Luke 15:19 (KJV)

Passage

And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

Nearby Context

Luke 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

Luke 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

Luke 15:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

Luke 15:20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

Luke 15:21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "I will arise and go to my..." into verse 20's "And he arose and came to his...", so "called" and "worthy" 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 "called" and "worthy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.