Jesus explains that the cost of being His disciple is high but worth it because the Kingdom of God is so valuable and because God is so happy when people enter the kingdom; Jesus goes to Lazarus after he dies: Luke 14:25–17:10; John 11:1–37

The Pharisees and other teachers expected a Messiah to be righteous and obey not just the Law but also their regulations. It happened frequently, and it set up a conflict with Jesus:

^{Luke 15:1-2} Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

After explaining how a good shepherd will look for any of his lost sheep, Jesus told them:

^{Luke 15:7} In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!