Church Fathers Commentary Luke 15:1-7

"Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him to hear him. And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake unto them this parable, saying, What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and his neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, [more] than over ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance." — Luke 15:1-7 (ASV)

St. Ambrose of Milan: You had learned from what came before not to be preoccupied with the business of this world or to prefer transitory things to eternal ones. But because human frailty cannot keep a firm step in such a slippery world, the good Physician has shown you a remedy even for when you fall. The merciful Judge has not denied the hope of pardon, which is why the Gospel adds, Then drew near to him all the publicans.

Glossa Ordinaria: This refers to those who collect or farm the public taxes, and who make a business of pursuing worldly gain.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For this was His custom—the very reason He had taken on the flesh—to receive sinners just as a physician receives the sick. But the Pharisees, who were the truly guilty ones, murmured in return for this act of mercy, as it follows: And the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying...

St. Gregory the Great: From this we may gather that true justice feels compassion, while false justice feels scorn, even though the just are rightly accustomed to repel sinners. But one action proceeds from the swelling of pride, and another from a zeal for discipline. For the just, while outwardly they do not spare rebukes for the sake of discipline, inwardly cherish the sweetness of charity. In their own minds they place those whom they correct above themselves, by which means they keep their flock in line through discipline, and themselves in line through humility.

On the contrary, those who pride themselves on a false justice despise all others and never condescend in mercy to the weak. Thinking themselves not to be sinners, they are all the worse for it. Such were the Pharisees, who, in condemning our Lord for receiving sinners, with parched hearts reviled the very fountain of mercy.

But because they were so sick that they did not recognize their own sickness, the heavenly Physician answers them with gentle remedies so that they might know what they were. For it follows, And he spoke this parable to them, saying, “What man of you having a hundred sheep, and if he lose one of them, does not go after it...” He gave a comparison that a person could recognize in himself, though it referred to the Creator of humanity. For since one hundred is a perfect number, He Himself had a hundred sheep, seeing that He possessed the nature of the holy angels and of men. For this reason, He adds, Having a hundred sheep.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: From this we can understand the extent of our Savior’s kingdom. For He says there are a hundred sheep, bringing to a perfect sum the number of rational creatures subject to Him. The number one hundred is perfect, being composed of ten decades. But out of these, one has wandered: namely, the human race which inhabits the earth.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Rich, then, is that Shepherd of whom we all are the hundredth part. This is why it follows, And if he lose one of them, does he not leave...

St. Gregory the Great: One sheep, then, perished when humanity, by sinning, left the pastures of life. But the ninety-nine remained in the wilderness, because the number of rational creatures—that is, of Angels and men who were formed to see God—was lessened when humanity perished. This is why it follows, Does he not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness... for in truth, He left the companies of Angels in heaven. Humanity forsook heaven when it sinned. And so that the whole flock of sheep might be made perfectly complete again in heaven, the lost one was sought for on earth, as it says, And go after that...

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But was He then angry with the rest, and moved by kindness toward only one? By no means. For they are in safety, defended by the right hand of the Most Mighty. It was fitting for Him, rather, to pity the one that was perishing, so that the total number would not remain imperfect. For when the one is brought back, the flock of one hundred regains its proper form.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, He spoke of those ninety-nine whom He left in the wilderness to signify the proud, who bear a kind of solitude in their minds because they wish to stand apart by themselves, lacking the unity needed for perfection. For when a person is torn from unity, it is by pride. Desiring to be his own master, he does not follow the One who is God. But God directs all who are reconciled by repentance—which is obtained through humility—back to that One.

Gregory of Nyssa: But when the shepherd found the sheep, he did not punish it; he did not drive it back to the flock. Instead, by placing it upon his shoulders and carrying it gently, he reunited it with his flock. This is why it says, And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

St. Gregory the Great: He placed the sheep upon His shoulders because, by taking human nature upon Himself, He bore our sins. But having found the sheep, He returns home; for our Shepherd, having restored humanity, returns to His heavenly kingdom. This is why it follows, And coming home he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ By His friends and neighbors, He means the companies of Angels. They are His friends because they keep His will in their steadfastness, and they are His neighbors because, by constantly attending to Him, they enjoy the brightness of His presence.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The heavenly powers are thus called sheep because every created nature, when compared with God, is like the beasts. But because they are rational, they are called friends and neighbors.

St. Gregory the Great: We must observe that He does not say, “Rejoice with the sheep that is found,” but “with me,” because truly our life is His joy, and when we are brought home to heaven, we complete the celebration of His joy.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Now the angels, since they are intelligent beings, rejoice with good reason at the redemption of humanity, as it is written: I say to you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance. Let this serve as an incentive to goodness, so that a person may believe that his conversion will be pleasing to the assembled angels, whose favor he ought to seek and whose displeasure he ought to fear.

St. Gregory the Great: He states that there is more joy in heaven over the converted sinner than over the just who remain steadfast. This is because the just, for the most part, do not feel oppressed by the weight of their sins. They indeed stand in the way of righteousness, but they still do not anxiously long for the heavenly country and are frequently slow to perform good works, confident that they have committed no grievous sins.

On the other hand, those who remember certain iniquities they have committed are sometimes pricked to the heart and, from their very grief, become inflamed with love for God. Because they recognize they have wandered from God, they make up for their former losses with subsequent gains.

Therefore, the joy in heaven is greater, just as a battle commander loves the soldier who, after turning from flight, bravely pursues the enemy more than the one who never turned his back but also never performed a brave act. Likewise, a farmer loves the land that, after bearing thorns, yields abundant fruit more than the land that never had thorns but never produced a plentiful crop.

However, we must be aware that there are very many just people in whose lives there is so much joy that no penitence of even the greatest sinners can be preferred to them. From this we can understand what great joy it causes God when a just person humbly mourns, if it already produces joy in heaven when an unrighteous person, through repentance, condemns the evil he has done.