Luke 15:7 (WEB)

Passage

I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

Nearby Context

Luke 15:5 When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Luke 15:6 When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’

Luke 15:7 I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

Luke 15:8 Or what woman, if she had ten drachma coins, if she lost one drachma coin, wouldn’t light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she found it?

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.’

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "tell", "even", "heaven", "over", "sinner", "repents", and "than". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "tell" and "even", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "When he comes home he calls together..." into verse 8's "Or what woman if she had ten...", so "tell" and "even" 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 "tell" and "even" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.