Introductory remarks:
The Lord continues with His parables; in this chapter He gives us the one we are probably most familiar with, the parable of the Prodigal Son. This chapter may be outlined as follows: the parable of the lost sheep vv. 1-7; the parable of the lost coin vv. 8-10; the parable of the lost son vv. 11-32.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
(Matt. 18:12-14)
Verse 1, "Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners to hear him."
LGT "And were drawing near to Him all the tax-gatherers and the sinners to hear Him."
Our last chapter closed with Christ saying the ones who have ears to hear let them hear; now in this chapter we see who the ones with hearing ears are; tax-gatherers and sinners. The majority of the believers are among this group; among the Pharisees and scribes, and the rest of the religious sect, were the unbelieving hypocrites.
Verse 2, "And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them."
LGT "And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them."
Whenever the Pharisees and scribes came in contact with Jesus they murmured among themselves. Robertson said "as soon as the sinners and tax-gatherers drew near to Jesus Pharisees and scribes increased their murmuring." They spoke out openly, pointing at Jesus, and using a contemptuous, scornful pronoun, saying, This man has the habit of receiving sinners, and even eating with them. The Pharisees figured Jesus should treat these sinners as they did, that is, as untouchables. "The implication is that Jesus prefers these outcasts to the respectable classes (the Pharisees and the scribes) because He is like them in character and tastes, even with the harlots. There was a sting in the charge that He was the friend (philos) of publicans and sinners (Luke 7:34)" (Robertson).
Pentecost notes:
"They noted that Christ actually welcomed such ones. While they might have spoken before such, it would have been by condescension and not because such were welcomed by them. The accusation by the Pharisees was only a refection of their attitude toward sinners. In despising sinners they deemed themselves to be reflecting the attitude of God toward sinners. The Pharisees taught that there is joy before God when those who provoke him perish from the world. Thus in they're thinking, God hated sinners and withdrew Himself from them. Since Christ welcomed sinners and even ate with them, they concluded He could not be God."
Verse 3, "And he spake this parable unto them, saying,"
LGT "And He spoke to them this parable, saying,"
Jesus speaks this parable of the Lost Sheep (vv. 3-7) in order to answer the complaining of the scribes and Pharisees.
Verse 4, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?"
LGT "What man of you having a hundred sheep, and having lost one, leaves not the ninety nine in the wilderness, and goes after that which has been lost, until he find it?"
The first thing to consider in this context is that Christ is speaking of sheep, that is, His little ones. We cannot get this confused with applying it to salvation, for they are already saved ones. What is foremost in this parable is restoration to fellowship and not salvation from a lost condition. The wilderness is the pasture of the sheep; the sheep left of its own accord, or by its own folly.
Verse 5, "And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing."
LGT "And having found [it], he lays [it] upon his shoulders, rejoicing."
He does not cuss the sheep in disgust, but rejoices over it being found. He began with one hundred, and finishes with one hundred; our Lord has never lost one of His sheep.
Verse 6, "And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost."
LGT "And having come into the house, he calls together friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep."
Vincent points out that finding a wayward sheep is cause for celebration; for he says, rejoice with me, not with the sheep, because they are his everlasting joy.
Verse 7, "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."
LGT "I say to you, that thus there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner repenting, [more] than over the ninety nine righteous ones who have no need of repentance."
What a wonderful picture of eternal security. The Lord's shoulders are so broad that He has room enough for every one of His children, from Adam and Eve to the last member of the human race. Heaven rejoices over every repenting soul.
McGee wrote:
"The shepherd in this parable is the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ. We are the sheep. He had one hundred sheep, and one of them got lost. Frankly, that would be a pretty good percentage, to start with one hundred sheep and end with ninety-nine. This Shepherd, however, would not be satisfied with just ninety-nine sheep. When one sheep got lost, He went out and looked for it. When He found it, He put it on His shoulders, the place of strength. . . . The high priest of the children of Israel wore an ephod. On the shoulders of the ephod were two stones. On them were engraved the names of the twelve tribes - six tribes on one stone and six on the other. The high priest carried the children of Israel on his shoulders. Our Great High Priest carries us on His shoulders, and we will not become lost. When He starts out with one hundred sheep, He will come through with one hundred sheep - not ninety-nine. This is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ out looking for those who are His own."
The Parable of the Lost Coin
Verse 8, "Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?"
LGT "Or what woman having ten drachmas, if she should lose one drachma, lights not a lamp and sweeps the house, and seeks carefully until she finds [it]?"
