Commentary on the Gospel – November 6, 2025

The scene is, to say the least, an interesting one. The tax collectors and sinners are drawing near to Jesus to listen to Him. The Gospel doesn’t say they’ve suddenly become saints or that they’ve repented completely—it simply says they come close. Most likely, they’re drawn by curiosity, by Jesus’ way of speaking—after all, there weren’t many public events to attend in those days. Meanwhile, the official representatives of religion—the Pharisees and the scribes—stand apart, murmuring and criticizing.

Both the listening of some and the criticism of others must be understood in their context. In the Jewish religion, ritual purity was essential. Only those who remained ritually pure could approach God and be considered faithful Jews. That meant staying away from anything—or anyone—considered unclean. And, of course, tax collectors and public sinners were seen as impure, dirty, unworthy. By drawing near to them and eating with them, Jesus was making Himself impure as well. From their point of view, the criticism was justified. In modern terms, we might say: “Sinners shouldn’t be allowed in church. God hates sin and can’t stand the presence of sinners.”

But, as usual in the Gospels, Jesus moves on a completely different wavelength. He knows He is the messenger of God who has come precisely to save sinners, not to condemn them. The excluded of every kind—including the sinners—are the very ones most beloved by a God who refuses to leave anyone outside His embrace. That’s what the Kingdom is all about.

This is the key to understanding the parable. God is the shepherd who owns the flock. God is the woman who has lost one of her coins. And God does not want to lose even a single one of His children. He will do everything possible to find the one who is lost. Where we see no hope, God continues—stubborn, persistent, relentless—to seek and to save, because He does not want even one of His children to be lost.