THE LOST COIN

In Luke 15 is the parable about three ‘lost things,’ a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son. The Lost Coin mentions a woman who lost a ‘silver coin.’ Two of the parable parts emphasize living things and the ‘the coin’ is an inanimate object. It isn’t something that is alive, but as we all know is very important…money.

But if we are able to see ‘the lost’ part of this, it becomes another very important issue. The coin is so lost that the woman needs ‘to light a candle’ and ‘get her broom’ and goes searching every possible place to find where it might be lost. If we translate this to reaching the difficult and seemingly unreached and unfound people groups…perhaps in our own families, it will be a matter of how ever many candles it takes and however long we need to sweep… we want to find ‘the coin.’ Maybe not easily or quickly… but she finds it. We need to find our ‘coins’ as well.

The parable says, ‘she searches carefully until she finds it’ (Luke 15:8) and then, “when she finds it, she calls in her friends and neighbors saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” (15:9)

“We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.” Jesus