This parable is peculiar to Luke. "The second parable, a pendant [embellishment] to the first, spoken possibly to the Capernaum gathering to bring the experience of joy in things lost home to the poorest present. As spoken to Pharisees it is intended to exemplify the principle by a lost object as insignificant in value as a publican or a sinner was in their esteem. A sheep, though one of a hundred, was a comparatively precious object. A drachma was a piece of money of inconsiderable value, yet of value to a poor woman who owned only ten drachma in all; its finding therefore a source of keen joy to her. She lights a lamp; No windows in the dwellings of the poor; a lamp must be lighted for the search, unless there be one always burning in the stand. The emphasis in this parable lies on the seeking - in the Lost Sheep on the carrying home of the found object of quest" (The Expositor's Greek Testament).
Verse 9, "And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost."
LGT "And having found [it], she calls together friends and neighbors saying, Rejoice with me, because I have found the drachma which I lost."
"She calls her female friends in, for the word is in the feminine form" (Vincent).
Shepherd notes:
"All of the ten coins of her dowry put together would not excel in value five dollars, which, though a considerable amount for a poverty-stricken woman, was yet insignificant - a true picture of the low evaluation put upon the human soul by the Pharisees of all times. The coin, though lost to use, yet bore the image of the emperor on it and was intrinsically valuable. Jesus would have us understand that the soul of the lost man bears the image of God, however much it may be covered up with the rust or filth of sin. It is recoverable, though while in the sinful unrepentant state it is lost to its proper use and the service for which God intended it. The interest of this parable centers in the search. The Holy Spirit, fitly symbolized in the woman of the parable, makes diligent, thorough, and unceasing search for the souls in all the house of God's humanity, and in every crack and cranny of the heart of the lost man. But Jesus would have us understand that, like Himself, every disciple of His should join in the recovery of souls to the uses and service of the kingdom. The sinner is so precious in God's sight that no effort is too great to reclaim him. The details of the search are graphic in the parable. There was earnestness, thoroughness, and persistence until the result was obtained. The house was turned upside down until the coin was found."
Verse 10, "Like wise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."
LGT "Thus, I say to you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner repenting."
The restoration to fellowship of one sinner brings joy to heaven; the Holy Spirit seeks to bring every believer into fellowship, so that none will miss the marriage feast. Every soul is of value to Him.
The Parable of the Lost Son
Verse 11, "And he said, A certain man had two sons."
LGT "And He said, A certain man had two sons."
Luke alone records this parable. It is probably one of the most well known of Christ's parables. "To further contrast the two attitudes, Christ told what is often referred to as the parable of the lost son. However, since the father is mentioned twelve times, the story might better be called the parable of the searching father" (Pentecost).
McGee notes:
"Dr. Luke, a medical doctor and a scientist, was also an artist. And he is the one who records our Lord's glorious parables, which no other Gospel writer gives us.
Immediately our Lord begins to put the background on the canvas. And I see a lovely home (because this will represent the home of the Father, the heavenly Father) and it's glorious home. It's a home that has all of the comforts and all the joys and all the love that ever went into a home. In that home there's the certain man, and that is God the Father. And this Father had two sons. He has more sons than that, but these are representative, you see. One of these boys is called the elder and the other is called the younger. We see the lovely home, and out in front there stand the Father and two boys."
Verse 12, "And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living."
LGT "And the younger of them said to [his] father, Father, give to me the portion of the property [lit. Essence] fallen [to me]. And he divided to them the living."
"According to Jewish law of inheritance, if there were but two sons, the elder would receive two portions, the younger the third of all movable property. A man might, during his lifetime, dispose of all his property by gift as he chose. If the share of younger children was to be diminished by gift or taken away, the disposition must be made by a person presumably near death. No one in good health could diminish, except by gift, the legal portion of a younger son. The younger son thus was entitled by law to his share, though he had no right to claim it during his father's lifetime. The request must be regarded as asking a favor" (Edersheim).
The father, answering the request of the younger son, divided their inheritance among them.
Verse 13, "And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living."
LGT "And after not many days, having gathered together all, the younger son went away into a distant country, and there wasted his property, living immoral living."
