Luke 15:11 (KJV)

Passage

And he said, A certain man had two sons:

Nearby Context

Luke 15:9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.

Luke 15:10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Luke 15:11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

Luke 15:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

Luke 15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Likewise I say unto you there is..." into verse 12's "And the younger of them said to...", so "said" and "certain" 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 "said" and "certain" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.