Parables #30 Lost Coin
Parable #30— The Lost Coin —
Luke 15:8-10
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” .To properly understand the message of these parables, we must recognize exactly what a parable is, and why Jesus used it Just to refresh your memories again or for those who missed some of our studiesWhat is a parable?At a basic level, a parable is a short story designed to convey a concept to be understood and/or a principle to be put into practice. This, however, tells us more about the intent of a parable than what it actually is. The word “parable” in Greek literally means, “to set beside,” as in the English word “comparison” or “equivalent.” In the Jewish culture, things were explained not in terms of statistics or definitions as they are in English-speaking cultures. In the Jewish culture of biblical times, things were explained in word pictures.Jesus used to tell parables when He spoke to His disciples and He used an ancient language related to Hebrew called Aramaic, the Jews of the day spoke it and most people understood it .
Parables as such must also, be understood as tools employed by God .We read that God used the prophets in the Old Testament to speak to the Jewish peoplein parables as wellLet’s look at:Psalm 78:1-21 O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying,2 for I will speak to you in a parable.I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
The Lord Jesus frequently used parables as a means of illustrating profound, divine truths. Stories such as these are easily remembered, the characters bold, and the symbolism rich in meaning.
Parables were a common form of teaching in Judaism. Before a certain point in His ministry, Jesus had employed many graphic analogies using common things that would be familiar to everyone (salt, bread, sheep, etc.) and their meaning was fairly clear in the context of His teaching. Parables required more explanation, and at one point in His ministry, Jesus began to teach using parables exclusively.Mark 4:34a
34 In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them
Jesus used parables to explain His teachings to His listeners, but more so to fulfil what the prophet said.Matthew 13:3535 This fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet:“I will speak to you in parables. I will explain things hidden since the creation of the world.”We are fortunate today as Christians we don’t need prophets because we have His written word to convey His truthsand we have the Holy Spirit to explain it to those who want to hear.
John encourages us to look deeper John 7:24
24 Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”
Parables also have an emotional impact that makes them more meaningful and memorable to those who are soft of heart.
At the same time, the parables of Jesus often times remained a mystery to those with a hardened heart because parables require the listeners to be self-critical and put themselves in the appropriate place in the story. The result was that the Pharisees would “be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving” Isaiah 6:99 And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people,‘ Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing.’Matthew 13:1414 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand.When you see what I do,you will not comprehend.
By using parables, the teaching of Jesus remain timeless despite most changes in culture, time, and technology. For example, these two parables convey commonly understood concepts like grace, gentleness, concern, pride and others, all of which we can be understood by us, even though the story is over two thousand years old. In Jewish culture character qualities are often described in relation to objects that are universally recognized like the regularity of the sun or the refreshing nature of rain, let’s look at Hosea 6:3as an example3 Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him.He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”This also explains why poetry is the most common mode of language used in the Bible.
How do we understand them?.Let’s view one example of a typical parable used by the prophet Nathan in the Old Testament. What story is more clear and true than the account of the ewe lamb that the prophet Nathan told King David? Bathsheba and her husband Uriah2 Samuel 12:1-4So the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. 2 The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. 3 The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. 4 One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.”. David had committed a grave sin, God used the parable to reach his heart. Upon first hearing the parable, David condemned himself by stating that such a man should die. Nathan then exclaimed, “You are the man.”
How was David brought under conviction?
David was made to see the foolishness of his ways by the clear illustration of Nathan’s Spirit-inspired parable.
The Word of God, no matter how simply portrayed, can touch a heart of faith.As noted in the previous lesson…These three parables have the same central theme:
“Our Heavenly Father’s yearning love for the lost”
They also reveal what our own attitude should be toward the lost
What is the meaning of the parable of the lost coin? The parable of the lost coin clearly indicates God’s true attitude towards sinners. Luke 15:8-10“8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”Near Eastern houses frequently had no windows and only earthen floors, making the search for a single coin difficult
As I mentioned this is a series of three Parables Jesus told about the lost (Those who are not saved)and should be read consecutively to understand the full meaning of this very important subject.Jesus usually taught these parables in set of three to emphasize His point.Our first study last Friday was that of the Lost Sheep Luke 15:3–7 today we will be looking at the Lost Coin Luke 15:8–10.