This young man gathered together all his worldly possessions; he cut every tie between him and his father, and went abroad. He wasted all his inheritance. The Greek word for "wasted" is dieskorpisen the word used for winnowing grain, so it means that he scattered his goods to the wind. He wasted his goods living profligately [wastefully] and dissolutely [immorally]. He went the limit in sinful spending and immoral living. "The younger son no longer wanted to be under his father's authority and demanded the inheritance that eventually would have come to him. Having received his inheritance, the younger son went to a distant place. He thus separated himself from fellowship with his father and from a son's obligation to submit to the authority of his father and to honor him. Without the restraining influence of a father's supervision, he squandered what evidently was great wealth in wild living" (Pentecost).
Verse 14, "And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want."
LGT "And he, having spent all, there arose a violent famine throughout that country, and he began to be in want."
And now to add insult to injury, there arose a great famine in the land. The son (remember, he is still his father's son) had spent all his inheritance, and now he had no friends, no money, and no food, and he began to be in want. Wasteful living always leads to want.
Verse 15, "And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his field to feed swine."
LGT "And having gone, he joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine."
The Greek word for "joined himself" is ekollethe meaning literally to cleave to, or be glued to; this meaning is he literally forced himself upon this unwilling citizen; he was so persistent that the man gave him the meanest, lowliest job of feeding swine; "to the Jew it was prohibited to keep swine under a curse" (Vincent).
Barnes notes:
"To feed swine, was a very low employment, and particularly so to a Jew. It was forbidden to the Jews to eat swine, and of course it was unlawful to keep them. To be compelled, therefore, to engage in such an employment was the deepest conceivable degradation. The object of this image, as used by the Savior in the parable, is to show the loathsome employment and the deep degradation to which sin leads men, and no circumstance could possibly illustrate it in a more striking manner than he has done here. Sin and its results everywhere have the same relation to that which is noble and great, which the feeding of swine had, in the estimation of a Jew, to an honorable and dignified employment."
Verse 16, "He would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him."
LGT "And he was desiring to satisfy his hunger from the husks, which the swine were eating, and no one gave to him."
The Greek word for "filled his belly" is chortasthenai, which literally means to gorge himself; so it indicates that he had not eaten in some time, that even these husks looked good to him. This young man had reached bottom; he desired to eat pig food but was not allowed.
Verse 17, "And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!"
LGT "But having come to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father are surrounded by loaves, but I am perishing here with famine."
When this young man finally comes to himself, for the Lord depicts this young man's state of mind as temporary madness; this is a very apt illustration, for being out fellowship is madness for any and all believers; he now compares his present state with that of his father's house, which he left for this pigpen.
Pentecost notes;
"Jesus told this parable as a graphic portrayal of Israel's experience. The nation had been put under the law even as a son is under the authority of his father. The law was to oversee their conduct and to control every aspect of their lives so that they would please and honor God. But the nation had refused to submit to the oversight of the law. They took what material blessings the law provided (Deut. 28:1-14) and then forsook the law that brought the blessings to them. They consequently were expelled from their land and served Gentiles in foreign countries."
McGee adds;
"He came to himself. Sin does an awful thing for us. It makes us see the world incorrectly. It makes us see ourselves in the wrong light. It makes us see the pleasures of this world in the wrong perspective, and we just don't see clearly when we're in sin. This boy, when he was at home, looked out yonder at the far country, and it all looked so good - the grass was so green and the fun so keen; but now he came to himself. And the first thing he did was a little reasoning. He began to use his intelligence. He said, You know, I'm a son of my father, and here I am in a far country. I'm down here in a pigpen with the pigs, and back in my father's home the servants are better off than I am, and I'm his son. When he began to think like that, he began to make sense. And this young man now acts like he's intelligent."
Verses 18, 19, "I will arise and go to my father, and I will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants."
LGT "Having arisen, I will go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee; no longer am I worthy to be called your son: Make me as one of your hired servants."
The key to this parable is I have sinned. Confession of sin (1 John 1:9) is the act of the free will of this son. The word "sin" is he missed the mark. Only a son can pray this prayer; anyone else can only receive Christ as Savior, for sin is not the issue with the unbeliever, only faith in Christ, because the unbeliever sins as a way of life, and Christ has already died and paid the price for all sin. The believer, as a son or daughter, must confess sin to the Father in order to be restored to fellowship, that is, get up out of the pigpen of wallowing in this world of sin, and come home where we belong, by naming our sins to the Father. The son said that he would tell his father that he was not worthy of being his son, that he would be willing to work his way back into his good graces; this is well and good, but it is not required for the Father's forgiveness, only naming the offence. Another wonderful thing about this son's confession is that he recognizes that it is against his father that he has sinned, even though he is the one who ended up in the pigpen; the fact that he ended up in the pigpen only brought him to the realization that he belonged at home in fellowship with his father. As I have pointed out many times, confession is naming our sins to the Father, and not our sorrow for the sin that restores us to fellowship; confession is for our benefit, but it is also for Christ's sake, because He desires unbroken fellowship with all His children (John 1:12).
