Luke 15:29 Meaning and Explanation
“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:”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The elder son protests: years of service and unbroken obedience, and never so much as a young goat for a feast with his friends.
What Does Luke 15:29 Mean?
The grievance pours out, and its vocabulary betrays him: "these many years do I serve thee; neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment." He describes sonship as employment — service logged, rules kept, wages owed and unpaid. He does not say "Father," and the feast he wanted was "with my friends" — not with him.
Here is lostness in its respectable form: living in the father's house on a hired servant's terms — the very arrangement the younger son proposed and the father refused to hear. Long obedience curdles into bookkeeping when love is no longer its spring. The verse searches every veteran of faith: have the years made us children who delight in the Father's company, or laborers nursing a ledger? The kid he never received was his for the asking.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luke 15:29
What does Luke 15:29 mean?
The elder son protests: years of service and unbroken obedience, and never so much as a young goat for a feast with his friends.