Luke 15:18 (WEB)

Passage

I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.

Nearby Context

Luke 15:16 He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any.

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

Luke 15:18 I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.

Luke 15:19 I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’

Luke 15:20 “He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "father", "tell", "sinned", "against", "heaven", and "sight". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "father" and "tell", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "But when he came to himself he..." into verse 19's "I am no more worthy to be...", so "father" and "tell" 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 "father" and "tell" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.