What is the meaning of Luke 15:18? I will get up • The son’s first move is internal: a decision to rise from the pigpen. • Scripture consistently links genuine repentance with action, not mere regret—see James 2:17; Acts 26:20. • In Ephesians 5:14 we read, “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead,” echoing this call to stand up from sin’s stupor. and go back • Repentance is a turning—“go back” implies a change of direction, like the Thessalonians who “turned to God from idols” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). • Isaiah 55:7 invites, “Let the wicked forsake his own way… let him return to the LORD,” assuring us that the door to home is open. to my father • The destination matters: he doesn’t go to a hired counselor, a friend, or a distant city; he goes to his father. • Psalm 103:13 pictures God’s heart: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.” • John 14:6 shows the only pathway home: Christ is “the way” back to the Father. and say to him • True repentance includes confession. Silence would leave the breach intact (Psalm 32:3–5). • 1 John 1:9 promises, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us.” "Father" • By addressing him as “Father,” the son owns the relationship he had despised. • Romans 8:15 reminds believers we cry, “Abba, Father,” because adoption restores family intimacy. "I have sinned" • No excuses, no blame-shifting—just a clear admission. • David models the same words in 2 Samuel 12:13 and Psalm 51:4. • Proverbs 28:13 warns, “He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.” "against heaven" • Sin is first vertical, an offense against God’s holiness (Genesis 39:9; Psalm 51:4). • Recognizing the divine dimension keeps repentance from being merely horizontal or therapeutic. "and against you" • The son also acknowledges the horizontal damage done to his earthly father. • Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:23–24 that reconciliation with people accompanies worship of God. • Zacchaeus shows practical restitution in Luke 19:8. summary Luke 15:18 captures the essence of repentance: a decisive rise, a purposeful return, a humble confession, and an honest acknowledgment of sin’s vertical and horizontal reach. The verse assures us that the Father’s door is open, inviting every prodigal to take these same steps home. |
    |