God the Pursuer Part 2

This is the second part of the series that I have been preaching through at the church where I serve as pastor.

Jesus shares a second parable in Luke 15:8-10 that is intended to show the crowd that was gathered a little more about God’s heart towards those who are far from Him because of sin.  This parable has been commonly referred to as The Parable of the Lost Coin.

The previous parable that Jesus had shared (the parable of the lost sheep) was one that would have spoken very clearly to the men in the crowd.  This parable would be one that would speak loudly to the women in the crowd.

It has been said that Christianity is a religion that pushes women down and makes them inferior to men.  This thought could not be any more false.  Jesus did more than anyone (religious figure or other) to elevate the status of women.  We see that many of His closest followers were women. It was a woman who was first to experience the reality and joy of the empty tomb on that first Easter Sunday morning.  By sharing this parable in the manner that He did, Jesus was showing that the gift of God was for all people.

 The Value of the Coin

Jesus shares that a woman has “ten silver coins.”  The Greek word here is drachmas.  This has made more than one scholar scratch their head because the drachma was not in circulation at the time Jesus shared this parable.  Some have thought that He meant the denarius which was in circulation at the time.  I think something else is going on here.

These “ten silver coins” could have easily been on a necklace and played a very important part in the story.  If this were the case, then the necklace would have been a dowry that was given to her parents by her husband when he desired to marry her.  If that’s the case, then the value of this one coin would be priceless.  It would have been a representation of the love and devotion that her husband had for her.

God has placed a great value on each person because He created human beings with His own image upon them.  We live in a time where people have seemed to lose sight of the value that other people have.  There are countless news stories of people taking the lives of others for pointless reasons.  There are also many stories played out each day as we just walk past others while glued to our screens and “to-do” lists.  We miss the value that God has placed on each person.

The Search for the Coin

The woman in Jesus’ parable has the same dilemma as the shepherd of the first parable: “Do I spend the time and energy necessary on finding the one when I still have these others?”  Jesus shows that not only was the answer, “YES!” but that she was willing to do whatever it took to find it.

First, the woman lights a lamp.  This paints a beautiful picture of the pursuit with which God uses to find the lost.  Sin brought a great darkness over creation.  The first thing that God did was bring light to the situation.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:1-5 CSB)

Jesus came as the light of the world.  He came to illuminate the darkness that sin had cast over all of creation.  Just as the woman in the parable would bring light to her situation, God has brought a light so that what was lost may be found… He brought Himself.

Second, sweeping took place.  After the woman lit a lamp, she began actively pursuing the coin leaving nothing unturned.  As Jesus came to earth, He left no stone unturned.  He went to all kinds of people and situations to bring the wonderful news of the gospel to those who needed it.  He would go to the places that no one dared to go.  He even went to the Temple on a couple of occasions and turned things upside-down.

Just as the woman was willing to do whatever it took to find her coin, Jesus was saying that God is also willing to go to the ends of the earth and the bottom of the barrel to rescue what is precious to Him.  Aren’t you glad that God is willing to do whatever?

The Finding of the Coin

Once again, Jesus uses some specific language in His parable.  When Luke 15:9 says that woman calls her friends to come and rejoice with her, He uses the feminine form of the word.  Once again, we see Jesus including women in the work of God. All people can be part of God’s plan.  It is not for a select few.  It is for every man, woman, boy, or girl.

Jesus concludes this parable in the same manner as the parable of the lost sheep: with rejoicing.  When something is repeated in the Bible, you should pay extra close attention.  There is rejoicing in heaven when a sinner repents and comes to life through Christ.  The same should be true here on earth.

Will we experience the joy of seeing those far from Christ be found?  It will happen when we join God in His work and share His good news with those who need to hear it.