The third is the “lost son” or the “prodigal son.” Luke 15:10–31Just as in other cases,.
The first and most striking thing about this parable is its main character; a woman! Remember that these parables are being directed at the Pharisees and scribes. A speaker in Middle Eastern culture cannot compare a male audience to a woman without giving offense. Jesus does it nonetheless.Jesus was rare, if not unique, in this regard. This focus was almost certainly done with the intent of elevating the status of women but it also had theological significance. The compassionate father running to kiss his prodigal son in next story is something a woman would be expected to do and Jesus ascribes this to GodThe story indicates that the woman had ten coins called drachmas. A drachma was about one day’s wages. Matthew 20:2
2 He agreed to pay the normal daily wage[a] and sent them out to work. Greek a denarius, the payment for a full day’s labor; similarly in 20:9, 10, 13.
The fact that she had these coins meant she was trusted by her husband. Jesus says she lost one of the coins and if you will remember from the parable of the Lost Sheep, Middle Easterners do not take direct blame for such an act. They might say ‘the coin is lost” but they would not say “I lost the coin.” Jesus emphasizes that this women has indeed lost the coin and she gets full credit or takes the blame for having done so.Jesus probably told this parable with the idea of a Galilean villages in mind. The homes were made with basalt slabs. The rooms were about 2.1m high with 15cm slits near the top for windows. The floors were stones pieced together, with numerous cracks where the stones met. Finding a lost coin in a dark and dusty place would not be easy
In the parable, the woman must light a lamp in the dark room and painstakingly search for the coin.
Her trustworthiness is on the line. She was entrusted with the coins and is responsible for it. She knows the coin is in the house. If she looks hard enough she knows the coin can indeed be found.The woman finds the coin and invites the neighbours to a celebration.
Interestingly, no one would know that she had lost the coin if she hadn’t invited the neighbours to celebrate with her.She also unashamedly admits that she lost the coin. Having found the coin she has proven her faithfulness and it is her success that she wants to celebrate. (I should note here that this would be all women, just as the lost sheep celebration would be all men.) In this parable, the ten silver coins refers to a piece of jewellery with ten silver coins on it worn by brides. This was the equivalent of a wedding ring in modern times.
The housewife who lost a coin faced something of an economic disaster, since the value of the coin would be equivalent to her husband’s daily wage. What would she say to her husband when he returned home from work? They were poor and would suffer greatly because of the loss. Her grief and anxiety turn to joy when she finds the coin.In the illustration, the sinner is compared to a valuable coin which has been lost. The woman does not take a careless attitude towards her lost possession.
No. First she lights a lamp, necessarily expending oil, so that she can see clearly.
Next, instead of simply glancing here and there, she uses a broom or some utensil to sweep her house so that she can reach places that might otherwise be inaccessible to her.
Above all, she searches carefully. There is no hint of indifference, only diligence. This coin was valuable; she must find it at all costs. Jesus wanted the religious leaders to understand how he felt about those who were lost. When we are lost sinners, we are not just “out there” somewhere away from God. God longed for us so much that He took the ultimate action; He offered up His Son as a sacrificial lamb. This He did to cleanse the sinner from sin and restore him to Himself. He would go to any length, use any means, any expense to bring them to Himself. The parable of the lost coin indicates the mission of the Son.
