He told them this parable.
Parallel translations
- KJV And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
- BSB Then Jesus told them this parable:
- NKJV So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
- NASB And so He told them this parable, saying,
- NLT So Jesus told them this story:
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus responds with a parable. He answers their grumbling by revealing God's heart for the lost.
Overview
The single 'parable' introduces the three linked stories of chapter 15 (the lost sheep, coin, and son). Jesus does not defend Himself with argument but with pictures of seeking, finding, and rejoicing love. The parables expose the Pharisees' coldness and display the joy of God over repentant sinners.
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 15:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.