Luke 15:21 (WEB)

Passage

The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

Nearby Context

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.

Luke 15:21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

Luke 15:22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.

Luke 15:23 Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate;

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "He arose and came to his father..." into verse 22's "But the father said to his servants...", so "called" and "said" 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 "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.