Luke 15:11 (WEB)

Passage

He said, “A certain man had two sons.

Nearby Context

Luke 15:9 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.’

Luke 15:10 Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.”

Luke 15:11 He said, “A certain man had two sons.

Luke 15:12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them.

Luke 15:13 Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property 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 "Even so I tell you there is..." into verse 12's "The younger of them said to his...", 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.