McGee notes:
"Somebody asks, 'Do you believe that if you're once saved you're always saved?' Yes. Somebody asks, 'Do you believe that a Christian can get into sin?' Yes. 'Can a Christian stay in sin?' No. Because in the Father's house the Father is watching, and He says, 'All My sons are coming home. My sons don't like pigpens because they do not have the nature of a pig. They have the nature of a son. They have My nature, and they won't be happy except in the Father's house. The only place in the world where they will be content is the Father's house. And every one of My sons that goes out to the far country and gets into the pigpen - regardless of how dirty he gets, or how low he sinks - if he's My son, one day he'll say, 'I'll arise, and I'll go to my Father.' And the reason he'll say, 'I'll go to my Father,' is because the Man who lives in the big house is his Father. Up until now, after at least 6,000 years of recorded human history, there never yet has been a human pig that has said, 'I will arise and go to my Father's house.' Never, never. Pigs love it down there. They don't want to go to the Father's house. The only one who wants to go to the Father's house is a son; and one day the son will say, 'I will arise and I will go to my Father."
Verse 20, "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
LGT "And having risen up, he came to his own father. But he, yet being a far distant, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and running fell on his neck, and enthusiastically kissed him."
While he was yet a far distant away, the father saw him; this is quite evident that the father had been looking for him to return. Just as any good father would do when his son would leave; he would always be looking out the window hoping to see him return. The father ran out and embraced the son, before he was able to say anything, and kissed him again and again. The son had to exercise his free will to return, and the father ran out to meet him. So it is with our Heavenly Father; when we confess our sins, He is willing, able and enthusiastically receives into his fellowship, without rebuke or scolding. He greets us every time with kisses of His love. McGee describes the boy standing there with that pig-smell, and his father smothering him with kisses.
Verse 21, "And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son."
LGT "And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son."
A very interesting thing to note here is that the father had already forgiven the son, even before his confession. As I have noted before, the confessing of sin is for the confessor's benefit, not the Father.
Pentecost points out very well:
"I have sinned against heaven and before you; what the son said was true. His relationship to his father, however, did not depend on his worthiness or on his actions, but rather on the fact of his birth. And his position in the family was not secure because of his worthiness but rather because of the constancy of his father's love. The father cut off the son's confession. The son was never permitted to offer himself as a servant and work his way back into his father's good graces. It would not have been possible for him to work his way into his father's good graces, for he had never fallen out of his father's love. He had separated himself from his father's fellowship but not from his father's love. The evidence that he was restored, not as a servant but as a son."
Verse 22, "But the father said to his servants. Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:"
LGT "But the father said to his servants, Quickly, bring out the robe, the first and clothe him, and give a ring for his hand, and sandals for [his] feet."
The father gave orders to the servants to bring out the "first" robe in rank, and sandals for his feet; for a robe, ring, and sandals on the feet were signs of freemen, for the servants went barefoot (Robertson) and the father wanted the son to feel that he was a member of the family again.
Verse 23, "And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:"
LGT "And bring the calf, the fatted one, kill [it], and eating, let us be merry:"
I believe the father had this fatted calf ready for this festive occasion, for the father knew his son would come home, not just when.
Verse 24, "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."
LGT "Because this my son was dead and is alive, was lost and is found. And they began to be merry."
This statement must not be pressed too much, for this my son was dead and is alive. The fact of the parable is that in the father's mind the boy was lost and away from his fellowship, and in his mind, he was living among the dead, and now he is alive; for as long as the boy was out of fellowship, he was lost from all that was good.
McGee notes:
"If you really want to have a ball, you can't do it in the far country. If you're God's child, you can't sin and get by with it. You may even go to the pigpen, but my friend, you can never enjoy it. If you're a son of the Father, there'll come a day when you're going to say, 'I will arise and go to my Father,' and you will go. And when you go, you will confess to Him. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). That's the way a sinning child gets back into the fellowship of the Father's house. In fact, the only way back is by confession.
