appears consistently in his ministry accounts.

Why it lands — The text places a direct challenge to religious exclusivity before the parable begins. It requires the reader to examine whether their own standards for community and purity align with the speaker’s actions.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.