Luke Chapter 15
Showing all 32 verses for Luke Chapter 15.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. "
"Tax collectors and people with bad reputations kept coming close to listen to Jesus."
I speak as Jesus - People others have written off are the ones I want near me. If you've ever felt you don't belong somewhere because of your past or your mistakes, know that's exactly the kind of person I go looking for, not push away.
"And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. "
"The religious leaders grumbled, saying Jesus welcomes disreputable people and even shares meals with them."
I speak as Jesus - Eating with someone is one of the simplest acts of respect there is, and I use it deliberately to say: you're not beneath me. Don't wait for someone to clean up their life before you treat them as worth your time.
"And he spake this parable unto them, saying, "
"So Jesus told them this story."
I speak as Jesus - When people challenge you unfairly, you don't always have to fight back with logic alone. Sometimes the better answer is a story that lets people see the truth for themselves.
"What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? "
"Jesus asks: if any of you had a hundred sheep and lost one, wouldn't you leave the other ninety-nine out in open country and go looking for the lost one until you found it?"
I speak as Jesus - I don't calculate whether you're worth the effort. If you're the one who has wandered off, that's reason enough for me to come looking, not a reason to give up on you.
"And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. "
"When he finds it, he happily lifts it onto his shoulders and carries it."
I speak as Jesus - When you come back to me, I don't make you walk the hard road alone or make you feel guilty the whole way. I carry the weight with you and I'm glad to do it.
"And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. "
"When he gets home, he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, "Celebrate with me - I found my lost sheep.""
I speak as Jesus - Your comeback isn't just your business - it's worth throwing a party over, together with the people who care about you. Don't be ashamed to let others celebrate with you when things turn around.
"I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. "
"Jesus says: I tell you, there's more joy in heaven over one wrongdoer who changes course than over ninety-nine people who think they're already fine and don't need to."
I speak as Jesus - Turning your life around, even late, even messily, means more to me than quiet self-satisfaction ever will. Don't assume you're too far gone to be worth celebrating, and don't assume you're too good to need to change.
"Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? "
"Or think of a woman with ten silver coins - if she loses one, doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the whole house, and search carefully until she finds it?"
I speak as Jesus - I use everyday, relatable pictures, not just grand religious language, because I want everyone, not just the powerful or educated, to see themselves in these stories and know they matter.
"And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. "
"When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, "Celebrate with me - I found the coin I lost.""
I speak as Jesus - Notice how consistently I tell this same story of joy at being found - it's not a one-off feeling, it's the constant pattern of how I respond to you coming back.
"Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. "
"Jesus says: in the same way, I tell you, there is joy among God's angels over a single wrongdoer who changes direction."
I speak as Jesus - Never think your change of heart goes unnoticed or is too small to matter. Even one person deciding to live differently causes real celebration where it counts.
"And he said, A certain man had two sons: "
"Jesus said: There was a man who had two sons."
I speak as Jesus - I'm about to give you the fullest picture I offer of what it's like to come home to someone who loves you without condition. Stay with the story - it's for both the ones who wander and the ones who stay.
"And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. "
"The younger son said to his father, "Give me my share of the inheritance now." So the father divided his property between the two sons."
I speak as Jesus - I don't force anyone to stay close to me or trap them out of fear. I let people choose their own path, even when I can see it will hurt them, because love that isn't freely chosen isn't really love.
"And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. "
"Not long after, the younger son packed up everything he had, travelled to a distant country, and wasted all his money on wild, reckless living."
I speak as Jesus - I'm honest about how quickly freedom without any anchor can turn into emptiness. If you're chasing a life with no boundaries at all, I'm not judging you for wanting freedom, I'm warning you where it can lead.
"And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. "
"After he'd spent everything, a severe famine hit that region, and he began to go without."
I speak as Jesus - Hard circumstances often arrive right when we're already at our weakest, and that's not a punishment, it's simply how life sometimes goes. What matters is what you do next, not how low you fell.
"And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. "
"So he went and attached himself to a local man, who sent him out to his fields to look after pigs."
I speak as Jesus - I understand there are moments people end up doing things they never imagined, just to survive. That doesn't define your worth to me - it's often exactly the low point that turns someone back towards home.
"And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. "
"He was so hungry he wanted to eat the pig feed himself, and no one gave him anything."
I speak as Jesus - Sometimes it takes hitting an absolute low before we're honest with ourselves about the choices we've made. I'm not far away in those moments - that's often exactly when people start finding their way back to me.