Have you ever noticed the things the father says he's going to do for the son? He says, Get a robe. Now a robe was clean clothing that went on him after he'd been washed. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Our Lord washes us. The One who girded Himself with a towel is the One who will wash one of His sons who comes back to Him; he has to be cleansed when he's been to the far country. And that robe is the robe of righteousness of Christ that covers the believer after he is cleansed. The ring is the insignia of the full-grown son, with all rights pertaining thereto. He's brought back into his original position. Nothing is taken from him. He's brought back into his place in the Father's house.
Christ, right now, is at God's right hand, still girded with the towel of service for one of his who gets soiled feet or soiled hands by being in the far country. When we confess to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We have to come like the Prodigal Son came. Father, I have sinned, and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me a hired servant. And the Father will say, I'd never make you a hired servant. You're My son. I'll cleanse you, and forgive you back into the place of fellowship and usefulness.
A son is a son forever."
Verse 25, "Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing."
LGT "And his elder son was in a field: and as coming, he drew near the house, he heard music and dancing."
Now the older brother gets his turn to become a prodigal son.
Verse 26, "And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant."
LGT "And having called near one of the servants, he began to inquire what might be these things."
All the concerted music seemed strange to him, because his father hadn't told him of throwing a ball.
Verse 27, "And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound."
LGT "And he said to him, That your brother is come, and your father did kill the calf, the fattened one, because he received him safe and well."
"How nice is the observance of all the lesser properties of the narration. The father, in the midst of all his natural affection, is yet full of the moral significance of his son's return - that he has come back another person from what he was when he went, or while he tarried in that far land; he sees into the deep of his joy, that he is receiving him now indeed a son, once dead but now alive; once lost to him and to God, but now found alike by both. But the servant confines himself to the more external features of the case, to the fact that, after all he has gone through of excess and hardship, his father has yet received him safe and sound" (Trench - Quoted by Vincent).
Verse 28, "And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him."
LGT "But he was angry, and not willing to go in, but his father, having gone out, besought him."
The elder brother became angry and wanted to stay outside and sulk. He was seething with anger. "He flew into a rage. This was the explosion as the result of long resentment towards the wayward brother and suspicion of the father's partiality for the erring son" (Robertson). The father, loving both his sons, went out and pleaded with him to reconsider. This son now became the prodigal, the same way you and I do every single time we sin.
Verses 29, 30, "And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf."
LGT "But he answering said to his father, Lo, so many years I serve thee and I never transgressed your commandment, and to me never did you give a little kid, in order that I might make merry with my friends: but when your son, this one who devoured thy living with harlots came, you did kill for him the fattened calf. "
This son has quite a bitter resentment for his brother, for he does not say this my brother but this, thy son. It reminds me of how whenever one of my children fouled up, I would say to their mother, "Look what your child has done." We seem to want to distance ourselves at these times. However, this second prodigal seemed to know what the younger son did with the harlots; could it be that he knew because he would have done the same thing in that situation.
Shepherd points out:
"Then the son began to be angry and soon his long pent-up jealousy exploded in a rage. Sullen, he was not willing to enter into the house. Then his father came out and began to urge him repeatedly; but he answered and said: See how many years I have slaved to you and never yet overstepped a single command of yours, but you have never given me even a little kid that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours, who has eaten up your estate with harlots, came, you killed for him the wheat-fattened calf. He refers to the brother as this son of yours in contempt and bitter sarcasm."
Verse 31, "And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine."
LGT "But he said to him, Child, you are always with me, and all that [is] mine is yours."
Here we have a wonderful picture of a person who is living a Christian life, but completely ignorant of the entire spiritual blessing offered in grace. If a child of God refuses to grow in grace and the knowledge of truth, there is absolutely no way of being able to appreciate the divine riches of His grace. And without daily Bible study there is absolutely no way of growing in grace.
Verse 32, "It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found."
LGT "But to make merry and rejoice was becoming, because this your brother was dead, and is alive again, and lost and is found."
What more appropriate answer could a loving father give? Christ should have silenced these Pharisees once and for all, but that is not the case, because the natural man cannot see the things of the Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, for they are Spiritually understood.
Pentecost adds:
"This elder brother had been born to privilege and fellowship but had never experienced what was available to him. His was not the heart of a son, but that of a hireling servant. He had never entered into fellowship with his father even though he received his father's blessings. He did not show the heart of his father that welcomed the sinner but rather the hardness of his heart by his rejection of the one who returned. Christ revealed, then, that Pharisees knew nothing of the heart of God and did not understand why Christ welcomed sinners. Their attitude revealed that although they claimed to be sons, they were alienated from the Father and had never experienced His compassion."
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