Luke 15:2 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Luke 15:1 Now the publicans and sinners drew near unto him to hear him.

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

Luke 15:3 And he spoke to them this parable, saying:

Luke 15:4 What man of you that hath an hundred sheep, and if he shall lose one of them, doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after that which was lost, until he find it?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "pharisees", "scribes", "murmured", "saying", "receiveth", "sinners", and "eateth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "pharisees" and "scribes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Now the publicans and sinners drew near..." into verse 3's "And he spoke to them this parable...", so "pharisees" and "scribes" 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 "pharisees" and "scribes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.