Luke 15:15He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
The setting
Gentile territory, probably Syria. A Jewish young man approaches a pig farmer - the most religiously defiling job imaginable for a Jew...
The emotion here: heartbroken at describing ultimate degradation
The original word
kollasthai (κολλᾶσθαι) — to glue oneself to, cling desperately to someone for survival
Why it matters
Jews considered pigs so unclean that even touching them made you ceremonially defiled for days
Read with care
What most readers miss in Luke 15:15
He 'glued himself' to this citizen - this wasn't employment, this was begging for survival
Common misconceptionPeople think this is just about a bad job. For Jesus's audience, this was religious suicide - worse than death to a faithful Jew.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Luke 15:15
Bible Genome reading
Luke 15:15 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Luke 15:15 comes from the book of Luke, written during the gospel period. These words are attributed to Jesus. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include desperation, degradation. Notable phrases: joined himself to one of the citizens; sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does Luke 15:15 mean to you, today?
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