Unpacking Luke 15:1-2: Love for the Lost

Context of Luke 15:1-2

The opening verses of Luke 15 set the stage for three powerful stories about lost things being found - all sparked by a simple, scandalous act: Jesus welcoming sinners and eating with them.

At the time, tax collectors were seen as traitors and thieves because they worked for the Roman government and often overcharged their own people. The Pharisees and scribes, who prided themselves on following God’s laws perfectly, believed that sharing a meal with such sinners was the same as approving their sin. To them, holiness meant staying separate from the unclean.

This tension reveals a core theme in Luke’s Gospel: God’s kingdom isn’t for the ‘good’ people who follow all the rules - it’s for the broken, the lost, and the left out, because Jesus came to seek and save those who are far from God.

The Scandal of Jesus' Welcome

Luke 15:1-2 captures a quiet but explosive moment: the religious leaders are upset not because Jesus taught something new, but because of who He allowed close - sinners drawing near, and Jesus not pushing them away.

The phrase 'drawing near' shows these outcasts were eager to listen, while 'grumbled' reveals the Pharisees’ deep disapproval - like a low mutter of disgust, the same word used when the Israelites rebelled against God in the wilderness. To them, holiness meant keeping distance, not sharing meals.

Jesus wasn’t just tolerating the outcasts - he was sharing meals with them, showing that God’s love reaches the very people others reject.

But Jesus’ act of receiving sinners - welcoming them, eating with them - was radical. In that culture, sharing a meal meant acceptance and fellowship. By doing this, Jesus showed that God’s kingdom isn’t about staying clean by avoiding sinners, but about bringing them home.

God's Heart for the Outsider

Luke 15 illustrates God's mission: seeking outsiders and challenging insiders.

The Pharisees saw holiness as separation, but Jesus reveals it as loving pursuit - God doesn't wait for the lost to clean themselves up before coming after them.

God's mission has always been to bring the lost home, not to keep score with the self-righteous.

And that same welcoming love is still at work today, inviting all of us - no matter our past - to come home.

Jesus and the Heart of God’s Mission

This scene in Luke 15 isn’t isolated - it connects directly to Jesus’ earlier words in Matthew 9:9-13, where He calls the tax collector Matthew and then dines with sinners, declaring, 'Go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.'

When the Pharisees objected to eating with sinners then, Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6 to show that God has always valued compassion over religious performance. Here in Luke 15, He’s living out that same principle - God’s kingdom grows not by exclusion, but by mercy that seeks the broken.

God's mission has always been to bring the lost home, not to keep score with the self-righteous.

These moments set the stage for the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son, all showing that God doesn’t wait for perfect people - He runs to the ones who know they’re lost.

Application