Jesus came to be the Light of the World;
John 1:9
9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.Just as the woman needed light to search carefully for her lost coin.In the same way Jesus provides the light for sinners to be found, to come from the dark into His wonderful light .Each sinner is special to God; there is rejoicing in heaven over “each one” that repents. 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” .Jesus makes it clear in these parables that he is talking about repentance. So what did the coin do to earn restoration? Nothing! The coin was restored because one who valued it searched with great difficulty to find it. So when verse 10 says there will be much joy “over one sinner who repents,” who is the celebration ultimately about?We are all individuals of great importance to the Father.
The woman could have been content to possess the remaining nine coins; obviously they represented great wealth and status to her.
Instead, she searched carefully, unwilling to accept that her coin might never be reclaimed.
And when she found it she was ecstatic and overjoyed and instead of keeping it to herself, she just had to tell her friends and neighboursso that they could share in the celebration. The parable of the lost coin also gives us a glimpse of what brings great joy to the Lord and He delights in it. In this parable, once the woman finds the coin, she calls her friends and neighbours in order to share the good news. When a sinner is restored to fellowship with God, it is a cause for rejoicing. This is the whole plan of salvation; this is why Christ came. This is the splendid, marvellous, most glorious act in the history of the universe. God seeks sinners and rejoices when they are found. He is not content for any sinner to be away from Him that is why He would go as far as delaying his second coming :2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise(His promise is to come back), as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
Both the shepherd and the housewife “search until what they have lost is found”. Their persistence pays off. They both instinctively share their joy with the whole community. The poor are particularly good at sharing in one another’s sorrows and joys. The restoration of the prodigal son ends with a festive party celebrated by the whole community. What was new in Jesus’ teaching was the insistence that sinners must be sought out and not merely mourned for. God does not rejoice in the loss of anyone, but desires that all be saved and restored to fellowship with him. That is why the whole community of heaven rejoices when one sinner is found and restored to fellowship with God.
If we analyze this parable
We find ten theological themes in the parable.
A good woman pays a high price to find the lost coin.
The above mentioned grace finds the coin.
Without this effort the coin will be lost forever.
It will not find itself nor can it cooperate in the process.
The search is successful.
The theme of the atonement is unmistakably present.
Humankind is here linked to a lifeless coin, lost and nearly hidden on the floor of a dark room.
Again the friends and companions (haberoth) rejoice with the woman. The possibility that they might sit in judgment over her saving efforts is absurd.
Heaven itself rejoices!
How could the haberim[religious “club” the Pharisees belonged to] fail to do so?
The lost coin is completely unresponsive and life-less and yet it’s a symbol of repentance.
The sheep’s bleating provides some help to the shepherd who seeks his lost one.
But here the total unqualified weight of the rescue operation is on the actions of the woman.
Thus again repentance is being found.
The first story presents “Jesus the good shepherd.”
In the secondthe text refers to “Jesus the good woman.”
The church historically has chosen to recognize and proclaim the first while ignoring the second.
The traditional attitude can be seen as disloyal to the teachings of Jesus.
The question must be asked:
Has not the church sustained a significant loss of potential spirituality as a result?
If anything, the holiness theme is here dominant. The woman acts primarily “for her own sake.”
If we read further down in Luke’s gospel Luke 13:34he writes that Jesus uses the metaphor of a mother hen to describe Himself 34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.
Here in our parable he is a good woman. Prior to Jesus, “the birth of a daughter is a loss” (Sir. 22:3b). Relatively soon after the time of Jesus, the rabbis were praying each day thanking God that they had not been created women (Hauptman, 196). In the first parable Jesus boldly says,
“You should be like this ‘unclean’ shepherd.”
In this parable he affirms, “I am like this woman! I search for the lost. What about you?” In the process Jesus elevates the worth of all women by his choice of imagery.
