Luke 15:3 (KJV)

Passage

And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

Nearby Context

Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.

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

Luke 15:3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

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

Luke 15:5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "And the Pharisees and scribes murmured saying..." into verse 4's "What man of you having an hundred...", so "spake" and "parable" 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 "spake" and "parable" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.