✨WEB · Luke 15:28
What does Luke 15:28 mean?
"But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him."
— Luke 15:28 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
“Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on.
He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’
But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him.
But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.
But when this your son came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’
“He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
Explanation
Luke 15:28 comes in the middle of the parable of the prodigal son, at the point where the younger son has returned home after squandering his inheritance, and the father has thrown a joyful celebration for him. This verse shifts attention to the older brother, who has stayed home, worked faithfully, and now discovers that his wayward sibling is being welcomed back with a feast. Rather than joining the celebration, he becomes angry and refuses to enter the house. In response, the father does something remarkable: he leaves the party and goes outside to plead with his older son, urging him to come in.
The verse sits within a larger context that Luke sets up in chapter 15. Jesus is speaking to a mixed audience—tax collectors and sinners who were drawing near to him, and Pharisees and scribes who were grumbling that Jesus associated with such people (Luke 15:1-2). In response, Jesus tells three parables about lost things being found: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. The parable of the prodigal son is the climax of this trilogy, and it has two "lost" figures—the younger son who is lost through rebellion and returns, and the older son who is lost through resentment and self-righteousness, even though he never physically left home. The father's actions toward both sons mirror God's pursuit of both the sinner and the self-righteous.
Theologically, this verse reveals that the father's love and gr
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.