8 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? 9 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. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Luke 15:8-10 KJV)
William Burkitt’s Commentary
The scope of this parable is the same with the former.
1. To express the joy that is found with God and his holy angels, at the recovery and conversion of a notorious sinner.
2. To justify Christ in conversing with such sinners in order to their repentance and conversion, from the malicious reflections of the Pharisees made upon our Saviour for so doing: the sense of the words seems to be this, “If you do all justify the diligence and care of a woman, using all possible means to recover the loss of a piece of silver that has Caesar’s image upon it, why (might our Saviour say) will you Pharisees censure and condemn me for seeking to recover and save lost sinners, that have the image of an holy God instamped upon them?”
Learn hence,
1. That the conversion of a sinner from a course and state of sin and wickedness, is highly acceptable and pleasing unto God.
2. That it is reasonable to suppose, that the holy angels in heaven do conceive a new joy at the notice and news of a sinner’s repentance and conversion unto God: how the angels come by this knowledge, whether by virtue of their ministry here below, or whether God is pleased to reveal it to them above, as a thing extremely welcome and delightful to good spirits, it is neither material to enquire, nor possible to determine. But their happiness not being intensively infinite, it is certain that they may be happier than they are.
Note 3. That God is not only willing to receive and embrace returning and repenting sinners, but the news of their repentance is entertained with so much joy in heaven, that if it be possible for the blessed inhabitants of that place to have any thing added to their happiness, this will be a new accession to it: for though the happiness of God himself be intensively infinite, and can have nothing added to it; yet the happiness of angels and glorified spirits being but finite, is capable of addition: and as their knowledge and love do increase, so their felicity may be growing and improving to all eternity; so that it is reasonable enough to suppose that there is really joy among the angels and spirits of just men made perfect, over every sinner that repenteth.
BURKITT | Luke 15:1-2 | Luke 15:3-7 | Luke 15:8-10 | Luke 15:11-24 | Luke 15:25-32 |