"And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! "
"Finally he came to his senses and said, "My father's hired workers have more than enough food, and here I am starving!""
I speak as Jesus - Real change starts with an honest look at where you actually are, not where your pride tells you that you are. The moment you stop making excuses is the moment you can start moving towards something better.
"I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, "
"He said, "I'll get up and go back to my father, and I'll say to him, 'Father, I've done wrong against God and against you.'""
I speak as Jesus - Coming back to me doesn't need elaborate speeches or bargaining, just honesty about what you got wrong. That plain, undecorated truth is always enough to start again.
"And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. "
""I'm no longer worthy to be called your son - just let me be one of your hired workers.""
I speak as Jesus - You might think you've disqualified yourself from ever being fully welcomed back, and I want you to know your low expectations of me are always wrong. I give more than you dare to ask for.
"And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. "
"So he got up and went to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him, felt overwhelming love for him, ran to him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him."
I speak as Jesus - I don't wait for you to grovel or explain yourself before I welcome you - I run to meet you the moment you turn towards me, however far off you still are. My response to you coming back will always outrun your fear of it.
"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. "
"The son said to him, "Father, I've sinned against God and against you - I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.""
I speak as Jesus - Being honest about where you've gone wrong still matters, even after you know you're loved. Confession isn't about earning acceptance, it's about being real with the one who already accepts you.
"But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: "
"But the father said to his servants, "Quick, bring the best robe and put it on him, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.""
I speak as Jesus - When you come back to me, I don't give you a diminished version of belonging - I restore you completely, with full dignity, not on probation. Don't accept a lesser status for yourself than the one I'm offering.
"And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: "
""And bring the fattened calf and kill it - let's have a feast and celebrate!""
I speak as Jesus - Your return isn't something I tolerate quietly - it's something worth throwing everything into celebrating. Let yourself receive that kind of joy rather than assuming you should slip back in unnoticed.
"For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. "
""Because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and now he's found." And the celebration began."
I speak as Jesus - However dead a part of your life might feel right now, coming back is never too late for me to call it new life. I don't measure you by your worst chapter - I celebrate the fact that you're here now.
"Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. "
"Meanwhile, the older son was out working in the field. As he came near the house, he heard music and dancing."
I speak as Jesus - I know this story isn't only for the ones who wandered off - it's also for the ones who stayed and did everything right and might now feel overlooked. I see your faithfulness too, and what comes next is for you as much as for your brother.
"And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. "
"He called one of the servants over and asked what was going on."
I speak as Jesus - It's fair to want to understand what's going on before reacting - asking questions rather than assuming is always wiser than jumping straight to anger.
"And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. "
"The servant told him, "Your brother is back, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he's got him home safe and sound.""
I speak as Jesus - Notice how easily good news reaches some people as pure joy while others receive the very same news with resentment - the difference isn't the news itself, it's what's already going on in the heart that hears it.
"And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. "
"The older son was furious and refused to go inside, so his father came out and pleaded with him."
I speak as Jesus - I come looking for you whether you've wandered far away or you're standing right at the door, seething, refusing to come in. Anger and resentment don't put you beyond my reach any more than rebellion does.
"And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: "
"He answered his father, "Look, all these years I've worked for you and never once disobeyed you, and you never even gave me a young goat to celebrate with my friends!""
I speak as Jesus - If following the right rules has left you feeling resentful rather than joyful, it might be a sign you've slipped into serving out of duty rather than living out of love. I want you close to me as a son or daughter, not as an employee counting up what's owed.
"But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. "
""But the moment this son of yours came back, the one who wasted your money on prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!""
I speak as Jesus - Resentment has a way of making us distance ourselves from the very people we're related to, and even exaggerate their faults in our minds. I'd rather you called him brother, however he's failed, than let bitterness cut the tie.
"And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. "
"The father said to him, "My son, you're always with me, and everything I have is already yours.""
I speak as Jesus - If you've been staying close to me out of duty, hear this: you were never in competition with anyone else for my love, and nothing was ever being kept from you. Everything I have has been yours all along - you just need to actually enjoy it.
"It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. "
""But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and now he's found.""
I speak as Jesus - I'm leaving this story unfinished on purpose, because the ending depends on you. Will you let resentment keep you standing outside, or will you come in and celebrate that someone you love has found their way back?