Word Study: "Receiveth" (προσδέχομαι / Prosdechomai)
Luke 15:2 • Strong's G4327
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Today's Revelations
- 1 Prosdechomai moves toward the person it welcomes. Built from pros, “toward,” and dechomai, “to welcome,” the verb describes an active opening of heart, home, and table—not passive acceptance from a distance.
- 2 Welcome and expectation are one biblical posture. Luke 15:2 uses prosdechomai for receiving sinners, while Titus 2:13 and Jude 21 use it for waiting expectantly; biblical welcome leans toward an arrival with hope.
- 3 Jesus gives the lost a place at His table. In the first-century world, eating together signaled fellowship and belonging, so Jesus’s welcome restored dignity and familial inclusion rather than merely tolerating proximity.
- 4 The Pharisees’ accusation becomes an unintended confession. Their complaint—“This man receiveth sinners”—meant to expose compromise, but it actually names the eager, restoring heart of Jesus toward people they had pushed outside.
- 5 Hospitality prepares room before anyone arrives. To follow Jesus is to anticipate the lonely, marginalized, or misunderstood and design communities where they are expected, wanted, and welcomed without confusing grace with a lack of truth.
The Bottom Line
"Jesus does not merely tolerate sinners at the edge; He leans toward the lost with an expectant welcome, and following Him means making room in advance for the people we hope grace will bring home."
Word Study: προσδέχομαι (G4327)
Luke 15:2 - "receiveth"
Linguistic Nuance
The Greek word prosdechomai (G4327) combines pros, “toward,” and dechomai, “to welcome.” Unlike passive acceptance (lambano), it denotes an active, eager, and warm embrace. It carries anticipation and favorable reception, signaling a deliberate opening of one’s heart and space to another.
Historical Context
In the first-century Near East, sharing a table was not merely social eating; it was a sacred act of covenantal fellowship and mutual endorsement. By receiving outcasts, Jesus did not just tolerate them; He granted them dignity, status, and familial inclusion, scandalizing religious leaders who used food laws to maintain strict social and spiritual boundaries.
Practical Application
This challenges us to move from passive tolerance to active hospitality. Receiving others today means moving beyond superficial politeness to create genuine spaces of belonging—inviting the marginalized, lonely, or misunderstood into our lives and communities and prioritizing human connection over social division.
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Biblical Insight
Q: In Luke 15:2 the Pharisees accuse Jesus with the verb prosdechomai (προσδέχομαι, G4327)—“This man receiveth sinners”—yet the same verb is what believers are told to do toward the blessed hope in Titus 2:13 and Jude 21, where it means to wait expectantly for. If prosdechomai means both “to welcome a guest in” and “to watch for someone’s arrival,” is Jesus in Luke 15:2 merely tolerating sinners who show up, or was He standing at the door waiting for them the whole time—and what does that do to the Pharisees’ accusation?
Overview
The Greek verb prosdechomai carries the dual nuance of hospitable reception and expectant anticipation. In Luke 15:2 the Pharisees intend it as criticism of inappropriate association, but Titus 2:13 reveals a forward-leaning, eager waiting. Their charge becomes an inadvertent acknowledgment of Jesus’s active longing to restore the lost: true reception is not passive tolerance but an active, hopeful, anticipatory embrace.
Key Biblical Passages
Luke 15:2 says, “This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them,” where table fellowship signified close alignment and acceptance. Titus 2:13 uses the same verb for looking expectantly for the blessed hope, and Jude 21 uses it for waiting for Christ’s mercy. Together they join welcoming with hopeful anticipation: Jesus was not merely tolerating those who knocked but actively looking out for them and waiting to welcome them to His table.
Practical Wisdom
Move from simply allowing people into a circle to preparing for and desiring their presence. Build environments that anticipate newcomers’ needs so they feel expected and wanted before they arrive. Do not mistake proactive inclusion for a lack of principles; cultivate spaces of expectant hope and genuine connection.
- Bible Verses Meaning App