Luke 15:29 (DBY)

Passage

But he answering said to his father, Behold, so many years I serve thee, and never have I transgressed a commandment of thine; and to me hast thou never given a kid that I might make merry with my friends:

Nearby Context

Luke 15:27 And he said to him, Thy brother is come, and thy father has killed the fatted calf because he has received him safe and well.

Luke 15:28 But he became angry and would not go in. And his father went out and besought him.

Luke 15:29 But he answering said to his father, Behold, so many years I serve thee, and never have I transgressed a commandment of thine; and to me hast thou never given a kid that I might make merry with my friends:

Luke 15:30 but when this thy son, who has devoured thy substance with harlots, is come, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

Luke 15:31 But he said to him, Child, *thou* art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "answering", "said", "father", "behold", "years", "serve", "thee", and "never". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "answering" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 28's "But he became angry and would not..." into verse 30's "but when this thy son who has...", so "answering" 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 "answering" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.