Luke 15:3 (ASV)

Passage

And he spake unto them this parable, saying,

Nearby Context

Luke 15:1 Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him to hear him.

Luke 15:2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

Luke 15:3 And he spake unto them this parable, saying,

Luke 15:4 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?

Luke 15:5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "spake", "parable", and "saying". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "spake" and "parable", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "And both the Pharisees and the scribes..." into verse 4's "What man of you having a hundred...", so "spake" and "parable" 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 "spake" and "parable" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.