Luke 15
New Catholic Bible
Salvation—Joy and Torment of God[a]
Chapter 15
This Man Receives Sinners.[b] 1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus, 2 and the Pharisees and the scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
The Parable of the Lost Sheep.[c] 3 Therefore, he told them this parable: 4 “Which one of you, if you have a hundred sheep and lose one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he does find it, he lays it on his shoulders joyfully. 6 Then, when he returns home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.
The Parable of the Lost Coin.[d] 8 “Or again, what woman who has ten silver coins[e] and loses one will not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching thoroughly until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I lost.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
11 The Parable of the Lost (or Prodigal) Son.[f] Then he said: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that I will inherit.’ And so the father divided the property between them.
13 “A few days later the younger son gathered together everything he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissolute living. 14 When he had spent it all, a severe famine afflicted that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who sent him to his farm to feed the pigs.[g] 16 He would have willingly filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “Then he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more food than they can consume, while here I am, dying of hunger. 18 I will depart from this place and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me like one of your hired workers.” ’
20 “So he set out for his father’s house. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly bring out the finest robe we have and put it on him. Place a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Then bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us celebrate with a feast. 24 For this son of mine was dead and has come back to life. He was lost, and now he has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now the elder son had been out in the fields, and as he returned and drew near the house, he could hear the sounds of music and dancing. 26 He summoned one of the servants and inquired what all this meant. 27 The servant replied, ‘Your brother has come home, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 The elder son then became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him, 29 but he said to his father in reply, ‘All these years I have worked like a slave for you, and I never once disobeyed your orders. Even so, you have never even given me a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours returns after wasting his inheritance from you on prostitutes, you kill the fatted calf for him.’
31 “Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are with me always, and everything I have is yours. 32 But it was only right that we should celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and now he has been found.’ ”
Footnotes
- Luke 15:1 These three joyous parables of Luke’s Gospel disclose the sentiments that the Father and Jesus have toward human beings. God is untiringly concerned for those who are far off, the sinners or unbelievers. His joy is to seek out and find those who are lost. This desire and this joy of God are revealed to us in the comportment of Christ himself toward sinners. In turn, the Church must trust in the mercy of God and must seek out and welcome those who seem far away. May she always bear witness to the value that human beings have in the eyes of God.
- Luke 15:1 In the name of God’s love for sinners, Jesus overthrows several customs of his day. He refuses to accept the attitudes held by well-regarded religious figures: scorn toward others and smugness in their own self-sufficiency.
- Luke 15:3 The parable of the lost sheep pushes antithesis to the extreme so that persons may never doubt God’s tenderness for them.
- Luke 15:8 The parable of the lost coin demonstrates what a great contrast there is between the joy of heaven and the disdain of the Pharisees and the so-called clean!
- Luke 15:8 Coins: literally, “drachmas,” a drachma being the Greek coin corresponding to the Roman denarius, a laborer’s daily wage.
- Luke 15:11 The parable of the prodigal son, one of the most enchanting stories of Jesus, completes the two preceding parables. It is God who awaits sinners, and it is humanity that is encouraged to seek God. We recognize in it all the misery of sin: abandonment, solitude, and distress. The parable describes the path to conversion and finally the great certitude of the believer: beyond all human hope, God harbors for every person the unfailing affection of a father for his child. He awaits the child and welcomes it joyously. It is easy to see in the discontent of the elder son the anger of the Pharisees at the welcome Jesus gives to sinners.
- Luke 15:15 Pigs: unclean animals for the Jews.
Lucas 15
La Biblia de las Américas
Parábola de la oveja perdida
15 Todos los recaudadores de impuestos[a](A) y los pecadores se acercaban a Jesús[b] para oírle; 2 y los fariseos y los escribas murmuraban, diciendo: Este recibe a los pecadores y come con ellos(B).
3 Entonces Él les refirió esta parábola, diciendo: 4 ¿(C)Qué hombre de vosotros, si tiene cien ovejas y una de ellas se pierde, no deja las noventa y nueve en el campo[c] y va tras la que está perdida hasta que la halla? 5 Al encontrarla, la pone sobre sus hombros, gozoso; 6 y cuando llega a su casa, reúne a los amigos y a los vecinos, diciéndoles: «Alegraos conmigo, porque he hallado mi oveja que se había perdido». 7 Os digo que de la misma manera, habrá más gozo en el cielo por un pecador que se arrepiente que por noventa y nueve justos que no necesitan arrepentimiento.