I readWilliam Hendriksen’s commentary of the “Lost coin” parable ,and he relates some interesting “explanations”
a. That the woman symbolizes the Holy Spirit, supposedly
because…
1) The Son is symbolized in the first parable of “Lost Sheep”
2) The Father would be featured in the parable of “The
Prodigal Son”Therefore having the woman represent the Spirit would complete the trinity
b. That the lamp represents the gospel
c. That the broom signifies the Law
2. But Hendriksen concludes by discountingthat explanation as imaginativethoughts (and I do too)
a. As with most parables, there is only one point, just one central lesson for us to learn
b. And Jesus’ own explanation makes it clear what the parable is designed to teach
3. This parable reinforces the main point in the previous parable…
a. That there will be “more joy in heaven”over one sinner who repents – Lk 15:7
b. Here, the expression is “more joy in the presence of the angels of God” – Lk 15:10
1) Does this mean to say that angels rejoice when a sinner repents?
a) They certainly take a deep interest in our salvation – 1Pe 1:10-12He 1:13-14Mt 18:10
They have been, and will be, involved in carrying out God’s plan of salvation –Lk 2:10-14Mt 25:312 Th 1:7-9
2) But note that Jesus said “in the presence of the angels”… a) The joy described is in their presence, not in them per se
b) Who is in their presence? God!
c) He Who dwells in the presence of angles will greatly rejoice! f. Ezek 18:23,3233:11Zeph 3:172 Pe 3:9
[Again, this parable’s theme is similar to the others in this chapter:
“The Father’s yearning love for the lost”.
Such love is evident by thejoy “in heaven” and “in the presence of angels” when just one sinnerrepents.
If we had to apply this parable in our lives
What should our attitude be toward the lost ?…
1. There are four different attitudes one can assume toward the lost:
a. Hate them (self-righteous individuals may have this attitude)b. Regard them with indifference (some Christians have this attitude)
c. Welcome them when they come to you (the Pharisees and scribes considered Jesus guilty of this one)
d. Seek them
2. From the first two parables the choice of characters, the setting and the attitude toward the lost we learn from Jesus…
a. Jesus not only “welcomed” them (option “c”)
b. He “sought” them! (option “d”) – e.g.,
Luke 19:10
10 For the Son of Man[a] came to seek and save those who are lost.”
— So our attitude should be one of both welcoming and seeking those who are lost!
The last lesson for us in this parable is:what our attitude should be toward the repentant…
1. Both parables (“The Lost Sheep” and “The Lost Coin”) describe the heavenly joy when a sinner repents – Lk 15:7,10
2. What is our attitude when a sinner repents?
a. Are we indifferent? (“Ho hum, so what…”)
b. Are we sceptical? (“I wonder if they really repented”)
c. Are we judgmental? (“Shame on them for sinning in the
first place!”)
d. Or are we full of joy? (“That’s wonderful! Praise be to
God!”)
— When a soul repents, it should be an occasion of great joy!– e.g.,
2Co 7:4-94 I have the highest confidence in you, and I take great pride in you. You have greatly encouraged me and made me happy despite all our troubles.Paul’s Joy at the Church’s Repentance
5 When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside. 6 But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus. 7 His presence was a joy, but so was the news he brought of the encouragement he received from you. When he told us how much you long to see me, and how sorry you are for what happened, and how loyal you are to me, I was filled with joy!
8 I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. 9 Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way.
Lets recap and conclude
1. The parable of “The Lost Coin” should serve to remind us that…
a. God not only welcomes sinners, He goes out of His way to savethem!
b. God rejoices when sinners repent
2. It is important that we posses these same attitudes toward the lost…
First, and foremost, because we are to imitate our Father and our Saviour
Ephesians 5:1-2
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
Secondly, Jesus felt it important enough to tell two parables
that are virtually identical
1) Perhaps for sake of emphasis
2) Perhaps to strike home the message for the men (“The Lost Sheep”), andthe other to drive the point home to the women (“The LostCoin”)
But still he wasn’t finish, because Jesus went on to tell another parable that willmake the point even stronger!
That parable is“The Prodigal Son”, which I hope to bring you
in our next study of the Lost.
“Lord Jesus, nothing escapes your watchful gaze and care. May we always walk in the light of your truth and never stray from your loving presence.”
Amen