Lost Sheep, Lost Coin & the Prodigal Son
When the Pharisees and scribes murmur that he receives sinners and eats with them, Jesus answers with three parables of the lost and found: a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine and goes into the wilderness after the one, a woman who lights a candle and sweeps until she finds her lost coin, and a father who runs to meet a son who was dead and is alive again. For there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.
Note. These three parables are Luke’s alone; there is no Synoptic or John parallel (Matthew’s shorter lost sheep stands separately, at Matthew 18:12–14). Joseph Smith made this chapter the text of his great teaching on how to read a parable (find the question that drew it out) in a discourse of January 29, 1843.
? How to read this edition
The reading is the Joseph Smith Translation, in the text of the Covenant Christian Edition, carried beside each Gospel and set against the King James baseline. Headers give both numbering systems: the CCE chapter and verse, and the traditional KJV reference.
Each movement Joseph discusses carries a JS link down to his letter; the letter carries a roman-numeral link back up to the movement.
The publicans and sinners draw near to hear him, and the Pharisees and scribes murmur: “This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.” That complaint is the question the three parables answer.
1Then drew near unto him all many of the publicans and sinners in order to hear him. 2And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them.
A man with a hundred sheep loses one and leaves the ninety-nine to go into the wilderness after it, and when he finds it he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing; for there is more joy in heaven over one sinner that repents than over ninety-nine who need no repentance.
3And he spoke this parable unto them, saying, 4What man of you having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine and go into the wilderness after that which is lost until he find it? 5And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7I say unto you that likewise, joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety-nine just people who need no repentance.
A woman with ten pieces of silver loses one and lights a candle, sweeps the house, and seeks diligently until she finds it, and calls her friends to rejoice; so there is joy among the angels of God over one sinner that repents.
8Either, what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, does not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she find it? 9And when she has found it, she calls her friends and her neighbours friends and neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
The younger son takes his portion, wastes it in a far country, and comes to want, feeding swine and longing for their husks. Coming to himself, he resolves to return to his father as a hired servant, no more worthy to be called a son.
11And he said, A certain man had two sons, 12and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods which falls to me. And he divided unto them him his possessions. 13And 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. 14And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land and he began to be in lack. 15And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16And he would gladly have filled his belly with the husks which the swine did eat, and no man gave unto him. 17And 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? 18I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you, 19and am no more worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired servants.
While the son is yet a great way off, the father sees him, runs, falls on his neck, and kisses him; and over the son’s confession he calls for the best robe, a ring, shoes, and the fattened calf. For this my son was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found.
20And he arose and came to his father. And 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. 21And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and in your sight, and am no more worthy to be called your son. 22But the father said unto his servants, Bring forth the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his finger, and shoes on his feet, 23and bring here the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. 24For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.
The elder son, coming from the field, hears the music and is angry, and will not go in. His father comes out and entreats him; but he protests his years of service and the kid never given him. The father answers: Son, you are ever with me, and all I have is yours; it was meet that we should be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again.
25Now his elder son was in the field and, as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27And he said unto him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him safe and sound. 28And he was angry and would not go in. Therefore came his father out and entreated him. 29And he answering said to his father, Behold, these many years do I serve you, neither transgressed I at any time your commandment, and you never gave me a kid that I might make merry with my friends; 30but as soon as this your son had come, who has devoured your possessions with harlots, you have killed for him the fattened calf. 31And he said unto him, Son, you are ever with me, and all I have is yours. 32It was meet that we should make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found.
The Key That Unlocks the Parable
Rejoice over the Returning Prodigal
Joseph Smith is not expounding the parable here. The letter is shown because in it he does what the father in the parable does. William W. Phelps had turned against him in Missouri in 1838, and in June 1840 he wrote asking to be forgiven. Joseph answered from Nauvoo with forgiveness, the church received Phelps back by a unanimous vote, and the letter welcomes him as the returning prodigal.
Letter to William W. Phelps, 22 July 1840, Nauvoo, Illinois · Joseph Smith Letterbook 2, p. 158 (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 166) · Joseph Smith Papers ↗…However the cup has been drunk, the will of our heavenly Father has been done, and we are yet alive for which we thank the Lord. And having been delivered from the hands of wicked men by the mercy of our God, we say it is your privilidge to be delivered from the power of the Adversary— be brought into the liberty of God’s dear children, and again take your stand among the saints of the Most High, and by diligence humility and love unfeigned, commend yourself to our God and your God and to the church of Jesus Christ Believing your confession to be real and your repentance genuine, I shall be happy once again to give you the right hand of fellowship, and rejoice over the returning prodigal.
Your letter was read to the saints last sunday and an expression of their feeling was taken, when it was unanimously resolved that W. W. Phelps should be received into fellowship. “Come on dear Brother since the war is past, For friends at first are friends again at last.” Yours as Ever Joseph Smith Jr
What Drew the Saying Out of Jesus
Joseph Smith made this chapter the text of his great statement on how to read a parable: not to “interpret” it, but to find the question or the occasion that drew it out. The key here is the murmuring of verse 2 (“This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them”), which unlocks all three parables of the lost at once. The History’s text, given here, stops at the lost coin. Switch to “Scribal accounts” for Willard Richards’s notes in Joseph’s journal, which go on through the two sons and the elder brother, and for William Clayton’s one-line summary of the sermon.
Discourse, 29 January 1843, Nauvoo, Illinois · reported by Willard Richards (History of the Church 5:260–262; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 276–278) · Joseph Smith Papers ↗Also recorded in Willard Richards’s report; JS’s journal; the Nauvoo history draft.
In reference to the Prodigal Son, I said it was a subject I had never dwelt upon, that it was understood by many to be one of the intricate subjects of the Scriptures, and even the Elders of this Church have preached largely upon it, without having any rule of interpretation, What is the rule of Interpretation? Just no interpretation at all; Understand it, precisely as it reads. I have a key by which I understand the Scriptures. I enquire what was the question which drew out the answer or caused Jesus to utter the parable. It is not national, it does not refer to Abraham, Israel, or the Gentiles, in a national capacity as some supposed. To ascertain its meaning, we must dig up the root, and ascertain what it was that drew the saying out of Jesus.
while Jesus was teaching the people, all the publicans and sinners drew near to hear him, and the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying “this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.” This is the key word which unlocks the parable of the Prodigal Son. It was given to answer the murmurings and questionings of the Saducees and Pharisees who were querying, finding fault, and saying, how is it that this man as great as he pretends to be, eats with Publicans and Sinners; Jesus was not put to it so, but he could have found something to illustrate his subject if he had designed it for a nation or nations; but he did not, it was for men in an individual capacity, and all straining on this point is a bubble. “This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them” And he spake this parable unto them,
“what man of you having a 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? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 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. 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.
The hundred sheep represent one—— hundred Saducees and Pharisees, as though Jesus had said. If you Saducees and Pharisees are in the Sheepfold, I have no mission for you, I am sent to look up Sheep that are lost, and when I have found them I will back them up and make joy in heaven. This represents hunting after a few individuals or one poor publican, which the Pharisees and Saducees despised—
He also gave them the parable of the Woman and her ten pieces of Silver and how she lost one, and searching diligently found it again, which gave more joy among the friends and neighbors than the nine which were not lost. like I say unto you there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one Sinner that repenteth more than over ninety and nine just persons that are so righteous, they will be dam’d anyhow, you cannot save them.