Passage
I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Luke 15:7 (LSB)
Nearby Context
Luke 15:5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Luke 15:6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’
Luke 15:7 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Luke 15:8 “Or what woman, if she has ten drachmas and loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?
Luke 15:9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost!’
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "tell", "same", "heaven", "over", "sinner", "repents", and "than". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "tell" and "same", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And when he comes home he calls..." into verse 8's "Or what woman if she has ten...", so "tell" and "same" 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 "tell" and "same" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.