Luke 15:8-10
The Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:8-10 LOST TO FOUND
Springford Baptist Church: March 26, 2023.
We have all lost things haven’t we?
When won’t we give up searching?
What determines whether we keep persistently looking for what is lost or if we give up and decide, “Oh well, it doesn’t really matter” or conclude that it is hopeless, “It will never be found.”
Isn’t it the value we place on what is lost that influences whether we keep on looking or give up?
In this story that Jesus tells, a woman has 10 silver coins. She values these coins. Since she has 10 coins, we might surmise that in losing one she still has 9, so it is not something to get overly concerned about.
This is not the way this woman sees things. Yes, she does still have 9 silver coins, but she is extremely concerned about the 1 coin that is missing.
Notice that she takes action immediately!
She does not just sit down and think about what it was like to have 10 coins and to wonder over and over how to make things like they used to be. She does not expect someone else to come into her house and to search for the lost coin for her. She does not collapse into an emotional lament that paralyzes her for action repeating, “I’ve lost my coin! I’ve lost my coin”!
What does she do? She lights a lamp. She sweeps the house. She “searches carefully until she finds it”. (Luke 15:8)
She won’t give up because she values this coin so much!!
We know don’t we what Jesus, God’s Son values?
Is it silver coins, money, winning the lottery?
No, these things are what our world places value on and spends lifetimes searching and working towards.
Rather, what our Lord Jesus values above all else is people, lost souls who have not yet been found.
Since Jesus places such value on people, He expects us to do the same.
We all know people who for various reasons have not responded by faith to God’s invitation to be found. Some of them do not even realize that they are lost.
These are family members, friends, and neighbours that we pray for and long for them to discover Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
It is not that we are judging them. We just know that without Jesus, what is most important is missing in their lives.
It might appear to us that these same people will never respond, will never be found. Sometimes over a long period of time, we might be inclined to give up.
Hear this: God never gives up!
God did not give up on any of us. God continued to search until we were found by Him and restored to His loving embrace.
What might we learn from the details of how this woman finally found the lost coin?
- She lit a lamp
How might we shine light into the dark places to help people find what God has to offer. Are we aware of the things that people around us are facing that can make life seem so very dark-pain, illness,disappointment, depression, confusion, troubled relationships, unemployment, family issues, grief and loss…
Only as people can trust us, will they talk about these dark things.
Many of us are guided by the lights of home. Particularly in the country, we count on a bright yard light to illumine the darkness when we are trying to find our way home. We leave a light on when we are expecting someone so that they can find their way to the door.
How are we leaving a light lit? The Light of Jesus shining from our lives can help people to be found and they can find their way home to God.
If we grow impatient or judgmental, it dims the light that is needed for the lost to be found.
- She swept the house
She cleaned things up. Sometimes the clutter of life-unkind thoughts, unloving words, and selfishness might prevent the lost from being found. We will need to rely on God to forgive us and to keep on sweeping and cleaning us up so that nothing will affect our witness for Him or prevent us from being part of someone lost being found. - She searched carefully
Careful searching is not done in a rush or recklessly. Certainly, when we are dealing with people, we do not want to be pushy or careless. Care with people speaks of compassion. God cares deeply for every person and so must we! We must treat people with respect and grace.
This is what leads to the possibility of someone lost being found.
4. She does not give up
She keeps searching until she finds it. Nothing is more
important to her than finding the lost coin.
And all the effort is so worthwhile when the lost coin is finally found! What does she do then?
She calls her friends and neighbours together to celebrate with her. It brings great happiness to everyone!
Jesus reveals that in the same way God’s angels rejoice! They have a party, every time a lost soul turns to God. (Luke 15:10)
If this is the kind of joy in heaven where it is obvious that every person, every soul matters, how extreme should be our joy for every person who discovers the gift of faith in God!
God does not give up on anyone being found and neither should we.
Of course, there are some pursuits in life that we do abandon and give up on. There are some things that are going nowhere and it makes sense to give up. But the priceless value of each person compels God and needs to compel us to never give up on anyone.
If we are “BECOMING” more and more like Jesus then our compassion for people must reflect His compassion for people.
When we experience more of the compassion of Jesus, we will want to celebrate along with the angels each person who goes from being lost to found! We can be inspired to do this when we consider God’s “Amazing Grace” for each of us. “We once were lost but now are found, were blind but now we see”!