Parable of the Lost Coin

God is concerned with one lost person and rejoices in his recovery. Those who are legalistically self-righteous are not even aware of their need.

Luke 15:8-10 (KJV)

⁸Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?

⁹And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.

¹⁰Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Narrative - THE LOST COIN

The parable begins, "What woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?" The story doesn't tell us how she lost the coin, but that isn't important. The emphasis is on the fact that she searched and searched until she found it.

The woman in the parable; is extremely poor, even miserably so. Ten drachmas is very little money. We have heard that one time Herod gave the soldiers of his army 150 drachmas and the officers received much more than that. If we compare what the woman had with the reward those soldiers received, we realize that it was very little. A drachma is the equivalent of a denarius of silver. A denarius is a day's salary for a peasant who works for someone else (Mt. 20:1-16). With the cost of living in Palestine and here in Philippi, 10 drachmas would barely be enough to survive a few weeks. This is why she searches so avidly for the lost coin: it is precious to her. Why? These pieces of silver were a gift from her husband’s family, which she would put in her hair on very special occasions, such as a wedding anniversary; She might even wear them while her husband was away to remind her of his love; or just before telling of a new pending birth. These pieces were to be worn with five pieces on each side of her head, fastened with little hooks. To lose one piece would be shameful and devastating.

It was believed that the loss of this precious coin represented the withdrawal of God’s favor from the family. It was also a cause of great grief for the husband, so much so that he might actually expel his wife from their home because of the disgrace she had brought to him. This is why she lit the lamps, diligently swept and carefully searched.

The homes at that time usually had floors of either dirt or stones and a small piece of silver the size of a quarter having fallen would be difficult to find. But she wouldn’t give up until she found it. When she did, she would invite her friends and neighbors in to rejoice with her. They would all understand the significance of finding the coin and her relief.

The parable goes into great detail to expound what the woman does to find her lost coin.

a) She lights her lamp. This is an indication that her house was dark, perhaps because it was only one room without windows. She would need light to search for what she had lost, since it was a small object.

b) Afterwards, she swept the house. With a palm broom she could search everywhere and get into all the corners. If the floor was rocky, as in some houses of the poor, she would hear the sound it made and find it that way.

c) Finally, she searched diligently and didn't stop until she found it.

When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.' Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting."

Reflection:

v After telling the parable, Jesus shared a beautiful application of it. He compared the woman's joy to the joy God shares with all the angels when one of the "lost," called a sinner responds to the life-changing message of good news of Jesus.

Friends, we are to remember that Jesus was friends with the “sinners” — the tax collectors and prostitutes and those who knew that they couldn’t help themselves?

v Each of these people was like the lost silver coin in the story. They were valuable and important. Never forgotten.

v Jesus wanted the religious leaders to understand how he felt about those who were lost.

Search for the lost:

v Just like the woman lit a lamp, took a broom to sweep the house carefully and searched for the coin until she found it, Jesus came as a light into this world (John 1:9). He sought out the sinners. And He paid the ultimate price to redeem them — His own life.

Rejoicing for the found:

v Just like the woman rejoiced and celebrated with her friends and neighbors, whenever a sinner returns to God, there is great rejoicing in heaven.

v This is the whole plan of salvation; this is why Christ came. God seeks sinners and rejoices when they are found. He is not content for any sinner to be away from Him.