Luke 15:21 (ASV)

Passage

And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son.

Nearby Context

Luke 15:19 I am no more worthy to be called your son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

Luke 15:20 And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

Luke 15:21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son.

Luke 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

Luke 15:23 and bring the fatted calf, [and] kill it, and let us eat, and make merry:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "said", "father", "sinned", "against", "heaven", "sight", and "worthy". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And he arose and came to his..." into verse 22's "But the father said to his servants...", so "called" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.