Parábola de la moneda perdida
8 ¿O qué mujer, si tiene diez monedas de plata[d] y pierde una moneda, no enciende una lámpara y barre la casa y busca con cuidado hasta hallarla? 9 Cuando la encuentra, reúne a las amigas y vecinas, diciendo: «Alegraos conmigo porque he hallado la moneda que había perdido». 10 De la misma manera, os digo, hay gozo en la presencia de los ángeles de Dios por un pecador que se arrepiente(D).
Parábola del hijo pródigo
11 Y Jesús dijo: Cierto hombre tenía dos hijos; 12 y el menor de ellos le dijo al padre: «Padre, dame la parte de la hacienda que me corresponde(E)». Y él les repartió sus bienes[e](F). 13 No muchos días después, el hijo menor, juntándolo todo, partió a un país lejano, y allí malgastó su hacienda viviendo perdidamente. 14 Cuando lo había gastado todo, vino una gran hambre en aquel país, y comenzó a pasar necesidad. 15 Entonces fue y se acercó[f] a uno de los ciudadanos de aquel país, y él lo mandó a sus campos a apacentar cerdos. 16 Y deseaba llenarse el estómago[g] de[h] las algarrobas que comían los cerdos, pero nadie le daba nada. 17 Entonces, volviendo en sí, dijo: «¡Cuántos de los trabajadores de mi padre tienen pan de sobra, pero yo aquí perezco de hambre! 18 Me levantaré e iré a mi padre, y le diré: “Padre, he pecado contra el cielo y ante ti; 19 ya no soy digno de ser llamado hijo tuyo; hazme como uno de tus trabajadores”». 20 Y levantándose, fue a su padre. Y cuando todavía estaba lejos, su padre lo vio y sintió compasión por él, y corrió, se echó sobre su cuello y lo besó[i](G). 21 Y el hijo le dijo: «Padre, he pecado contra el cielo y ante ti; ya no soy digno de ser llamado hijo tuyo[j]». 22 Pero el padre dijo a sus siervos: «Pronto; traed la mejor ropa y vestidlo(H), y poned un anillo en su mano(I) y sandalias en los pies; 23 y traed el becerro engordado, matadlo, y comamos y regocijémonos; 24 porque este hijo mío estaba muerto y ha vuelto a la vida; estaba perdido y ha sido hallado(J)». Y comenzaron a regocijarse. 25 Y su hijo mayor estaba en el campo, y cuando vino y se acercó a la casa, oyó música y danzas. 26 Y llamando a uno de los criados, le preguntó qué era todo aquello. 27 Y él le dijo: «Tu hermano ha venido, y tu padre ha matado el becerro engordado porque lo ha recibido sano y salvo». 28 Entonces él se enojó y no quería entrar. Salió su padre y le rogaba que entrara. 29 Pero respondiendo él, le dijo al padre: «Mira, por tantos años te he servido y nunca he desobedecido ninguna orden tuya, y sin embargo, nunca me has dado un cabrito para regocijarme con mis amigos; 30 pero cuando vino este hijo tuyo, que ha consumido tus bienes[k] con rameras(K), mataste para él el becerro engordado». 31 Y él le dijo: «Hijo mío, tú siempre has estado[l] conmigo, y todo lo mío es tuyo. 32 Pero era necesario hacer fiesta y regocijarnos, porque este, tu hermano, estaba muerto y ha vuelto a la vida; estaba perdido y ha sido hallado(L)».
Footnotes
- Lucas 15:1 O, publicanos; i.e., los que explotaban la recaudación de los impuestos romanos
- Lucas 15:1 Lit., El
- Lucas 15:4 Lit., desierto
- Lucas 15:8 Gr., dracmas; una dracma equivalía al salario de un día
- Lucas 15:12 Lit., los medios de vida
- Lucas 15:15 Lit., se unió
- Lucas 15:16 Lit., vientre
- Lucas 15:16 Muchos mss. antiguos dicen: deseaba saciarse de
- Lucas 15:20 Lit., lo besó una y otra vez
- Lucas 15:21 Algunos mss. antiguos agregan: Hazme como uno de tus trabajadores
- Lucas 15:30 Lit., tus medios de vida
- Lucas 15:31 Lit., estás
